NEWSLETTER
Even with Russell Wilson out of the picture (for now) and Andy Dalton stepping in as the starter (for now), there is still some uncertainty surrounding the Bears’ quarterbacking situation.
Now, allow NBC Sports Chicago’s Adam Hoge to provide some clarity:
While Andy Dalton answered questions about the #Bears drafting a QB next month, QB coach John DeFilippo was at Stanford closely watching Davis Mills at his pro day. At one point, Flip even requested a specific throw. Story: https://t.co/5Y6YIgW1DN
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) March 18, 2021
Lost in the shuffle of the Bears being unable to trade for Wilson, passing on Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jameis Winston, and ultimately signing Dalton was news that the team was still showing interest in quarterbacks elsewhere. And during Dalton’s welcome-to-Chicago press conference, no less.
Stanford’s Davis Mills is a most interesting QB prospect in the non-Round 1 bracket. At 6-4 and 225 pounds, Mills has the measurables teams traditionally seek in quarterback prospects. But beyond that, Mills has much to prove.
Mills has just 14 games of collegiate experience because of two knee injuries. His eight-game slate as a junior was intriguing, but bothersome knowing that was the height of his collegiate exposure. Mills completed 65.6 percent of his passes, threw for 1,960 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. But again, he saw action in just eight games. A year later, Mills played just five games. The completion rate was similar (66.2%), he still threw more touchdowns (7) than interceptions (3). However, averaging just 7.7 yards per attempt (he averaged 8.1 in 2019) is a bit of s step back. All things considered, the small sample of production nudges me toward wanting to dig in more. And clearly, the Bears are interested enough to send QBs Coach John DeFilippo to scout, evaluate, and even ask for a specific type of throw, per Hoge’s reporting.
Check this out, via Hoge: “At one point during the throwing session, DeFilippo even requested a specific throw — a seam route under pressure against single-high safety coverage — and Mills delivered.”
I’ll say this for Mills, this throw against UCLA paired with this assessment is high praise:
Davis Mills would be a top 10 pick next year if he stayed in Palo Alto. Pause this when he's getting ready to throw. That anticipation is high level stuff. pic.twitter.com/57Fzrj1Uwg
— Justen Gammel (@gamscout) March 21, 2021
The time has come for us to re-calibrate our quarterback search. After taking a big swing (and missing) in the Russell Wilson sweepstakes, the Bears should turn their attention to finding a draft-eligible quarterback who they can develop under Dalton. And if it turns out to be someone who can overtake Dalton as QB1, so be it.
Injuries stink. But Mills’ injury history could be a reason for the Bears to kick the tires here. The Bears could view Mills as a sleeper. And perhaps the lack of tape on Mills could benefit Chicago because other teams might be scared off by medical red flags. Moving forward, we’ll add Mills’ name to our QB watchlist and assume it will grow from here.
