Three years ago, Bears general manager Ryan Pace shocked the NFL world when he traded up one spot to draft quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. It was the surprise move in the 2017 NFL Draft, as neither the media or fans saw the selection coming. Heading into the 2020 NFL Draft, history could repeat itself if the right scenario were to unfold, this time leaving Trubisky’s future with the Bears all but over.
Most people forget how secretive Pace was when it came to scouting and evaluating Trubisky out of fear of someone else drafting the quarterback. Whether it was attending the Sun Bowl in disguise to see North Carolina face Stanford or making sure that every meeting was as hidden as possible, the Bears GM did the most to keep his direction secretive. It was because of this that even after Chicago selected Trubisky second overall, both analyst and fans expected the Bears to trade the quarterback to a team that targeted him.
With this year’s draft less than two weeks away, Chicago is on the verge of drafting another young quarterback to develop. Many believe that the Bears will use one of their picks in this year’s draft on a quarterback that can sit and develop. Many are not leaving the possibility open that Chicago may use their first of two second-round draft picks on a quarterback.
In his six seasons overseeing Bears drafts, Pace has developed two recurring draft trends, which include trading up to select a player he covets and finding players other teams were not targeting. Chicago’s general manager has traded up to draft players such as Trubisky, Leonard Floyd, David Montgomery, and Anthony Miller. Pace has found players like Eddie Jackson, Tarik Cohen, and Nick Kwiatkoski that other teams were either not targeting or were hesitant on selecting.
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Drafting a quarterback in the second round would also provide job safety for Pace as he could separate himself from the Trubisky selection. If Nick Foles’ play leads the Bears back to the playoffs, Chicago’s general manager would have a second-round quarterback to provide his coaching staff to develop and have ready for the 2021 season. It would demonstrate that Pace can scout quarterback talent and prove that Trubisky was a rarity and not a common trend.
One quarterback that might be there for the team in the second round could be Utah State’s, Jordan Love. Love is projected to be drafted as high as 5th overall or fall to the 50th selection. The Utah State quarterback would be the ideal quarterback to have sit to develop. Other surprise quarterback targets could be Jalen Hurts or Jake Fromm. If Pace and the team were to go this route, it would leave Trubisky as the odd man out. Nagy and his quarterback friendly coaching staff would have their veteran in Foles and a rookie quarterback to mold from the start. It would also make for two quarterbacks that fans would want to start before Trubisky.
It is something that fans need to keep an eye out for leading up to the draft. The one aspect that drives this is the make or break situation that Pace, Nagy, and Trubisky are in heading into the 2020 season. If a quarterback is selected with the 43rd pick Friday of Draft Weekend, Bears fans should not be shocked. Pace has been here before and has proven that he will go to great lengths to hide his draft targets, especially for the position that can save or end his tenure as Bears general manager.
