Bears, Chiefs, Texans deal to grab QBs
Trubisky, Mahomes, Watson go in top 12 picks
PHILADELPHIA — With defensive studs everywhere in this draft, NFL teams turned offensive. With an emphasis on quarterbacks.
Three teams traded up to get their quarterback of the future, as the Bears sent the No. 3 pick, a third-round pick, a fourth-rounder and a 2018 third-rounder to the 49ers to move up one slot and take North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky; the Chiefs gave up their firstrounder next year in a package to go from 27th to 10th for Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes; and the Texans swung a deal with the Bills to move from 25 to 12 to land Clemson’s Deshaun Watson.
The top of the draft was predictable: Commissioner Roger Goodell got booed, and then Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett was picked first by the Cleveland Browns.
“C’mon, Philly, c’mon,” Goodell said Thursday night amid the boos, not even wincing at the reception. Moments later, he was back onstage announcing Garrett’s name. The All-American, considered the best pass rusher in this draft, became the first Aggie selected No. 1 overall.
The Bears then surprised many with a trade that put them in position to land Trubisky, who at least initially will serve as a backup to Mike Glennon — whom the team signed to a three-year, $45 million free-agent deal in March.
Even Trubisky was surprised when his name was called. He met with the Bears at the NFL combine and had another meeting with them around his pro day last month, but the team gave him no indication it would draft him.
“It was just pretty much silence,” Trubisky said. “That’s why I’m surprised to hear my name called, because we didn’t have a lot of contact. I just think they ... were impressed with me at the combine and my workout. But yeah, I haven’t had a whole lot of contact with them, so that makes it so much more exciting.”
Running back Leonard Fournette ( Jaguars), wide receiver Corey Davis (Titans), wide receiver Mike Williams (Chargers), Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey (Panthers) and wide receiver John Ross (Bengals) were among the next seven picks after Trubisky’s selection.
That set the stage for the Chiefs to draft Mahomes, who will be groomed to succeed Alex Smith in Kansas City.
“Right now, Patrick isn’t absolutely ready to play. He’s got some work to do,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “But he’s coming into a great room; he has an opportunity to learn from Alex, which will be great for him. We have to have some patience with him, but he has tremendous upside.”
The Saints next picked cornerback Marshon Lattimore, after which the Texans grabbed Watson.
Houston was in position to pursue Watson because it got out of the big contract it gave quarterback Brock Osweiler as a free agent last year by dealing him to the Browns in March.
“You’re trying to anticipate what’s going to happen,” Texans general manager Rick Smith said. “The foundation for this move was laid earlier with Sashi (Brown, Cleveland’s vice president of football operations). You’ve got all kinds of scenarios that you have to run to be prepared, because as much as you think you’re prepared when the draft starts, it’s such a fluid process that you’ve got to be able to react, and the only way to do that is to be in some respects prepared.”
No Alabama players were chosen until cornerback Marlon Humphrey went 16th to the Ravens. Two more Crimson Tide players went in the next three picks: defensive end Jonathan Allen to Washington and tight end O.J. Howard to the Buccaneers. A fourth Alabama player was taken when the 49ers grabbed linebacker Reuben Foster with the 31st pick.