Going into this draft, Ryan Pace has undercurrents, over-currents and numerous quarterback factors to take into account in order to make the best possible decision for the Chicago Bears on day one. Day two will be a little easier but he will still have many complicating factors to prioritize.
The big undercurrent is the general manager and head coach’s jobs are very likely on the line given decisions made in this draft. The key over-current is Pace needs to correctly address the Bears’ decades-long struggles in finding the right quarterback. The irony is that all currents lead to the quarterback position and prioritizing the pros and cons of the latest crop of college QB’s is the trickiest of all draft questions to get right.
NFL professionals and those that cover the NFL can be very good at identifying most college talent that translates to the pros. That is except for quarterbacks and especially so in recent times. The number of quarterbacks selected in the top 10 of the draft that have gotten traded or outright failed should be very embarrassing to all concerned.
In my opinion, the reason for these missteps is the majority have very often gotten caught up in narratives that are less important than the quarterback basics. The basics are accuracy, leadership and having a fast, agile mind that has the capacity to correctly process information very very quickly.
The basics do not include being able to run like a running back. Yes, having NFL running ability is a big perk but not a basic quarterback need. On one of his recent Lombardi Line shows, Mike Lombardi put it quite adroitly on the topic of quarterbacks,
"Being quick-minded is more important than being quick-footed.”"
Lombardi worked under Bill Walsh so he is quite knowledgeable about quarterbacks. However, when it comes to the nitty-gritty details, I have learned over the years to stick to ex-NFL quarterbacks as the standard in handicapping college and NFL quarterbacks.