[ad_1]
While quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is no longer a member of the Chicago Bears, the 2017 NFL Draft will forever be a talking point when it comes to missed opportunities for Bears general manager Ryan Pace.
The decision to not only select Trubisky but move up one place and trade draft assets was the biggest mark against him during his tenure as general manager. But the decision almost completely escaped him, thanks to the Cleveland Browns.
Former Browns head coach Hue Jackson joined NFL insider Mike Silver and his daughter Natalie on the Pass it Down podcast to talk about the 2017 NFL Draft. The Browns were first overall and finished. are reunited with Pro Bowl defensive end Myles Garrett. Jackson explained he’s been all-in on Garrett from the start, but said the Browns front office wanted to go in a different direction.
“At the time, there was a gap between who should be the first choice,” Jackson said. “I wanted Myles Garrett and I’m an offensive coach. I didn’t think there was a quarterback worth being the first pick in the draft.
Jackson, who coached the Browns from 2016-18 and compiled a 3-36-1 record, went on to explain why he was in love with Garrett. He then explains that the front office wanted to select Trubisky instead.
“I was locked onto Myles Garrett,” he said. “But there were others that were tight and barrel on Mitchell Trubisky and me being a quarterback, I didn’t want that. I liked Mitchell, but I didn’t think he was the first pick in the quarterback draft. There have been rumors about it and I think everyone knew it. There really was a ditch. But on draft day we obviously ended up picking Myles and rightly so.
Prior to 2017 Draft, then Browns coach @ huejack10 was dug out of Myles Garrett as the first overall pick. The front office wanted Mitchell Trubisky. He took extreme measures to make his case. From Ep. 45 of the Pass It Down podcast, with @fatnatsilver… pic.twitter.com/Fmkr8NBOJb
– Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) March 31, 2021
During the pre-draft process, many pundits believed the Browns would end up taking Garrett, but these rumors about Trubisky were still common. Even after the draft, insiders believed the Browns were preparing to trade for Trubisky after picking Garrett, but the Bears beat them.
Interestingly, Jackson also said he didn’t find out Garrett was their choice until the day before the draft, which is a similar approach Pace took with the Bears when he allegedly refused to tell his coaching staff who he chose until the day of.
Chicago traded places with the San Francisco 49ers to select Trubisky, and the rest is history. But if the Browns front office had its way, the whole NFL landscape could be drastically different. Instead, Garrett has become one of the league’s best defensive players for the Browns, and Trubisky is now on the Buffalo Bills as a replacement after a tumultuous Chicago career.
Would the Bears have picked another quarterback if Trubisky ended up with the Browns? We’ll never really know the answer, but the Cleveland front office almost let us know.
[ad_2]
Source link