The Chicago Bears should double-dip on quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft.
As the Chicago Bears prepare for their upcoming matchup in primetime against the Green Bay Packers, trying to decide between Nick Foles and Mitch Trubisky as their starter, we briefly turn our attention to the 2021 NFL Draft.
As if it wasn’t already abundantly clear, this season made it painfully clear that the Bears must address the quarterback position in the upcoming draft. In fact, not only must the team prioritize the position this year by selecting one early, they should strongly consider double-dipping and drafting two quarterbacks.
Prioritizing the quarterback position is not something the Bears are accustomed to. In fact, a review of their draft results over the last decade-plus is enough to bring a grown man to tears.
In a recent piece for The Athletic, Kevin Fishbain listed out the quarterbacks the Bears have selected in the draft since 2004. WARNING – the following image may be disturbing to some — viewer discretion is advised.
Take note, this is not a list of quarterbacks they drafted in the first round. It is a list of ALL quarterbacks drafted since 2004. For a team that has failed spectacularly at the quarterback position throughout its history, only drafting six in 16 years is unconscionable.
It becomes even worse when you consider that the New England Patriots drafted more quarterbacks during Tom Brady’s tenure than the Bears did during that same period. It’s even worse when you remember that for much of that time, the Patriots backup quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, is better than nearly every quarterback the team had during that time.
With that as context, it should be time for the Bears to focus on the position until they get it right. They can start by using the draft to take two shots at “getting it right.” Based on where they are currently projected to draft, they are likely to miss out on the top-tier (absent a trade-up).
However, they could still have a chance to take a shot at a guy like Mac Jones or Kyle Trask. But even if they take a quarterback in the first round, they should consider coming back to the position late in the draft and take a shot on a player like Desmond Ridder, Shane Buechele, Sam Ehlinger, or even Brock Purdy.
While it is unlikely that any player drafted that late would materialize into a franchise quarterback, there are three important reasons they should nevertheless take a shot — and here’s why.
First, they may hit the jackpot a la Tom Brady, and find that diamond in the rough. Again, unlikely, but like Michael Scott said, you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.
