'I've always been 6-5, 230 pounds and can throw the ball better than anybody.'

The Athletic published a series of scouting reports called “On the Clock,” in which we broke down players the Bears could be targeting with the No. 3 pick in April’s NFL draft, based on their wide range of needs after a 3-13 season. You can read the eight reports on defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, safeties Jamal Adams and Malik Hooker, quarterbacks DeShone Kizer, Mitch Trubisky and Deshaun Watson, cornerback Marshon Lattimore and defensive lineman Solomon Thomas. Now, we’ll look at players the Bears should target after the first round.

The success or failure of Bears general manager Ryan Pace’s time in Chicago will ultimately be shaped by one decision — whom he tabs as the team’s franchise quarterback — a curiosity most Bears fans have never seen in their lifetime.

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Pace has demonstrated an understanding of the criticality of the decision, but whether he gets it right or not remains to be seen.

When he signed Mike Glennon at the outset of free agency, it was a signal of change, both this fall and beyond. However, the mere presence of Glennon and the modest amount of money, that is by NFL starting quarterback standards, shows the team isn’t convinced he’s anything more than a stopgap.

So, are the moves Pace has made in free agency — which he said were centered around allowing the team to take the best player available in the draft — a sign that the team is set on selecting their quarterback of the future at No. 3 overall? Or that they’ll wait until later to address the position?

If they choose to wait for the position, an option outside of the top-four prospects is the University of California, Berkeley’s Davis Webb.

Davis Webb

The Facts:

• Height: 6-foot-5
• Weight: 229
• Hand size: 9 1/4″
• 40-yard dash: 4.79
• Class year: Senior
• Career stats: 26 starts (11-15 record), 9,852 passing yards, 83 touchdowns, 34 interceptions (nine multi-interception games), 61.5 completion percentage.

Projection: Early-to-mid second-round selection

Being the archetypal “son of a coach,” football is in Webb’s DNA. At the age of 12, he was charting plays and schemes that caught his attention on index cards and leaving them for his father, Matt, to incorporate into his game plans. Once his professional playing career is over, he has his sights set on being a coach in the collegiate ranks. There’s no questioning Webb’s passion and acumen for the game.

Webb took a circuitous path to the draft. He started his collegiate career at Texas Tech. As a true freshman, he caught a stomach virus that saw him lose 40 pounds that cost him his starting job to Baker Mayfield. He lost an in-season tug-of-war with Mayfield for the job, yet still found his way onto the field in spot duty.

Mayfield eventually transferred to Oklahoma and Webb earned the job next fall. However, an ankle and labrum injury in his sophomore season forced a freshman named Pat Mahomes onto the field. Mahomes never gave the job up and Webb eventually transferred to Cal.

Throughout his collegiate career, Webb has played in “Air Raid” spread schemes, first under Kliff Kingsbury at Texas Tech, then under Sunny Dykes at Cal. As is the case with any collegiate quarterback, they don’t elect the scheme, so it shouldn’t be held against them. However, different college offenses make for different challenges for NFL coaches once those prospects enter the building.

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Webb has always operated out of a shotgun set and made a lot of throws with predetermined reads. Thus, he has a learning curve to overcome both from a footwork and terminology perspective. Currently, he’s working with former NFL player and head coach Jim Zorn on his drops and terminology for both West Coast and Don Coryell systems.

Webb has prototypical size and certainly doesn’t lack for confidence, evidenced by his self-scouting summary at the combine.

“I’ve always been 6-5, 230 pounds and can throw the ball better than anybody,” Webb said.

When he sets his feet, Webb throws an excellent ball. He has a quick, compact, over-the-top delivery with noticeable snap when the ball leaves his hand. His velocity was clocked at 59 miles per hour, the second-highest to Mahomes’ 60. Not only can he sling it with pace, he shows excellent touch and ball placement on his deep throws. He made numerous 40-plus yard throws with an effortless flick of the wrist, dropping it into a bucket down the sidelines.

While several of Webb’s throws were predetermined reads, he was asked to perform progression and coverage reads. Cal had a variety of half- and full-field reads which he was able to progress through quickly and distribute the ball to the right place. He commanded the offense by performing “check with me’s” at the line of scrimmage if the coverage wasn’t ideal for the play called in the huddle.

While not much of a threat to run, Webb is mobile enough to extend plays. He also possesses a trait coaches desire from pocket passers, which is looking to throw first opposed to tucking the ball and running. His accuracy wanes when he’s on the move, but he’s able to make every throw from the pocket or on movement passes. His athletic numbers at the combine were impressive for his frame. He ranked in the top-five in the vertical (33 inches), broad jump (118 inches), 40-yard dash (4.79 seconds), three-cone drill (6.92) and the 20-yard shuttle (4.21).

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Physically, Webb has all the tools a scout seeks at the quarterback position, but he will require extensive work with his mechanics, both his delivery and footwork. As is the case for many spread quarterbacks, they don’t properly set their feet for many of the throws in the playbook, which leads to sloppy throwing platforms and in turn, scattershot accuracy.

Not every throw can or will be made from firmly-planted feet, but even when he had time, Webb didn’t always get set, which led to him sailing throws high. A lot of the throws he missed high were over the middle of the field, which led to interceptions. He must also learn to modulate his velocity on shorter throws and not try to show off his arm strength. He missed with his ball placement on short and intermediate throws with clean passing windows, which limited yards after the catch or led to outright incompletions.

As is the case with most strong-armed quarterbacks, Webb’s arm arrogance shows up quite a bit. He forced several passes that simply weren’t there or the window had already closed, yet he still felt he had an opportunity to fit the ball in. This tendency is compounded when he’s under pressure. I charted several throws under duress which he made worse by continuing his backpedal then throwing the ball late without having his feet set.

Webb has intriguing upside. He possesses the confidence, leadership, football IQ, measurables and arm talent that teams covet at the quarterback position. While it will take a few seasons, in the right system with specific and consistent coaching on the nuances of the professional game, he could turn out to be one of the better starters from this class.

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