Ryan Pace finally is enjoying his view as the NFL draft approaches.
A year after trading up to select quarterback Mitch Trubisky second overall, the Bears' fourth-year general manager sees other quarterback-needy teams jockeying for position atop the first round. That stress is behind him.
"It's easier to sleep," Pace said, "not only when you feel like you have the guy who has all the physical traits, but when he has the makeup you really want in that position."
Pace and the Bears, though, still are affected by this year's heralded quarterback class, if not invested in it.
If four are drafted in the top seven, they would have a better chance of landing their preferred non-quarterback with the eighth pick. That's one of the Bears' best-case scenarios.
The other: Three quarterbacks go in the top seven and some team determined to select the fourth trades for the Bears' pick.
Hey, they can dream.
Reality, at least, is on their side. Teams understand that having a quality quarterback equates to sustained success, so their determination _ or desperation _ to pick one is shaping this year's draft.
USC's Sam Darnold, Wyoming's Josh Allen, UCLA's Josh Rosen and Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield are the top prizes. New Browns general manager John Dorsey, with the first and fourth picks, is the ringmaster.
Remember how last year's draft played out. The quarterback class was widely regarded as pedestrian, but the Chiefs and Texans joined the Bears in trading up, taking Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watston, respectively.
This year, the movement already has begun, the suspense already captivating.
"I would sell the farm for Sam Darnold," said NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, formerly a scout for the Ravens and Eagles. "I would probably sell the tractor and some yard tools for Rosen."
Here we profile the top four quarterbacks and what respected draft analysts are saying about them. Quotes are edited for length and clarity.
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