Bears suffering through perplexing NFL Draft

The Chicago Bears desperately needed their draft to fill needs and anchor the franchise. Instead, they have created more questions than answers.

General manager Ryan Pace needed this. After going a combined 9-23 over his first two seasons, the 39-year-old is facing a crisis point. The Bears have seemingly gotten worse under Pace, who saw the team go from six victories in his first campaign to half that total in 2016.

With a city growing tired of his act, Pace was aggressive in the NFL Draft. Way too aggressive. Instead of making the right selection of a borderline can’t-miss defensive player, Pace swung for the fences by trading up one spot with the San Francisco 49ers to take quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

For a legion of reasons, this is a disaster.

Trubisky has a ceiling something akin to Andy Dalton. You don’t draft Dalton in the first round, and you surely don’t trade up for that privilege. To move up one spot higher, Pace forfeited his third and fourth-round selections this year, and another third in 2018. It was asinine by any measure, and rookie general manager John Lynch jumped all over it for the 49ers.

Additionally, Pace already signed Mike Glennon in March to a three-year deal worth $45 million, including $18.5 million guaranteed. While Chicago can get out of the deal after a year and only owe $5.5 million over the last two years, it remains obtuse. If Pace didn’t believe Glennon was a potential answer to the Bears quarterback problems — which date back to Sid Luckman’s retirement in 1950 — why pay that type of cash?

Chicago has a bevy of holes on the roster. Instead of giving Glennon that contract, it could have been spent along the offensive line or Alshon Jeffery, who bolted for the Philadelphia Eagles. With Trubisky coming into the fold, Pace should have stocked the offensive cupboard with more weapons. Currently, the Bears are rolling with Jordan Howard and little else.

Reports have come out since the Thursday night pick claiming head coach John Fox wasn’t aware Trubisky would be the selection until an hour before it was made. Pace has called that accusation false, but the concern remains. Judging from the outside, the Bears don’t seem to have a direction, exemplified by the quarterback situation.

There’s also the thorny subject of whether Chicago even took the best quarterback. Some believe Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson were both better prospects, perhaps backed up by two playoff teams significantly trading up for them. Time will tell.

Next: NFL Draft 2017: Live grades

In the end, Pace has to be correct on at least one of Glennon or Trubisky. If he is, he stays off the unemployment line and continues to search for Chicago’s first Super Bowl since 1985. If both flame out, Pace and Fox will be out the door by New Year’s Day, while the next regime untangles an expensive mess.