Is Jake Fromm still on the Chicago Bears mind?
The Chicago Bears under Ryan Pace have been known to shock the world with their drafts. With moves like trading up one spot for Mitch Trubisky, trading back into the second round to select Anthony Miller, grabbing a tight end from Ashland University, and an athletic muscle hamster linebacker with a name harder to spell than pronounce in Joel Iyiebuniwe.
With the 2020 NFL Draft less than two weeks away, Bears fans have been speculating what should happen in their opinions but forget to add the shock value of Ryan Pace. The NFL leaked information hotline has been lower than ever due to the inability to bring prospects to team facilities.
This makes it much harder to anticipate what general managers will do this year. Ryan Pace has consistently valued positions correctly despite acquiring potentially the wrong players. So what if all of the top tier positions are cleaned out before the 43rd overall selection? Value-wise that would mean that edge defender, tackle, corner, quarterback, and receiver are all down to the second-tier players.
The Bears could look into interior defenders and blockers or safties. However, what if all of those top tier players are gone as well? That would leave top tier tight ends, linebackers, and running backs. Would Ryan Pace grab those positions over the second-tier players of the most important positional value?
Enter Jake Fromm. According to mainstream media outlets, Jake Fromm’s value has been dropping from his late-round one and early to mid-round two selection to late day three. I have said that if the Bears have to rely on their third-string rookie quarterback to save their season, the season would likely finish negatively. I still stand by that statement.
However, what if Jake Fromm isn’t the third-string quarterback? According to Pro Football Focus, only two quarterbacks had three seasons above an 82 season grade. And none of those names include Burrow or Tagovailoa. Although Tua Tagovailoa was very close, this pick would likely divide the fan base but is not out of the realm of possibility.
Game manager, unathletic, and run game are things that are commonly said when talking about the former Bulldog quarterback. Something people don’t know about Fromm is that he was a pitcher during his childhood days. He was not just any pitcher; he was a star pitcher on the little league world series team in 2011.
The lights are never too bright for Fromm. Fromm was also supposed to play college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Since Kirby Smart was the person who recruited him, Fromm departed with his coach to Georgia. Following an injury to the cannon-armed Jacob Eason, Fromm took the starting job and never looked back.
He had a PFF grade that matched scrambling, star quarterback, Jalen Hurts as the top freshman quarterback. We have seen how some quarterbacks tend to be college quarterbacks due to their running ability like Tim Tebow, Johnny Manziel, and Vince Young, but it doesn’t always translate to the NFL. Fromm matched those players while only rushing for a career 40 yards on 134 carries.
This is what makes Fromm intriguing. Take away Tagovailoa’s injuries, and he is the first overall selection. He only ran for 340 yards on 107 carries during his entire college career. Even Burrow averages that each season with LSU. The key is what the quarterback can do throwing the ball. Its mighty impressive seeing college passers compete with mobile quarterbacks for the best-graded quarterback.
Jake Fromm’s comparison is to Chase Daniel. Just imagine what a younger taller Chase Daniel could do in Matt Nagy’s offense? Just for reference, Chase Daniel with the Bears went 2-2 if you include the win that he played the majority of the game in against the Vikings last year. 98 of 140 passing completions for a 70% completion percentage. He also threw for 950 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions and a 91 passer rating.
Mind you, Daniel is 32 and 33 years old. Jake Fromm is 21 years old. The sky is still the limit.