NFL Chicago Bears

2015 NFL Draft Prediction: Marcus Mariota Will Go To Chicago Bears

Fresh Videos

By @edpvideo

Marcus Mariota Oregon Ducks

Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

First, let me squelch the notion that I’m suggesting the Chicago Bears tank in the final quarter of the season to improve their first round draft position. The Bears are tanking on their own; the reality is that they will likely drop at least three of their last four games based on the level of competition they will face, so why not look at the potential benefit of all those losses? The team could end up drafting Oregon Ducks quarterback, and likely Heisman Trophy winner, Marcus Mariota.

The Bears are going to finish at 5-11, or possibly 6-10. That will definitely get them a top-10 draft pick and perhaps place them as high as the sixth overall pick. Bears GM Phil Emery usually does something to try to show he knows more than everyone else in the first round by picking an overlooked player. That idiocy more often than not results in drafting players like Shea McClellin, his first pick as GM that he still refuses to admit was a total bust.

Emery can’t take any more chances, and given his lack of job security at the moment, he needs a big win in the 2015 NFL draft. Everyone at Halas Hall needs to realize that Jay Cutler is a bust and that he needs to aggressively pursue his replacement.

There is a realistic chance the Bears could make a trade with the team who will possess the No. 1 pick, since it’s likely that said team will have a young franchise quarterback already. The Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars are leading the race for No. 1 with their current 1-10 records, but both have young quarterbacks who appear to be their future — Derek Carr for the Raiders and Blake Bortles for the Jaguars.

Next in line might be the Tennessee Titans, who have Zach Mettenberger, so that means none of the top three teams who are likely to pick first need Mariota and are open to trading down a few picks. The question is, how much are the Bears willing to deal to move up to the top pick?

I would favor an aggressive move to trade up by doing whatever it takes to make it work. Likely, that means trading the Bears’ second-round pick this year and their first-round pick in 2016. That’s well worth it if they can get their franchise quarterback of the future. Really, what do the Bears have to lose?

Paul Kakert is an NFL and Chicago Bears writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on