Chicago Bears: Why Nick Foles trade returned best fourth-round value
Top quarterback prospects were gone
Unless you are a big Jake Fromm believer (I actually am), there were not any other top quarterback prospects left at this point in the draft. Four quarterbacks went in the first round this year. A round the Chicago Bears did not have a pick in for the second year in a row due to the Khalil Mack trade.
Joe Burrow went first overall to the Cincinnati Bengals. He was easily the top prospect in the draft because of Tua Tagovailoa’s injury scares. Burrow had a historic college performance last season, but will it translate to the NFL? He also is somewhat of a one-year wonder like Mitchell Trubisky, granted his one year was as I said historic and in a vastly more talented and difficult conference.
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Tagovailoa did not last long in the 2020 NFL Draft though. He went fifth overall to the Miami Dolphins. Personally, I find Tagovailoa to be the more talented quarterback, but injuries are a concern and it makes sense for him to fall below Burrow. Tagovailoa has proven over multiple seasons that he is a talented quarterback who when healthy could take the NFL by storm.
Justin Herbert quickly followed Tagovailoa off the board as the sixth overall pick. He was never rumored to be around for the Chicago Bears even in the second round. Herbert is an interesting prospect who should have a solid NFL career. He was picked by the Chargers who want an athletic quarterback with a big arm. Rivers had the arm, but was never that mobile.
Finally, Jordan Love was the last quarterback to go in the first round. He was not a first round talent in my opinion and I love (but also fear) the Packers taking him with their first round pick. Could he develop and take over for Aaron Rodgers…maybe, but I do not see what the Packers see and thought a wide receiver for a depleted talent group outside of Davante Adams made more sense.
Ryan Pace could have taken the likes of Jalen Hurts in the second round (went 53rd overall) had the team not traded for Nick Foles, but when I look at a win-now team, I do not see Hurts leading the way in his rookie season. Adding Cole Kmet and Jaylon Johnson look to be better values than Hurts. And finally, Jacob Eason went 122nd overall and would not have been there when the Chicago Bears were picking in the fourth.