NEWSLETTER
Former NFL GM Charley Casserly polled teams on which draft quarterback is the best, and 24 team executives responded:
Updated survey of NFL teams on who their top QB is. DeShaun Watson-10, Mitch Trubisky-8, Patrick Mahomes-2, Undecided-4 @nflnetwork
— Charley Casserly (@CharleyCasserly) March 22, 2017
Several things stand out. First, there are still four teams that are undecided about the best quarterback in the draft, even as the calendar is about to flip to April.
Second, at least two teams believe Patrick Mahomes – previously held as the fourth best quarterback in the draft behind the “top three” – is the best quarterback of the four. That may make it all the more unlikely that Mahomes lasts until the second round.
Third, no votes for DeShone Kizer, even though Kizer is still No. 1 on Mike Mayock’s updated grid. Watson and Trubisky recently impressed at their pro days, and each also had a more impressive Combine, so it is perhaps unsurprising to see Kizer begin to fall back in the pack, especially after there were already questions about his ability to win in the NFL given what happened in his final year at Notre Dame.
And finally, Watson gets the slight edge over Trubisky, but they are virtually neck-and-neck. In that respect, it’s amazing how much the sentiment about those two dating back to even two months ago has remain unchanged. I don’t think anyone (as we sit here today) would be shocked to see either or both of Watson or Trubisky go in the first six picks of the draft, and in either order. Some teams will develop a personal preference for one, while some will prefer the other.
Will the Bears prefer one of these four far and away above the other three? Enough to use their first round pick on him, even after signing Mike Glennon? We’ll see. The dream scenario for me – outside of a perfect trade down – has always been that the Bears would take the best available talent at three, and then see that their preferred quarterback slipped to them at the top of the second round. That was never going to happen with Watson or Trubisky, but there was a time when it seemed very possible with Mahomes and/or Kizer. Mahomes is getting so much helium lately that I’m not sure he’ll still be on the board in the back half of the first round, let alone the first few picks of the second round. Kizer, though, has seen something of a falling stock.
Of course, it doesn’t much matter if Kizer (or Mahomes) falls if the Bears aren’t sold on them anyway.
Luis Medina contributed to this post.
