The Chicago Bears and Patrick Mahomes are connected every draft season for all the wrong reasons. The organization famously traded up to No. 2 in the 2017 NFL Draft to select a quarterback, but they opted for Mitch Trubisky while the now-two-time Super Bowl MVP was still on the board.
After missing on Mahomes six years ago, could the Bears be faced with a similar decision on a smaller version of the Kansas City Chiefs star?
Yes, according to ESPN’s Todd McShay.
“I love his poise. I think he plays so under control. It’s so slow to him.” McShay said of Young Tuesday morning on “Get Up.” “To me, he’s a smaller Patrick Mahomes.”
There are two key areas to the “smaller Patrick Mahomes” moniker.
It’s a lofty comparison to put any quarterback in the same sentence as Mahomes, especially one who has never thrown an NFL pass. Young is undeniably a spectacular playmaker, as evidenced by his Heisman Trophy-winning season in 2021 and stellar junior campaign at Alabama last year. Still, in a league where every team is searching for the next star quarterback to become a face of its franchise, it’s a lofty expectation to pin a rookie against the NFL’s best active player.
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Then there’s the “smaller” aspect. Young measured in a hair over 5-foot-10 and 204 pounds at the 2023 NFL combine, making him one of the smaller projected first-round quarterbacks in recent memory. McShay applauded how Young was able to reach the weight benchmark and credited him for displaying durability across his three years in the SEC.
Whether that lasts in the NFL is a different story, though.
“If you’re sitting at No. 1 or you’re trying to trade up to get him, the only concern you have is ‘Is he going to be on the field? Can we keep him on the field? Or is he going to be a Tua Tagovailoa-type situation?’” McShay said.
The Bears are in the enviable position of sitting at No. 1 in 2023. They invested significant draft capital in QB Justin FIelds early in the first round two years ago, and he showed spectacular flashes throughout the 2022 season.
With several needy teams in the top 10, there will be plenty of suitors lining up to try and draft the next star QB in April. The ball is in the Bears’ court, though, and their decision at No. 1 will go a long way in determining where Young lands – Chicago or elsewhere.