Senior Bowl highlights lack of quarterback depth in 2021 NFL Draft
The lack of talent at the 2021 Senior Bowl at quarterback revealed the lack of overall quality in the class
The Senior Bowl is usually a thrilling time that officially kicks off the NFL draft season. For the Chicago Bears, it kicks off their long search to bring in the perfect signal-caller for the future. The Bears can try the veteran route, but they did that last year, and Matt Nagy has yet to draft a quarterback.
The issue with drafting a quarterback is that in picking 20th, there is a chance that they are going to miss their shot at the top guys. This is what made the Senior Bowl so vital, as the top four quarterbacks were not in attendance.
Still, while the Chicago Bears may have went to the Senior Bowl hoping to find depth at quarterback, they may have left uninspired.
To start, it does not help that Kyle Trask and Mac Jones sat out. Trask did not do anything, but Jones did practice through the week which helped his stock. He also looked clear and away as the best quarterback at the event.
Still, that may say for about the others than it does him.
Kellen Mond won the MVP, but he is not going to have that Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts rise after the Senior Bowl. He really did not even play well, going 13-25. The issue is no other QB played better. Still, he did separate himself as the next quarterback in the class. It is just tough to see his full body of work, and think that he is an answer as a starter in the NFL.
He outshined Jaime Newman, who excelled at Wake Forest, but missed a chance to prove himself at Georgia this year. Newman was in a simplistic offense at Wake and showed slow processing issues and looked uncomfortable in traditional looks.
Beyond that, Felipe Franks, Ian Book, and Sam Ehlinger did nothing to improve their stocks. Those stocks were day three low as it is.
When you dig all the way into this quarterback class, you see the big four of Trey Lance, Zach Wilson, Trevor Lawrence, and Justin Fields.
Then there is are the older passers such as Jones and Trask. However, when you go below those six, you get into trouble. Mond is the floor at seven, and you are feeling uneasy with that selection.
The Chicago Bears may have realized this weekend that they have to do one of two things. First, they have to trade into the top 10 to get whichever of the three not named Lawrence falls. If they do not do that, they have to be prepared to potentially reach for Jones or Trask in the first round.
If they do not, they are unlikely to feel good about the quarterback they walked away with. The Senior Bow reinforced the idea that there is no Prescott type sleeper this year.