Chicago Bears 2020 Draft Profile: Could Jacob Eason be an NFL starter?

Should the Chicago Bears draft Jacob Eason, the quarterback from Washington?

With the new Nick Foles contract, the Chicago Bears could certainly still be in the market for a rookie quarterback. If Jacob Eason fell to the second round, or even further, could he be a fit for the Chicago Bears?

Eason has been a name amongst NFL draft circles since he was named Gatorade Player of the Year in 2015. Eason started his college career, but an injury led to Jake Fromm taking hold of the job and failing to let go.

Eason transferred after throwing seven passes at Georgia and after sitting out a year took over as a starter at Washington. Eason had 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions and decided to take that momentum into the NFL draft. Is he ready, or is he too big of a project?

Measurable

The book on Jacob Eason is shown in his measurables. He is tall, he has a lot of size to him, a big arm, but he is not very athletic. Eason comes in at 6’6″ and over 230 pounds.

Strengths

As mentioned, the stereotypical quarterback terms are used to describe Eason. He has the size that is wanted. His arm is a cannon, and not only has great zip but can go long distances. He also has great depth to his arm throwing off of his back leg, showing pure arm strength.

When he is on schedule, and when he can roll out and get into a clean pocket, he can show accuracy to all areas of the field, which shows plenty of upside.

Weakness

Eason does not have much experience at the college level and it shows. He makes big mistakes when the play breaks down, or when he does not see what he thought he was going to see. When he faces pressure or extra blitzes, he has a lot more flight than he has fight. His lack of mobility shows as well as he struggles not only to get out and make plays but also maneuver the pocket with subtlety. He is a lot of projection.

Pro Comparison

When looking at Jacob Eason you have a tall quarterback with limited mobility, a cannon arm, and breakdowns under pressure. One of his upside comparisons could be a player such as Joe Flacco. Flacco transferred in college, just like Eason. Both have the size, and arm strength, but the same struggles that come with Flacco can be seen from Eason as well.

Still, a team did win a Super Bowl with the upside of Flacco, and if you hone in the arm talent of Eason, that is the type of player you could get.

Fit with Chicago Bears

The biggest issue with Eason is his lack of experience. The Bears want a quarterback to come in and compete to start right away. Eason could do that, but he is a huge wild card. NFL speed could do worse things to him than it did to Trubisky. Joe Flacco may be an upside comparison, but another tall, slow quarterback who struggled to process pressure was Mike Glennon. What good would adding an arm like that be?

There is upside, but just as much downside, and more unknown from Eason than arguably any quarterback in the top group. For a Chicago Bears team that needs to win now, and know what they are getting at the quarterback position, Eason could be too risky.