Chicago Bears: Why trading up for Trevor Lawrence would be a big mistake

The Chicago Bears cannot afford to trade up for Trevor Lawrence

When you look at the 2021 draft class, Trevor Lawrence stands out as the clear and obvious choice as the first-overall pick. The problem is, the Chicago Bears have little to no shot at owning the top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. At 5-5 on the season, the Bears are currently 16th overall. There’s no way they catch up to the New York Jets or Jacksonville Jaguars who have combined for one win on the season. The Jets are the frontrunner to win the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes.

At first, I was trying to find ways for the Chicago Bears to move up from 16 to the top pick. To do this would drastically dismantle the current team. Maybe that’s what we should want the franchise to do, but even if Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace are removed from their positions, a new general manager cannot trade the likes of Khalil Mack and multiple first and second-round picks to move up 15 spots for Lawrence.

Let us take a look at the Green Bay Packers for example. The Packers have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Aaron Rodgers. The Bears would be lucky if Lawrence became as good as Rodgers. The Packers have won only one Super Bowl with Rodgers under center. Trading valuable assets and draft capital to move up for the first pick would set this franchise back even further and I honestly think Lawrence is a slam dunk and as close as you can get to a can’t miss.

If we look at the most recent NFL Drafts, there have been some very good and even elite quarterbacks coming into the NFL. Patrick Mahomes looks to be a lock for the Hall of Fame already. Deshaun Watson has been very good too and well, Mitch Trubisky would get less heat if he was drafted 16th overall as opposed to a team moving up one spot to draft him second overall.

We also have guys like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson doing great things — neither was drafted first overall. Turning our attention to the 2020 NFL Draft and we see guys like Justin Herbert lighting the stat sheet up week after week. He even looks better than Joe Burrow who went first overall.

The Chicago Bears might still need to move up though

This does not mean that the Chicago Bears should stay in the middle of the pack. Should they lose out, they might be in the top-10 come the end of the season, but Herbert went sixth overall and Allen went seventh overall in 2018. Even Patrick Mahomes went 10th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. Staying at 16 would be a mistake unless they took the best offensive tackle available at the time. The offensive line is as big of an issue (maybe worse actually) as the quarterback position.

If the Bears do go offensive tackle in the first round, there are still some solid prospects later in the draft. Right now it seems Zach Wilson will be the third (or maybe second) quarterback to come off the board in 2021. That’s okay as I am not as high on him (still ranked third for me right now, but I worry about his competition) as others. Trey Lance was the third guy before his season was postponed due to COVID-19.

Then you have guys who are fringe first-rounders or could wind up falling to the second or third rounds. Remember, not all great quarterbacks come from the first round. Tom Brady was a sixth-rounder and Russell Wilson was drafted in the third. Dak Prescott was also a fourth-rounder. Guys like Kyle Trask (my guy right now), Mac Jones and Kellon Mond could make for an upgrade for this team in 2021. Remember they will have Nick Foles as a bridge guy too.

The point is, trading up for Trevor Lawrence would be awesome from a fan perspective. It would be great to see the Chicago Bears put a priority on the position in a way they haven’t done since Pace drafted Trubisky (swung and missed). Prior to Trubisky, Rex Grossman is the only other first-round pick used on a quarterback since entering the 21st Century. However, making a move like this would be a horrible mistake and no one should be discussing the possibility.