Chicago Bears Draft: 3 mistakes to avoid in first round

Don’t even think about Saquon Barkley.

Before you get angry and throw your laptop or iPhone, here is my intent with this point: Pace should avoid any temptation to either draft Saquon Barkley if he falls, or if he is there one spot ahead of them when the Bucs are on the clock.

There are a few scenarios out there that have Barkley slipping, as ludicrous as that sounds. Because there are teams that are getting increasingly antsy in regards to the top five quarterbacks in this draft, I am going to be the first to tell you there is nothing that would surprise me on Thursday night in regards to the quarterback position — nothing.

Five quarterbacks in the first six picks? It sounds insane — and it is. But, would it surprise me? Absolutely not. The way talk has heated up about teams like the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots moving up to select a quarterback gives me no reason to believe Barkley falling is out of the question.

Listen, he’s the best player in this draft. But, Pace can’t afford to do one of two things by drafting Barkley. The first, and move obvious, is the drama he’d create with Jordan Howard. Everybody knows Howard would have to be moved and Matt Nagy has already gone on record saying Howard is the feature back. Howard has also gotten confirmation that he will not be traded.

Second, Pace can’t afford to draft Barkley — literally. He can’t afford to trade up to get him, no matter how tempting it is to come home with the best overall prospect in this class. Last year, the Bears gave up a few picks to snag Mitchell Trubisky. This year, a move like that is simply out of the question.

So, all of you crazy people out there talking about wanting the Bears to trade up to get Barkley because “Howard doesn’t fit the offense,” take a seat.