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With the 2021 NFL draft less than three weeks away, there’s been plenty of discussion about what the Chicago Bears are going to do with a plethora of positional needs.
While general manager Ryan Pace has only drafted one quarterback in his six-year tenure, the Bears are primed to select a quarterback in this year’s draft. Whether that’s in the first round or on Day 2 remains to be seen. But there’s always the possibility that Chicago could trade up to try and land one of the top five quarterback prospects.
There’s already been one big trade ahead of the draft with the San Francisco 49ers trading a boatload of picks — their 12th-overall pick, a 2022 third-round compensatory pick and first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 — to the Miami Dolphins to move up to the third overall pick, where they’re primed to select a quarterback.
But there could be more movement leading up to the draft.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Atlanta Falcons are willing to trade the No. 4 pick and have been in discussions with teams about potential trades.
On Good Morning Football, NFL Network analyst Peter Schrager believes the Bears are among a handful of teams that should be engaging with the Falcons for that fourth overall pick.
“Atlanta holds the keys to the Draft with the fourth pick right now,” Schrager said. “I’d look at Denver, New England, Washington, even Chicago to pick up that phone and see what it would take. Atlanta’s willing to listen. This is where it gets really interesting.”
“Atlanta holds the keys to the Draft with the 4th pick right now. I’d look at Denver, New England, Washington, even Chicago to pick up that phone and see what it would take. Atlanta’s willing to listen. This is where it gets really interesting.” — @PSchrags pic.twitter.com/kl0rxYEmYl
— GMFB (@gmfb) April 6, 2021
If someone does trade up for that fourth overall pick, they’ll be looking for a quarterback, which would likely mean four quarterbacks chosen with the first four picks.
With Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson looking to go 1-2 with the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets, that would leave Justin Fields, Trey Lance and Mac Jones as the remaining top quarterback prospects on the board.
The San Francisco 49ers are a team to keep an eye on as they’re rumored to be interested in Mac Jones, who is believed by many to be the fifth quarterback in this class. That would leave Fields and Lance up for grabs, which should certainly intrigue the Bears.
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