The best isn't always the best prospect
I'm sorry, my Bear brothers. I am three pages in, and I haven't started my main drive. Let's use the 2017, 2020, and famous 1983 quarterback draft classes. Had Ryan Poles waited to see if his draft crush (naughty) fell to him, a few things could have happened. Maybe the Browns make that move to trade up for him, and Pace will be stuck with his second option at quarterback. We all know it was Pat Mahomes, right? Well, if you didn't, you do now. John Fox wanted Deshaun Watson, in case you didn't know.
No draft capital is lost, you get the best quarterback in the draft, and the 2018 Chicago Bears look completely different. Or the Browns don't make that trade, and Pace drafts Trubisky at #3, but no draft capital is lost. You can say hindsight, right? Sure, but if you follow me, I told you all this then, and I am telling you now my true thoughts. Moving on, we become the Bengals in 2020. In 2019, everybody said tank for Tua. I laughed and said that it was a terrible idea.
Why the heck would you tank to draft one player? Yes, I believe that the quarterback is very important, but you want your team to play at its best. If you tank, that whole structure has to change. I ranked the 2020 draft class something like this:
- Justin Herbert
- Jalen Hurts (I think)
- Joe Burrow
- Jacob Eason
- Tua
- Jake Fromm
I think that was my final order, but I could be way off. I do know that I had Herbert at #1, Eason was high up, Tua was down because of injury concerns, and Hurts, I thought, was a best and a winner.