Rams coach says Cutler ranked higher than QB he drafted

Jeff Fisher had Jay Cutler as the No. 1 QB on his draft board

St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher told reporters Wednesday that he had Bears quarterback Jay Cutler rated as the top signal caller in a 2006 class that included Matt Leinart and Vince Young. Both quarterbacks were taken before Cutler — Young went third to Fisher and Tennessee, Leinart was taken 10th by the Arizona Cardinals — neither quarterback is currently taking snaps under an NFL center.

Fisher said he was impressed with Cutler’s workouts but the Titans decided to go in a different direction.

Per ESPN:

I loved Jay, Fisher said. You know. I mean, we watched him play in our own backyard, man. We had a private workout there in our indoor facility and coached him in the Senior Bowl. It just didn’t work out. Looking back, I would say that I had the three quarterbacks ranked Cutler, [Matt] Leinart and Young, Fisher told Chicago media on a conference call.

Cutler would fall one spot behind Leinart at No. 11 and was drafted by the Denver Broncos. Since he was traded to Chicago, Fisher has been in his corner. This season, Cutler is completing 62.8 percent of his pass attempts for 1,787 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Fisher noted how important the offensive coaches have been to Cutler’s progression this season. He said, “they’ve done a great job with him in the pocket. His feet. His fundamentals. Everything.”

The coach will have close view of the Bears’ quarterback and his improvements in Sunday’s game on Rams home turf.

Next Up In Chicago Bears

Bears have designs on the lakefront, as Mayor Johnson plays the wrong position of cheerleader-in-chief

The day-of mock draft: Our picks for the Bears at No. 9

ESPN, NFL Network will put Bears at center stage for NFL Draft broadcasts

Caleb Williams' evaluation a test of Bears GM Ryan Poles' intuition

Caleb Williams will be unlike any Bears QB ever — and that's a good thing

Rome Odunze: It would be 'awesome' to land with Bears, Caleb Williams in draft