Chicago Bears address offensive tackle early in 2021 mock draft

Round 5, Pick No. 148

After the main core of the top five quarterbacks, there is a huge drop-off in talent. It is completely murky who the next best quarterbacks are, but Desmond Ridder may be the best of the ones left. Ridder has led Cincinnati to an incredible season which keeps him climbing up draft boards.

Pros:

Gunslinger with a big-arm and great speed on the ball. Extremely athletic. Ideal size for an NFL quarterback at 6′ 4″, 215 pounds. Goes through his reads well. Shows dual-threat ability with 12 rushing touchdowns on the season. Great touch on his deep balls. Coachable as he has taken major strides since 2019.

Cons:

Inconsistent. Has poor mechanics. Footwork has improved, but still sloppy. Bad accuracy down the field. Can be a loose cannon if he feels he needs to win them the game leading to sloppy interceptions. Doesn’t throw the ball away well.

Team Fit:

These cons sound a lot like Mitchell Trubisky. Backing him up though, the Bears can let Ridder sit for a few seasons and learn behind Trubisky, while also being molded and potentially eventually taking over. The upside on Ridder not only with his arm but also with his athletic ability is too impressive to pass on.