5 Mid-Round Quarterbacks Chicago Bears Should Target in 2015 NFL Draft

The Chicago Bears have their quarterback in place for the 2015 season in Jay Cutler, but general manager Ryan Pace noted earlier this offseason he is always on the lookout for talent at the position.

"It's a good idea to add a quarterback every year," Pace said in late March, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. "You can take a swing every year at it and increase your odds."

The top two quarterback prospects in this year's draft are Florida State's Jameis Winston and Oregon's Marcus Mariota, and while it is possible for one of those two to drop to the Bears at No. 7 in the first round, it is more likely the team looks to address the position in the middle rounds of this year's draft.

There is a drop-off in talent from Winston and Mariota to the next tier of quarterbacks, but history suggests successful quarterbacks can be found in any round.

If the Bears decide to add to the position in the middle rounds of this year's draft, here are five quarterbacks they should target.

Garrett Grayson, Colorado State

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One quarterback who has been steadily climbing up draft boards this offseason is Colorado State's Garrett Grayson.

A two-year starter for the Rams, Grayson threw for 7,702 yards and 55 touchdowns with 18 interceptions between 2013 and 2014. 

He throws a great deep ball and has good accuracy, but he does not always use the best mechanics and can get sloppy with his footwork at times. He ran a spread offense in high school and successfully made the transition to a pro-style offense while at Colorado State.

According to Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post, former Colorado State offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin raved about not only Grayson's ability to play in a pro-style offense, but also his toughness, saying:

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When I talk to NFL scouts, I tell them to let him show what he knows. He can run a pro offense, and I also tell them to put on the film. I tell them to watch the Boston College game, when he hurt his shoulder, hobbled to the line of scrimmage and wouldn't come out. Or watch when we went down to San Jose State and he pulled his hamstring and had a great day. His toughness is what you want. And his knowledge of defenses is definitely what you should want.

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According to Matt L. Stephens of The Coloradoan, Grayson is set to meet with the Bears on April 24.

He will likely still be available in the third round, and he could be an option for the Bears with the 71st overall pick. He needs to work on his decision-making and will have to tighten up his mechanics, but he could sit and learn behind Cutler on the bench in 2015 before getting an opportunity to win the starting job in 2016 if the team decides to move on from Cutler.

Bryce Petty, Baylor

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A two-year starter at Baylor, Bryce Petty completed 62.7 percent of his passes for 8,195 yards with 62 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions.

He measured in at the NFL Scouting Combine at 6'3" and 230 pounds and ran a 4.87 40-yard dash. According to NFL.com, he was a combine top performer at the quarterback position in the vertical jump (34 inches), the broad jump (10'1"), the three-cone drill (6.91 seconds) and the 20-yard shuttle (4.13 seconds). 

He is an athletic quarterback who possesses ideal size for the position, but his stats could be inflated due to Baylor's spread offense. He played in a one-read system that simplified the game for him, and he used a signal system at Baylor, which kept him from having to call plays in the huddle.

He rarely had to stay inside the pocket to make plays at Baylor, but he was given an opportunity at the Senior Bowl to prove he could make the transition to a pro-style offense.

"It was an unbelievable opportunity,” Petty said of the Senior Bowl, according to Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com. “From what I understand, Baylor’s offense is not high on the leaderboards of transitioning to the NFL. For me, it was an opportunity to prove that I belong, that I’m relevant, I can make that transition, and do it well. Be successful at it.”

Making the transition from a one-read offense to a multiple-read offense will not be easy, but Petty has good arm strength and the ability to extend plays with his legs. 

CBSSports.com's Dane Brugler compared Petty to former Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden.

"Petty is reminiscent of a younger, more athletic version of Weeden, coming from a spread offense that relies on a lot of quick, one-read plays that make it easy to identify single match-ups," wrote Brugler.

The comparison to Weeden may scare some away from Petty, but Weeden was put in a bad situation in Cleveland when he was drafted 22nd overall in 2012 and was thrust into a starting role from Day 1.

If Petty is given the opportunity to learn and grow under offensive coordinator Adam Gase in Chicago, he could end up being Chicago's quarterback of the future because of his size, accuracy and athleticism. 

Brett Hundley, UCLA

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After throwing for 3,071 yards with 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2013, UCLA's Brett Hundley appeared to be a potential top-10 pick in last year's draft, but he decided to stay in school for his senior season.

He put up similar passing numbers in 2014—3,155 passing yards with 22 touchdowns and five interceptions—but his stock has dropped significantly from last offseason.

Like others on this list, Hundley ran a spread offense at UCLA, but he declined an opportunity to play in the Senior Bowl, which could have helped improve his draft stock by showing he has the ability to play in a pro-style offense. 

"The main decision was about being healthy and being at 100 percent in order to play in those games," Hundley said about not participating in the Senior Bowl in an appearance on Super Bowl Live, via Bryan Fischer of NFL.com. "After the bowl game, I sat down and talked with my agent, my family, and I just wasn't there yet. I think that's the thing you have to think about before the game."

He is one of the most athletic quarterbacks in this year's draft, and he showed off his athleticism at the combine. He registered a 4.63 40-yard dash, as well as a 3.98 20-yard shuttle, which was the fastest among all quarterbacks.

Brugler and fellow CBSSports.com analyst Rob Rang compared Hundley to former Pro Bowl quarterback Randall Cunningham, and they believe he has many of the same traits Winston and Mariota have.

"Hundley's skill-set seems every bit as tantalizing as Oregon's Marcus Mariota or Florida State's Jameis Winston," they wrote. "However, Hundley needs to improve in the critical subtleties of the quarterback position - pocket presence, reading defenses and ball placement."

Despite some of his deficiencies, Hundley does possess a strong arm, displays good mechanics and does well when forced outside the pocket. He spent the majority of his career playing out of the shotgun, and he will need to prove he can line up under center.

With so many needs on both sides of the football, taking a quarterback in the second round might not be the best option for the Bears, but if Hundley is still available when they select 39th overall, his skill set may be difficult to pass up.

Sean Mannion, Oregon State

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Overshadowed by instate rival Marcus Mariota at Oregon, Oregon State's Sean Mannion threw for 13,600 yards with 83 touchdowns and 54 interceptions in four years for the Beavers.

NFL.com's Charles Davis thinks Mannion will be better in the NFL than he was in college, writing:

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Mannion's stock took a hit as his numbers declined sharply in 2014. After throwing for 4,662 yards and 37 touchdowns in 2013, he threw for 3,164 yards and 15 TDs last season. However, the talent around him wasn't as strong in 2014 as it had been in past years and evaluators are weighing that as they take a closer look at the quarterback. Despite the dropoff in production, Mannion is actually gaining momentum as he makes a case to be the third quarterback drafted behind Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. Mannion had a very nice pro day, and he has an advantage over some other top QB prospects because he played in a pro-style offense in college rather than a spread system. Give him an NFL supporting cast, and he has the ability to be a very solid pro signal-caller.

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Mannion measured in at the combine at 6'6" and 229 pounds, and unlike others on this list, he comes from a pro-style offense and has experience playing under center.

He has a good arm and does a nice job of going through his progressions, but he has a slow release and struggled with turnovers. When he gets in a rhythm he is effective, but when the pocket starts to collapse, he becomes erratic and starts forcing his throws.

Head coach John Fox has had success in the NFL with pocket passers like Jake Delhomme, and Mannion fits that mold. He needs to do a better job of taking what opposing defenses give him, but his size and experience in a pro-style offense will likely make him a third- or fourth-round pick.

He will have to sit and learn behind Cutler for at least one year, but if Fox and Gase want to add a pocket passer to their quarterback corps, Mannion could be their guy in the middle rounds.

Shane Carden, East Carolina

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One of the least recognizable names on this list, East Carolina's Shane Carden quietly put up impressive numbers in three seasons as the starting quarterback for the Pirates.

In 39 career games, Carden threw for 11,991 yards, 86 touchdowns and 30 interceptions with a 144.6 quarterback rating.

He is an intelligent quarterback with a great work ethic, but he lacks big arm strength and will have to rely upon his football IQ in order to be successful in the NFL. He has been compared to Brett Favre in terms of his looks, but Carden thinks that comparison goes beyond just his appearance.

“And sometimes when I play,” Carden said earlier this month, according to Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel, “I’ve been compared to him. So obviously he’s a great quarterback and somebody I always looked up to growing up and still do.”

Mike Huguenin of NFL.com thinks Carden is the most underrated quarterback in this year's draft, writing:

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Carden's lack of size (6-2, 218) scares some teams, and he doesn't have a big arm. But he has an impressive football IQ and graduated with most of the important passing records at a school that produced NFL quarterbacks Jeff Blake and David Garrard. He remains poised under pressure and played in a pass-happy attack at ECU that was a version of Mike Leach's "Air Raid" offense. He won't impress every NFL decision-maker, but he can be a productive backup if he lands on the right team and with a quarterback coach who understands his strong points.

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Carden projects as a long-term backup who could potentially win some games as a starter if needed, but it is unlikely he will have much of an impact in his first couple of years in the league.

He is not flashy and lacks arm strength, but his intelligence and work ethic makes him worth a fifth- or sixth-round pick because of the stability he can bring as a backup quarterback.

Statistical information courtesy of Sports-Reference.com. Combine numbers and measurables courtesy of NFL.com.

Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

Follow @MattEurich