Chicago Bears trade up to get their quarterback in 2021 NFL Mock Draft

The last time the Chicago Bears traded up for a quarterback may have scarred fans for life. In 2017, Ryan Pace traded up from third overall to second overall to draft Mitchell Trubisky. In turn, he passed on two now elite quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. That doesn’t mean Pace should stop shooting his shot.

This mock draft, unlike others, was conducted using Pro Football Network’s Mock Draft Machine. I wanted to get a different pool of players so I wasn’t picking the same players at the same picks every time. I would get the same mocks every time in doing so.

In this mock, I made a jump from 20th overall to 13th overall with the Los Angeles Chargers giving up a future first-round pick and additionally got pick no. 97. Also, I traded back in the second round to acquire even more picks with the Cleveland Browns dropping from pick no. 52 to pick no. 59 receiving pick no. 110 as well.

In total, here were my draft picks:

• Round 1, Pick No. 13 via LAC
• Round 2, Pick No. 59 via CLE
• Round 3, Pick No. 83
• Round 4, Pick No. 97 via LAC
• Round 4, Pick No. 110 via CLE
• Round 5, Pick No. 165
• Round 6, Pick No. 205
• Round 6, Pick No. 219
• Round 6, Pick No. 224
• Round 7, Pick No. 230

Chicago Bears: Round 1, Pick No. 13 via LAC

I was personally hoping for Justin Fields to fall, but once I saw the San Francisco 49ers pick a non-quarterback, I knew I had to trade up to get my project quarterback in Trey Lance. Lance was only a one-year starter while at North Dakota State, but he had a record-breaking season in that one season.

For starters, Lance accounted for nearly 4,000 yards and over 40 touchdowns both on the ground and through the air. He led North Dakota State to a National Championship without turning the ball over once. Lance didn’t throw a single interception and didn’t fumble once either. He didn’t look as sharp in his 2020 exhibition game, but his 2019 season cannot be ignored. It’s also fair to mention he did this one season as a freshman in college.

In terms of ceiling, Trey Lance could have the highest ceiling of any quarterback in this draft class. He is a true dual-threat quarterback that ran for over 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns in his lone season for the Bison. His arm strength is no question either as he can hit the deep shots effortlessly. He has every physical attribute necessary to be a star in the league. He just needs work.

Lance is best served as a backup early on. It truly does hurt the team a bit that the Bears can’t start him right away, but they will be okay with a bridge quarterback while the bridge and Nick Foles mentor the 20-year-old. Having him sit would be great for him as it was for Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers. Throwing him into the fire Week 1 would be a mistake especially given his one-year of experience in the FCS.