The Alabama pro day figured to be Grand Central Station for the higher-ups of the NFL this offseason. Everybody knows the school is a factory for future football stars and this year is no exception with the program coming off another national championship victory. The
Chicago Bears were indeed in attendance as well. However, not nearly to the extent others were.
Where many teams
sent their GMs or their head coaches, the Bears did not. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, three names were said to be there. One was Sam Summerville. That isn't a surprise. He's their Southeast Area scout. The other two? Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo.
This is a curious decision.
No Ryan Pace? No Matt Nagy? Considering the wealth of 1st round talent including a possible quarterback in Mac Jones, one would think those two would want to be there. Instead, they left two key subordinates and a top scout in charge of things. What could this mean? Are they not really that high on anybody that will be available to them?
Remember that both Pace and Nagy were up in Fargo, North Dakota for the North Dakota State pro day. Site of another prominent quarterback in Trey Lance. Is that a dead giveaway they value him considerably
higher than Jones? No. It's more the masterful game of chess that Pace continues to play. A reminder that he doesn't want anybody knowing anything about his real intentions.
Chicago Bears likely know who they want
The thing to remember about Pace is he never, ever is going to tip his hand. Back in 2017, the Bears were out in full force for the Clemson pro day. Pace, head coach John Fox and others were all there. That had to be a sign they were going to take Deshaun Watson, right? Of course not. Everybody remembers what happened. They traded up for Mitch Trubisky and it was later reported the Bears never actually met personally with Watson.
Translation? It's a pretty safe bet the team has a good idea of both who will be available when they pick next month but also who they want to draft. The Chicago Bears are thus going to use every tactic available to throw other teams off their scent. The fewer people that can determine Pace's intentions, the better. This is why he shows up at certain notable pro days but not others.
It is all about the chess match.
So who were the Bears likely watching on Tuesday? Jones is the obvious name since he's one of the top quarterbacks in this draft. Joining him are wide receivers Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith. Both 1st round locks. Left tackle Alex Leatherwood is somebody who could help Chicago put an end to the Charles Leno era. Center Landon Dickerson is a standout blocker as well. It wouldn't be a surprise if any of them end up in navy blue at the start of May. Or none of them. You'll just have to wait and see.
