Chicago Bears: ESPN botches hypothetical startup draft
By Ryan Heckman
Round 1, Pick 19
ESPN’s Pick: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo
He’s coming off a Super Bowl appearance, but Jimmy Garoppolo is far from a proven franchise quarterback. Garoppolo is going to be 29 years old in November, and finally just put a strong starting season together in his sixth season.
Now, I understand the first three and a half years were spent as the backup to Tom Brady. Then, he finished 2017 undefeated as a starter in his five games with San Francisco. However, he wasn’t the reason they won those games. He also wasn’t the reason the 49ers made it all the way to the Super Bowl last year. That can be attributed to their vaunted defense and one of the best rushing attacks in football.
If the Bears are going to take their chances on a potential franchise quarterback, I would much rather have a higher ceiling.
Our Pick: Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa
Instead of Garoppolo, I’m taking my chances on rookie Tua Tagovailoa. Giving him weapons like Kamara and Golladay early on in his career would be a huge advantage, and hopefully the Bears would be able to add even more, later on.
Tua is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in recent draft classes, and he has an NFL-ready arm. The only question about his future is whether or not he is fully recovered from the horrific injury he suffered last season at Alabama.
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If I’m faced with a decision of going with Garoppolo or Tua, I’m taking the latter. He’s 22 years old and, if given the opportunity, could flourish in an offense like Nagy’s.