From ChipRommel (@RommelChip):
Chip, I can’t believe we’re already at the point of having draft talk, but I understand why Packers fans would be asking these big-picture questions now.
I’d put the Packers, Bears and Patriots into the same category with their young passers. I’d explain that category by detailing what my approach would be if I were each team and everything remained the same with their quarterbacks between now and April’s NFL draft. In each case, I like the idea of going forward with Jordan Love, Justin Fields and Mac Jones, getting another year of information on each. That said, I would also be all in on scouting the quarterbacks in this next draft class.
I believe Love, Fields and Jones have shown enough to get another look from their teams, but zero of the three have done enough to make me pass on a quarterback in April if, and only if, one that I have absolute conviction in is there for me when I’m picking. In other words, if I have the first pick and love Caleb Williams, or the second pick and love Drake Maye or the 10th pick and love Bo Nix, J.J. McCarthy or Michael Penix Jr., then neither Love nor Fields nor Jones has done enough to make me pass on drafting a quarterback.
Remember, too, decisions on the fifth-year options for Jones and Fields aren’t due until after the draft. The bottom line: It’s hard for teams to get it right at quarterback, so you don’t want to give up on one who has shown ability and upside before you have to. But if you have a high draft pick and you think the right guy’s there, especially when you consider the chance to reset the QB-on-a-rookie-contract clock, then you’d have to be awfully good with your current quarterback to say no to taking the next one. So, yes, there’s a bit of a dichotomy there. But that also gives you multiple shots to get the position right.
