Bears among teams putting off QB shopping until later
BY ADAM L. JAHNS ajahns@suntimes.com April 25, 2013 11:26PM
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 25: Cordarelle Patterson (L) of the Tennessee Volunteers stands with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell as they hold up a jersey after Patterson was selected #29 overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 25, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
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Updated: April 26, 2013 9:07PM
Average.
That’s the word Bears general manager Phil Emery used to describe this year’s quarterback class. But Emery said he still wants a QB if a selection warrants it and he has a pick to use.
There wasn’t a quarterback selected in the first 10 picks of the 2013 draft Thursday, which is something that rarely happens. The last time was 2000, the year the Bears selected linebacker Brian Urlacher with the ninth pick. Since then, quarterbacks have dominated the No. 1 pick.
Even the quarterback-needy Oakland Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills and New York Jets passed on them Thursday, with the Raiders and Bills trading out of the top 10. The first quarterback taken was Florida State’s EJ Manuel, a surprise by the Bills at No. 16.
So what does this mean?
If there’s going to be a big run on quarterbacks, it could be in the second round Friday — as many draft analysts have predicted — once some of the aforementioned teams and others come up again.
How serious the Bears are about adding a young quarterback could manifest on Day 2. They opened the draft with five picks, tied for fewest in the league. The Sun-Times reported the Bears held a private workout for North Carolina State quarterback Mike Glennon in Raleigh, N.C., just before the draft began.
Glennon, who’s 6-7, is projected to go in the late second or early third round — right around the Bears’ No. 50 selection.
Other QBs projected similarly to Glennon include Arizona’s Tyler Wilson and Tennessee’s Tyler Bray.
Glennon said at the NFL combine that he and other quarterbacks are aware of the criticism of their class.
‘‘I haven’t personally discussed it with the other quarterbacks, but I think it’s something that can add a little motivation, and obviously I try not to really listen to all of that,’’ Glennon said. ‘‘I know what’s being said, but I think more I just want to prove myself and prove that I belong at the next level and that I can be someone that a team can win with.’’
