I'm just connecting the dots here. Certainly, I could be misreading this and even if it is Pace's plan he could fail to make it happen. Let's get down to how I have made the conclusion that Kizer is the future.
The good folks over at Walter Football do a terrific job of chronicling every shred of info in the lead up to the draft. One such useful tidbit is the list of prospect visits made by every team. This is a good indicator of team interest as the Bears had pre-draft visits with their top 2 picks last year and even got a UFA from the list, as was reported right here by WCG last year.
So what pre-draft visit info do we have up to this point? (from Walter Football)
EW - East-West Shrine meeting.
COM - Combine meeting.
INT - Interested.
VINT - Very Interested.
PRO - Pro Day or campus meeting/workout.
LOC - Local visit. Prospect making a local visit.
PRI - Private visit. Prospect making an official 30 visit.
WOR - Private Workout. Members of an organization working out a player in private.
STM - Some Type of Meeting.
% - indicates more than one meeting at an event.
^ - has met with team at more than one event.
# - indicates meeting set up outside of the 2017 Senior Bowl or the 2017 East-West Shrine Game
Yep, Kizer was met with at the combine, scheduled a private workout, and had a private visit at Halas Hall. Notice the team has only met with Trubisky at the combine and hasn't even contacted Watson. This could change in the future, and we're not including attendance at pro days, but it's telling at this point.
The strategy we might assume is a trade back from #3, because Kizer is not a value at #3. Easier said than done of course. Additional picks might make it possible to add a Reuben Foster or a Evan Engram. The strongest suitors would be those who want Trubisky and are either convinced the Bears will select him or are willing to jump 3 spots ahead of the Jets to get him. The Browns and the Jets have put Trubisky through as many meetings as the Bears have Kizer. It is not impossible that some form of a 3 way deal takes place between the Browns, Bears, and another team. The Browns trade the #12 and get picks, then use those picks and others they have for 2018 to move up to #3. The Browns seem content with piling up picks though, so this is a tenuous proposition.
The other option is to trade back up. This of course is the costly option. At this juncture, with the visits, it seems Pace would be apt to draft Jonathan Allen at #3. They haven't even met with Jamal Adams. Generally speaking, Kizer is viewed as the fourth best QB prospect in the class. There are a number of teams that either need a QB now or have a veteran that they need to concern themselves with replacing within a few years. This means once Trubisky, Watson, and Mahomes have come off the board, the war room will be working feverishly to make a deal. Chances are, these 3 are gone by the time the Texans pick at #25. Mahomes alone has met with 14 teams in one way or another already. The cost to move back in within the 22-24 range could possibly include a 2nd this year and next and the 3rd, maybe more.
The last possibility of course, is that Kizer falls into the 2nd round and Pace drafts his guy out of luck. The draft is deep with defensive players so it is not impossible, however, with the cost savings on an important position like QB, and a fifth year option, it seems unlikely.
I'm not stating whether or not any of this is a good plan or whether or not Kizer is a good option. I'm just following bread crumbs and speculating.