Get To Know The Bears' Draft Prospects: Finally, The "Top 4" Quarterbacks

Last week, I wrote about the “other” quarterbacks in the upcoming draft – the ones that may be options in later rounds if the Chicago Bears went in a different direction in the early rounds. But there’s a chance the Bears will target a quarterback in the first round. After all, getting a young QB of the future is a massive priority for this team, and there are many routes Chicago can take to achieve that goal. They can either take one with the third overall pick that they currently own, trade down from the third spot and pick one at a better “value” spot, or try to trade back into the first round after going with another player with their first pick. Although there are rumors that one of the QB prospects could drop to the second round, I have a feeling that there will be enough desperate teams to trigger a run on all of the signal-callers in the first round itself. If the Bears are set on taking their future field general early, their targets will be one of the following “top” guys that have been scouted, analyzed, debated, picked apart and put back together again for months now. There is no consensus on who the best prospect is out of Mitchell Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes, and DeShone Kizer. Experts agree that they’re the Top 4 in “some” order, but ask five different experts, and each one will give you a different opinion of how the QBs rank. It’s that kind of draft. But what do we know about these guys? Let’s explore.

Mitchell Trubisky

Trubisky is a very interesting prospect. He was a reserve at North Carolina for a while, backing up Marquise Williams for reasons that I still don’t comprehend. But in 2016, when he finally got a chance to take the starting job full time, he flourished. He finished with a 68% completion percentage, threw 30 touchdowns, and was only picked off six times. And, he displayed the ability to escape from a collapsing pocket – a valuable asset to have in the NFL. As mentioned, his pocket mobility and awareness is one of the greatest strengths of his. He knows exactly where to slide and doesn’t have to look away from the developing routes either. He displays good mechanics and throwing motion, and has an easy delivery. Plus, he has plenty of arm strength. He doesn’t have a lot of experience taking snaps from under center, however. He’ll need to learn center/QB snap exchanges as well as the drop-back footwork at the NFL level. His experience is also a concern for many scouts, as he’s made only 13 starts in his college career. But overall, he has everything a quarterback needs to succeed in the NFL. For the Bears especially, he’s a great fit because he excels at managing from the pocket, and Dowell Loggains’s offense requires a lot of pocket presence. His pro-comparison on NFL.com is Matthew Stafford – which I’d take in a heartbeat. Trubisky will need time to learn and adjust to the NFL, but he might have the highest floor of any QB in this draft. And he has the potential to grow from good to great. He’s my favorite quarterback prospect in this draft, and a hell of a fit for the Bears.

Deshaun Watson

I said Trubisky is my favorite, but Watson is a close second. He’s everything Ryan Pace wants in a quarterback. He’s a winner, an incredible leader, he elevated Clemson’s football program to greatness, and led his team to two national title appearances in his final two years – losing a heartbreaker in the first, and leading a storybook, championship-winning drive in the second. Interestingly, according to experts, Watson was a slam-dunk first overall pick had he come out last year. Instead, he returned, went on to win the national title, and somehow lowered his appeal in scouts’ eyes. Yes, he threw 17 INTs in 2016, but he played like a champ when it mattered. He won, constantly. And he destroyed Alabama’s vaunted defense in back-to-back title games. The stage isn’t big enough for this guy. At some point, you put the stats away and watch the tape. Watson has his issues, sure. His ball placement and accuracy can be on and off at times, and his deep ball accuracy is OK. And he doesn’t have a lot of experience making full-field reads based on the design of the offense that was run at Clemson. But he’s hella smart – he’ll pick it up. Overall, his intangibles are off the charts. Is he a finished product? No. But all of his flaws can be corrected, and I have the most confidence in him being able to step in and contribute the quickest. Watson’s pro comparison on NFL.com is Marcus Mariota. Considering Pace tried as hard as he could to move up and take Mariota two years ago, you can guarantee Watson is high on his list.

Patrick Mahomes

Mahomes has the highest ceiling in this draft, but also one of the lowest floors. His pro comparison on NFL.com is Jay Cutler, and I can’t think of a more perfect comparison. Mahomes has an absolute rifle for an arm. A cannon. An RPG launcher. Whatever you want to call it; it’s ridiculous how much arm talent he has. That too, with accuracy. Sound familiar? He also has the confidence and swagger to throw any ball at any time into any window and steadfastly believes that he will win. Sound familiar? Mahomes has good pocket awareness and can escape pressure / danger with the best of them. This was underrated aspect of You-Know-Who, but sound familiar? But with Mahomes’s talent comes the downside as well. He’s too willing to make the big play and not as willing to take the smarter checkdowns at times. His decision making can be suspect, and his mechanics are completely shot, especially under pressure. Sound familiar? Mahomes will likely need the most time learning NFL offenses and mechanics. He’s a mega work-in-progress, but if he’s open to coaching and learns properly, he might be the best quarterback to come out of this class. Plus, if the Bears draft him, with Mike Glennon ready to lead for at least one year, Mahomes would be guaranteed at least one year of seasoning. It’s a good spot to be in. People might get scared that he compares to the departed Jay Cutler, but if he accepts his coaching better than #6 did, that comparison could be a blessing.

DeShone Kizer

I’m not able to figure Kizer out. He’s got awesome potential: boasting great size and a great arm. He throws a good ball and is a dual-threat quarterback. Plus, he had plenty of experience in a pro-style offense at Notre Dame, which is a great edge for him. But his decision making is meh. His field vision and anticipation are meh. His accuracy and ball placement is also meh. I feel like he should be better, and he probably will be. Would I be upset if the Bears drafted him? No. But I’m just not that excited about him right now. On the bright side, he did show some cerebral qualities in this segment with Steve Mariucci below. The fact that he was able to grasp those concepts quickly shows pro-style experience and is a potential sign of a good quarterback.

Overall, Kizer has the ability and traits to be a very good quarterback. But he must improve his accuracy and ability to scan the field. Once he does, he has everything else to be successful.