Chicago Bears: Where does Jake Fromm project after NFL Combine?

The NFL Combine is nearly finished. Some prospects saw their draft stock climb and others fell. Where does Jake Fromm find himself after his workout? Has he pushed himself out of the Chicago Bears reach or fallen even further?

The Chicago Bears have met plenty of prospects this offseason. One of those prospects is Jake Fromm. Fromm is one of two quarterbacks who the Bears have had confirmed meetings. With the way 2019 played out for the Chicago Bears, Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy understand that the quarterback position needs a backup plan for Mitchell Trubisky. Could Jake Fromm be that backup plan in 2020?

Fromm found himself starting for the Georgia Bulldogs after fellow 2020 draft prospect, Jacob Eason, went out with an injury. Fromm never let the job go and Eason had to transfer to Washington. Fromm has had a somewhat inconsistent college career, but he has helped lead the Bulldogs to a 36-7 record over three seasons.

Going into 2019, Fromm was one of the better quarterback prospects. Unfortunately, Fromm struggled some and looked somewhat pedestrian. Heading into the Combine, Fromm was projected as a second or third-round option. Names like Jalen Hurts and Jacob Eason find themselves close by on most draft boards. Now that the Combine is here and the quarterbacks have gone through the wringer, has Fromm moved up or down?

Right off the bat, people were all over Fromm’s measurements. He measured in with the smallest hands among the quarterbacks at 8-7/8″ long. Most draft gurus say a quarterback needs a minimum of 9″ hands. I know, we are talking about 1/8″. This does not concern me, but it could help push him down some draft boards. Fromm does not have elite measurables elsewhere either, but he also is not far off from the consensus number one pick Joe Burrow.

The big knock on Jake Fromm has always been his arm strength. He did little to prove his detractors wrong at the Combine. Chad Reuter of the NFL had Fromm listed as one of his losers of the Combine. He spoke about how Fromm’s arm strength was adequate but also brought up how Fromm’s deeper balls would flutter at times. He also mentions how when Fromm tried to push his arm beyond his limits the ball came out poorly.

Although most of Fromm’s Combine measurables and workouts were expected, he did little to ensure he will be drafted before Round 3. Not many Bears fans want to see Fromm in a Chicago Bears uniform if it requires them to use one of the second-round picks, but what if Fromm falls to their compensatory pick in the fourth?

Fromm has great decision-making skills. He knows where to put the football and has proven he can read a defense. In his three-year career at Georgia, he helped lead the team to three SEC Championships, a Rose Bowl and a National Championship game. Fromm was a name to watch this year as a potential first-round pick based on his 2018 performance. Consistency was an issue though and his 2019 results were not nearly as good.

In my opinion, Fromm has likely pushed himself out of Round 2, but I am not sure he has done enough damage to fall down as far as when the Chicago Bears pick in the fourth. If he is there though, he would be an ideal draft prospect for Ryan Pace with that pick. Fromm would be considered a value that low and although he might never be elite, he has the smarts and enough talent to ensure he has a solid NFL Career.

No way I am going to say Fromm will be Tom Brady, but many thought Brady had just an adequate arm and his only asset was his brain. Brady was not considered athletic either, another trait these two share. Could Fromm be better than many of us think? The answer is yes. Could he be exactly what we think, nothing more than a backup who could push to start on certain teams? The answer is again yes. As a fourth-round pick, he is worth a flier though. As a second-rounder, not so much.

What round would you take Fromm in this draft if you were the Chicago Bears?