Getty Head coach Matt Nagy of the Chicago Bears.
Former NFL executive and current analyst/GM candidate Louis Riddick has some advice for the Chicago Bears: Beware of the New England Patriots if moving up to snag a quarterback is on Chicago’s agenda. In an appearance on ESPN Chicago’s Kap & J. Hood last week, the current Monday Night Football announcer and potential GM candidate told the Bears that if acquiring one of the top five quarterbacks is a primary goal of theirs in the draft this year, they had better have designs on moving up — and look out for New England.
“If the Bears want to pick one of these top five quarterbacks, they’re gonna have to move,” Riddick said. “They’re going to have to move up significantly, otherwise they’re not going to get one. Remember, there’s a team at 15 in New England that is gonna move. If a quarterback falls, they’re gonna move.”
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Riddick Dubs Mac Jones and Trey Lance as Best Fits for Bears
When asked which of the top five quarterbacks would be the best fits for the offense head coach Matt Nagy runs, Riddick, who has worked with and knows Nagy personally, named names. “Who fits the drop back game that Matt ideally wants to run? Mac Jones fits the drop back game. That’s what he is by trade,” Riddick said, before adding another young signal-caller to the list.
“Trey Lance’s offense is very similar to that at North Dakota State, too, so I think those two guys would make sense for them, but they’re not going to get them where they are. They’re gonna have to be big movers if they want to get one of those two.”
Riddick is right. Currently sitting with the 20th overall pick, the Bears can’t afford to wait around if they want a game-changer under center. NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday via Twitter that the San Francisco 49ers have likely narrowed their selection down to either Jones or Lance, so Chicago will have to decide if the remaining player is worth trading multiple first-round picks for.
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Riddick Thinks Bears Will Try to Move Up to Grab QB in Draft
Riddick and Nagy both spent time on staff with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2008-2012. Riddick was a scout and director of pro personnel, while Nagy served as a coaching intern/offensive quality control coach, and the two remain friends. When co-hosts David Kaplan and Jonathan Hood asked him if he thought Nagy and company were going to try to trade up in the draft to nab a young quarterback, Riddick answered in the affirmative.
“I think they’ll try,” Riddick said, adding: “Everyone knows what they’re trying to move up for, so it’s a sellers market, not a buyers market. They’re not going to get it at a discount.”
If he were currently the Bears’ GM, would he trade up? “I would probably not be that inclined to want to pay that kind of a price,” he said.