Report: Rival GMs believe Bears could trade up for QB originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
We are just over one week away from the NFL Draft, and yet the picture of what the Bears may do with the No. 20 overall pick is just as cloudy as it was a month ago. Do they stay put and draft a tackle or wide receiver? Do they move back and accumulate more picks? Or do they move up and take another swing at quarterback? Since that last scenario is the most exciting, that’s what fans have focused on the most, and Albert Breer addressed it in his latest mailbag for Sports Illustrated.
“Two things on that: Rival teams believe they are lurking as a potential trade-up team,” Breer said. “Two, as of a couple days ago, they hadn’t really started burning the phone lines up on that. So they could be in play, but they haven’t been yet. And they’ve certainly done their homework on the quarterbacks. GM Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy have seen Ohio State’s Justin Fields, Alabama’s Mac Jones and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance live.”
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But that’s not all. According to Breer, Pace’s desire to move up may be irrelevant when it finally comes time to make a big move.
“One question being batted around in NFL circles is whether ownership would sign off on a massive move up the board, which would take moving future assets to pull off,” Breer said. “There were questions about the job security of Nagy and Pace in the middle of last season, and the team has been coy about the contract status of the GM and coach. And sometimes, in situations like that, owners will be careful about letting guys sell out in the draft.”
Of course, all of this could be moot before the 10th pick even rolls around. We already know quarterbacks are going 1-2-3 to the Jaguars, Jets and 49ers. Then the Falcons could decide to pick their QB of the future at No. 4, and either the Broncos or Patriots could swoop in to select the fifth top-tier quarterback before the Bears get a chance to make a move.
The NFL Draft begins April 29.
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