John Fox Says He Never Scouted Jimmy Clausen Before Drafting QB with Panthers

Chicago Bears head coach John Fox admitted at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine he never had the opportunity to scout former Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen before the Carolina Panthers selected Clausen in the second round of the 2010 draft.

Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk passed along comments Fox made about the unique circumstance Wednesday during his combine interview in Indianapolis. Fox, who coached Carolina from 2002 to 2010, noted his predraft focus and Clausen's falling stock forced a snap decision.

"There's a lot that goes into it," Fox said. "You have to do a lot of research. That situation was a little bit unique because I think people projected him maybe even into the top 10. On draft day, that's not how it materialized. I can't give you all the exacts. He was dropping."

He added: "Personally, I never even watched him because he wasn't a targeted guy for me in our predraft assignments. But I can say now I would hope we draft someone that I've actually gotten a chance to watch."

Although it may seem odd for a head coach not to do background work on a potential pick, it makes sense in this situation.

The Panthers didn't own a first-round selection in the 2010 draft after trading it for two picks in the 2009 draft. Barring a trade, they weren't scheduled to get on the clock until No. 48, and it didn't seem like Clausen would be available.

CBS Sports rated the Notre Dame signal-caller as the No. 2 quarterback and the 12th-best overall prospect in its final predraft rankings that year.

Carolina may have been shocked Clausen was still there midway through the second round. The team needed a quarterback—Cam Newton didn't arrive until the next season—and decided to take a chance on the sliding prospect despite Fox's lack of scouting.

The reason the California native didn't go as high as projected became clear during a disastrous rookie campaign. He completed just 52.5 percent of his throws for 1,558 yards to go along with three touchdowns and nine interceptions across 13 games, including 10 starts.

Clausen didn't attempt a pass over his final three years with the Panthers and has played in just eight games since 2011. He reunited with Fox with the Chicago Bears in 2015 before finishing that season with the Baltimore Ravens. He is currently a free agent.

Meanwhile, you can expect Fox to do his homework on every available quarterback in the 2017 class as the Bears look for change at the position. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported in early February the team is "moving on" from Jay Cutler.

Chicago owns the third overall pick, which could put it in the market for one of the top prospects, a group led by Mitch Trubisky, DeShone Kizer and Deshaun Watson. None of them are guaranteed to provide top-five value, however, so the front office may wait until later in the draft to grab a QB.