The Chicago Bears #3 pick plans have been the hottest discussion in the city since the Blackhawks went down. Yes the Bulls are still playing and the Cubs are red hot but be honest. All anybody can talk about is who in the hell will GM Ryan Pace take with the highest pick the Bears have held in 45 years. Will it be a quarterback? Will they trade down?
People are about ready to club each other with baseball bats. They’re tired of the speculation and just want an answer. Of course that would ruin the fun. What they can bite into for now are rumors. Granted, there are plenty going around but only a certain few that might hold any sort of weight.
It seems a new rumor just dropped and it didn’t come from just one source either. In fact two men picked it up separately, and it changes the entire complexion things.
Bears #3 pick plans are becoming clear
The first man to shed some light on the situation was Matt Miller of Bleacher Report. He released his final scouting notebook with heavy details what he’s hearing from team sources. What he had to say about the Bears was eye-opening.
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“Don’t bet on a quarterback in Round 1, per a high-level source with the team. Defensive back is much more likely, with Jamal Adams and Marshon Lattimore earning high grades on the team’s board. A quarterback is more likely on Day 2 of the draft. Oddly enough, my source said they’ve done a ton of work on running backs and wouldn’t rule one out in Round 2 or 3.”
By itself the note is interesting. Then again this is peak lying season. It could easily be false information. However, in this case that might not be true. Not too long after Miller dropped this nugget, another expert did the same. This one with decidedly closer ties to the organization. Greg Gabriel, a former scout for the Bears, also thinks QB isn’t an option at #3. Only if they’re able to trade down.
Everything I'm hearing now says Bears will not go QB at 3. Possible in first if they trade down, just not at 3
— Greg Gabriel (@greggabe) April 25, 2017
Normally this close to the draft is when some of the rumors start to gain some true to them. It was the same last year. Just a day or two prior rumblings began to surface that the Bears were heavily interested in a young linebacker out of Georgia named Leonard Floyd. Sure enough come draft time they traded up two spots to take him.
Staying grounded
If this information is to be trusted, then it’s clear enough the Bears are staying grounded in their approach. From a pure talent to talent standpoint, Adams and Lattimore are better prospects than Trubisky or Watson. So in truth one could argue that Pace is sticking to his “best player available” moniker as he has the past two years. Not only that, but he’s also potentially trying to fortify a team strength rather than take a gamble on a player who might not even see the field in 2017.
It’s a pretty straightforward decision. Get a potential Pro Bowl player for what was one of the worst secondaries in the NFL last season, or roll the dice on a quarterback. Considering Pace and head coach John Fox are both men with defensive backgrounds? This really shouldn’t be a big surprise in all honesty. Chicago wants an elite defense. The next logical step in the process would be this.
Whether it actually plays out that way? All answers come in two days.
