NEWSLETTER
Daniel Jeremiah is one of the leading voices in NFL Draft coverage. So when the NFL Network guru chimes in with his most recent list of prospect rankings, you better believe I’m that dude ready to dive in to see what that big board looks like through his eyes.
Unsurprisingly, Jeremiah’s first rankings of the top-50 prospects for the 2020 NFL Draft does not disappoint. And if you’re a Bears fan, you will likely find yourself interested in his rankings for one reason or another – but especially if you are fixated on quarterback.
There are six (6) quarterbacks who check in among the top-50.
Or to put it another way, 12 percent of the upper crust of Jeremiah’s prospect rankings play the most important position in the game. And between the Bears having their starting quarterback’s rookie deal expiring as early as just after next season, and a declaration from GM Ryan Pace that some new faces are likely to be on their way to the room, it’s only natural that our eyes go to the signal callers on Jeremiah’s list.
You can count *out* Joe Burrow (3rd overall, QB1) and Tua Tagovailoa (6th overall, QB2) as possible Bears targets, because both are projected to go in the top-10. But what is to be made of Utah State’s Jordan Love (20th overall, QB3)? The scouting report gushes about Love’s ideal size, arm strength, and athleticism, but also notes the considerable risk in drafting a raw talent who had some bad habits pop up last season.
Love’s ranking also pushes down Justin Herbert (21st overall, QB4), who would have been the first quarterback taken had he come out in last year’s draft. Like Love, Herbert has good size, mobility, and considerable arm strength to go along with good character and work ethic traits. But there are some mechanical flaws and game-processing issues he needs to work through in order to unlock his talent.
Beyond what might be a growing consensus of Burrow, Tagovailoa, Love, and Herbert being the four best quarterbacks in this class, there are two other quarterbacks who made their way into Jeremiah’s top-50. And in theory, both could be more realistically available Bears targets.
Like … Jacob Eason (47th overall, QB5). The Washington product was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, started at Georgia as a freshman, lost his job after an injury, transferred to Pac-12, and impressed enough to get a grade from the advisory board that ultimately pushed him to enter the NFL Draft. Eason has size and arm strength working in his favor, but his mobility is limited and his ability under pressure in in question. But as Jeremiah writes, Eason has “an appealing arm to develop.”
Rounding out the group is quarterback Jake Fromm (50th overall, QB6). Jeremiah admits Fromm is a difficult prospect to evaluate because the physical traits don’t jump off the page, but his football intelligence, poise, and toughness rate out positively. And mind you, those traits have value at the next level. The catch here is that Fromm isn’t a fit for every scheme, but has the potential to succeed in the right fit.
Are the Bears a fit for any of these quarterbacks? Only time will tell. HOWEVER, I do not need time to evaluate what should be the biggest takeaway from Jeremiah’s board.
Six quarterbacks ranking among the 50 best prospects is good news for Chicago’s football team.
Should the Bears want to snag a developmental quarterback with considerable upside, they could do so with one of their two second-round picks (Nos. 43 and 50). Were they to decide that trading up is the way to go, then there are four quarterbacks who appear to be worthy of being selected in the first round. And if it so happens that all six come off the board before the Bears can pick, that would push more high-end talent down the board and into Chicago’s lap. After all, it’s not like they don’t have other needs, too.
You can check out Jeremiah’s top-50 in its entirety here, where you can check out the running backs, linemen, receivers, pass-rushers, defensive backs, linebackers, and every player who projects to by taken in the first two rounds of the upcoming NFL Draft.
