Get To Know The Bears' Draft Prospects: The "Other" Quarterbacks

Last week, I wrote about some of the Chicago Bears’ potential draft targets (not including quarterbacks) that they may select with the third overall pick in the NFL Draft later this month. What we do know is that the Bears will target a quarterback at some point in the draft. They have to. After getting rid of their entire regular season quarterback room from last year, Chicago has signed Mike Glennon to be their starter for 2017, and Mark Sanchez to be a mentor-type backup. Yeah, Connor Shaw is there, but they still really need their young guy for the future. Much has been written and debated about the top four quarterbacks in this year’s draft: Mitchell Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes, and DeShone Kizer. There is no consensus on who the best prospect is and where they might be drafted. But the sentiment seems to be that all of them will be gone by the time the Bears pick in the second round (assuming they don’t go QB in the first round). That said, if that’s the case, the Bears will likely target some of the “other” quarterbacks in this draft class – guys who are longer-term development projects but could become starters down the road. And the Bears will very likely target one of these prospects in the middle-to-later rounds to maximize value. So, who exactly are these “other” guys that might become the future at quarterback for the Chicago Bears? Let’s explore.

Davis Webb

The Bears saw quite a bit of Davis Webb when they coached the Senior Bowl. Webb took home MVP honors in that game for his performance. Webb has an interesting history. As a true freshman at Texas Tech, he ended up starting games midway through that season, taking over for Baker Mayfield (yes, the same Baker Mayfield who transferred to Oklahoma and became a Heisman Trophy finalist for two years). Then, the following season, Webb lost his own job to Patrick Mahomes (yes, the same Patrick Mahomes who might have the highest ceiling in this draft class). Webb then transferred to Cal and replaced Jared Goff, who departed for the NFL. Webb has ideal size and a strong arm – his two features that make a large portion of his case to be a developmental quarterback in the NFL. He has decent enough poise when facing a blitz, and has decent enough footwork to slide around in the pocket when things get hairy. He also has a good sense of when to get rid of the football – the mental clock turns rather well. But his experience in the Texas Tech Air-Raid offense brings about large concerns about his experience. He’s mostly dealt with pre-determined reads, something that he’ll need to work very hard to adjust to to compete in the NFL. His decision-making and accuracy are suspect, and he doesn’t do a good enough job of looking defenders off. His pro-comparison on NFL.com is Brock Osweiler … which is unsettling. I see his ceiling being that of Nick Foles – probably fine in the right system and supporting cast. He has some tools that may be worth exploring, but he’s going to need quite a bit of time to develop before he becomes anything that we can call serviceable in the NFL.

Nathan Peterman

Another guy the Bears saw plenty of at the Senior Bowl. Peterman has experience playing in a pro-style offense at Pitt, which gives him an advantage over some of the other quarterbacks in this class. And that’s good, because he’s not quite as physically gifted as some of the other guys. Peterman stands at 6’2”, which is borderline “acceptable” for NFL quarterbacks. He has good poise and has the mental wherewithal to slide in the pocket even when he’s set to throw. Because of his pro-style experience, he has the ability to go through his progressions – something critical at the NFL level. He’s an accurate passer, has good vision and anticipation, and can deliver a solid deep ball. And, he beat Clemson by hanging five touchdowns on that defensive unit. That counts for a lot. He doesn’t have the strongest arm though, so if he tries to make throws into tight windows he could get into trouble – especially at the NFL level where defenders have so much more closing speed. He can also improve his feel for driving the ball on certain routes to beat lurking safeties. Peterman’s pro-comparison on NFL.com is Kirk Cousins. If he can develop into anything like Kirk Cousins, I would gladly take that on the Bears.

Brad Kaaya

Kaaya is a weird story. Had he come out a year ago, he’d have been one of the top quarterbacks drafted. But he chose to return to the University of Miami for another year and his stock has drastically reduced according to draft experts. He has experience taking snaps under center and is a pro-style passer, which gives him an edge, much like Peterman. He can read the entire field and can run through progressions quickly enough. He doesn’t have the strongest arm, but at least he understands that and doesn’t try to take ridiculous chances. He has good mechanics and footwork overall. But he’s another guy whose accuracy and ball placement is suspect. As mentioned, his arm strength may be questionable as far as NFL-standards are concerned. He struggles with the deep ball and intermediate routes as well. Overall, to me, he’s a perfect example of “meh”. There’s not a lot to get excited about overall. He has the intangibles but that’s about it. His NFL.com pro comparison is Cody Kessler. Like I said, “meh”.

Chad Kelly

Kelly is the ultimate question mark. He’s gifted – arguably the second-most talented quarterback in this class in terms of physical tools (Mahomes is first). But boy, does he have issues. He originally committed to Clemson, where he clashed with coaches repeatedly enough to get dismissed from the program. He went to East Mississippi CC for a year, where he won a national title. Ole Miss then came calling, and he transferred, despite getting into trouble with a restaurant in Buffalo. In 2015, he beat Alabama, Auburn, and LSU, and won Sugar Bowl MVP honors. In 2016, he tore his ACL which ended his collegiate career. His arm talent is exceptional. He’s Jay Cutler-like, in the sense that he will make throws that don’t agree with the laws of physics. He has good poise, and is a hell of a competitor. He can run too, as he has 41 and 43 yard runs to his name during the course of his career. He’s accurate and can make solid anticipatory throws. His biggest issues are his character concerns. Scouts are scared of him because of the off-the-field situations that he’s found himself in during his collegiate career. Hell, he wasn’t even invited to the NFL Combine, which speaks volumes of his reputation. When character concerns follow you from school to school and into the scouting process, you’re in trouble. Overall, he has the physical ability to be pretty great. The issue is he hasn’t proven that he can stay out of trouble, limiting faith that he can get to greatness. His NFL.com pro comparison is Andy Dalton, but I think he’s more talented than Dalton. He’s a low-first/high-second round talent that will probably fall to rounds 6-7, maybe even undrafted. And if that’s the case, he’s a prospect Chicago would do well to take a chance on.