LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears' quarterback search is about to heat up.

The speculation about how high Deshaun Watson will be drafted has never been hotter after he led Clemson to the national championship by completing 36 of 56 pass attempts for 420 yards and three touchdowns.

No. 3? The Bears are expected to be in the quarterback market with the likely departure of Jay Cutler, whose guaranteed money is coming off the books, but some analysts don't even have Watson going in the first round, much less No. 3. With other areas of need, can the Bears afford to overreach with the No. 3 overall pick?

"In my mind, there is no more important position than the quarterback," Bears general manager Ryan Pace said last week. "It is a critical, critical position. And I know and I recognize that the decision that we make on that quarterback is going to be significant for all of us for the direction that this organization is going to head."

2017 NFL DRAFT Round 1: April 27, 8 p.m. ET

Rds. 2-3: April 28, 7 p.m. ET

Rds. 4-7: April 29, noon ET

Where: Philadelphia NFL draft home page » • 2017 NFL draft order »

• Mel Kiper Jr.: Mock 3.0 »

• Todd McShay: Mock 3.0 »

• Todd McShay's Top 32 »

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• Mel Kiper Jr.: Top 10 by position »

• Pro day schedule for prospects »

• Underclassmen who have declared »

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ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper worries about Watson's decision-making and interceptions.

Todd McShay lists North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky, Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer and Watson as the top three quarterbacks for teams to consider, in that order. It's worth noting that McShay's list published before Watson's scintillating title game.

A bonus for the Bears this year is that John Fox and his assistants accepted an invitation to coach the North squad at the upcoming Senior Bowl, where as of Wednesday, eight different quarterbacks had accepted invitations to attend.

There is no guarantee the Bears are willing to take any of three quarterbacks with the third overall pick. Pace may be content to wait until the second round or later to address quarterback -- a perfectly understandable decision unless Pace is convinced the quarterback on the board is a bona fide franchise-changer.

Here are brief scouting reports on Trubisky, Kizer and Watson courtesy of ESPN college football analysts Trevor Matich and Brock Huard from a story that originally published on ESPN.com last month.

Player: Mitch Trubisky

School: North Carolina

Year: Junior

Size: 6-foot-3, 220 pounds

Todd McShay QB ranking: 1

Matich's take: "He has all the physical tools. He's very mobile and has a live arm. Good accuracy. So, he can throw the ball well. He also has good leadership. Trubisky has everything you want in a quarterback. Now he has to prove he can do it on the field. I had high hopes for him this year as a Heisman candidate, but maybe that was too much, too soon for him. He needs to show that alpha-dog mentality in order to succeed in the NFL. When you don't have that, you hang onto the ball a little too long and in college you can get away with that. In the NFL, that will get you smashed. But he has the physical skills, and if NFL scouts believe in their interviews with him that he can pick up the offense, and precisely implement it, and make those quick decisions, then there is no reason this guy cannot have success in the league."

Player: DeShone Kizer

School: Notre Dame

Year: Redshirt sophomore

Size: 6-foot-4, 230 pounds

McShay QB ranking: 2

Matich's take: "Kizer is mobile enough to be in the NFL. You don't have to be Steve Young or Cam Newton. So, he's mobile enough to be in the pocket and do the rollouts. Actually, he has way more than enough mobility for that. He has an accurate arm and a strong arm. All that leads me to believe he has an excellent chance to be a very good NFL quarterback. I can't think of anything right now that might hold him back. There are always going to be questions about a rookie quarterback's maturity or ability to move to an NFL scheme on offense. From what I've seen on tape, Kizer seems to be a good leader and the team tends to rally around him. I've seen him make throws into certain windows that lead me to believe the physical tools are worth the price of admission. A strong arm is mildly interesting. Accuracy is non-negotiable. What you have to do is read the defense, anticipate and get the ball to a tight window on-time. In his college system, I've watched Kizer do that time after time. That to me is worth the risk to take a chance on a guy like that as long as mentally you believe he can take the next step."

Player: Deshaun Watson

School: Clemson

Year: Junior

Size: 6-foot-2, 210 pounds

McShay QB ranking: 3

Huard's take: "If I'm a decision-maker, I'm looking for a quarterback who elevated the program. Deshaun Watson did that at Clemson. I had a defensive coordinator say to me that people want to compare Louisville's Lamar Jackson and Watson and say they are the same guy. They are not. One is an NFL wide receiver; one is an NFL starting quarterback.

"Deshaun is NFL-ready. He is phenomenal off the field. He's the anti-Jay Cutler. He would be a breath of fresh air for the Bears. He would come into that organization and people would just gravitate toward him. He's a lot longer and more athletic than people think. He's very gifted athletically, and I think he's a smooth passer that makes every NFL throw. There will be a transition from their scheme at Clemson to the NFL level, but when Nick Saban says that preparing for Watson was as difficult as preparing for Cam Newton, people take notice."