The Bears are in need of help on both sides of the ball, and while most expect them to make moves through free agency to help this, Ryan Pace likes to build his team through the draft.
Here are the players that can fit the mold in Chicago.
Round 1 – No. 8 overall: Tremaine Edmunds, LB – Virginia Tech
The narrative on Edmunds is well-known by now. He’s built like Brian Urlacher, he’s a freak athlete and has the potential to anchor the defense for years to come given his ripe age of 19.
He’s been frequently mocked to the Bears by experts and it makes perfect sense.
In a draft with an abundance of intriguing prospects, the Bears can go many different directions with this pick and I wouldn’t complain.
Edmunds would make an immediate impact on defense and if he’s on the board, he should be the Bears’ guy.
Career Stats: 213 Tackles, 33 TFL, 10 Sacks
Round 2 – No. 39 overall: Christian Kirk, WR – Texas A&M
Kirk is another player that has been commonly mocked to the Bears, but there are a couple issues that may arise.
For starters, the Bears likely won’t be using a second-round pick on a receiver if they land someone like Allen Robinson or Sammy Watkins in free agency or if they draft Calvin Ridley in the first round.
While that is entirely possible, I doubt the Bears spend their first-round pick on the offensive side of the ball and Kirk should be a no-brainer with the 39th pick if he’s on the board.
He can be a great option out of the slot for Mitch Trubisky and can be a solution in the return game to go along with Tarik Cohen.
Kirk has great athletic ability and shows natural ability to excel as a receiver, and he’d fit in well with Matt Nagy.
Career Stats: 229 Receptions, 2796 Receiving Yards, 26 Touchdowns
Round 4 – No. 105 overall: Shaquem Griffin, LB – UCF
Griffin is another well-known prospect with my favorite backstory in the draft. He lost his left-hand due to a rare prenatal condition, but that didn’t stop him from becoming the American Athletic Conference Defensive player of the year in 2016.
This past season Griffin was the unquestionable leader on a team that went undefeated and beat Auburn in the Peach Bowl.
He posted a blazing 4.38 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and benched 225 pounds 20 times … using a prosthetic arm.
The man is an animal and thrives on proving doubters wrong.
His athleticism and instincts are amazing and it baffles me that he’s projected to fall so far in the draft, but the city of Chicago would fully embrace Griffin.
Career Stats: 195 Tackles, 33.5 TFL, 18.5 Sacks
Round 4 – No. 115 overall: Auden Tate, WR – Florida State
Tate is a physically gifted receiver and is a dream of a deep target as he stands 6-foot-five with the ability to create space over a defender with exceptional body control.
He has battled injuries throughout his career at Florida State, but when healthy, Tate can be a great red-zone threat for Trubisky and be a great option opposite of Cam Meredith.
Career Stats: 65 Receptions, 957 Yards, 16 Touchdowns
Round 5 – No. 145 overall: Kyle Lauletta, QB – Richmond
Trubisky is our quarterback for the foreseeable future and I wouldn’t have it any other way, but the failed Mike Glennon experiment coming to an end presents the issue of who will be the backup quarterback.
Mark Sanchez staying as some sort of guide for Trubisky makes sense, but he shouldn’t be the immediate backup. It’s smarter to draft a quarterback that has improved exponentially over the past two seasons who can sit behind Trubisky and learn with him.
The Bears may end up signing a veteran to sit behind Trubisky, but Lauletta presents an affordable option.
Career Stats: 63.5 Completion %, 10,465 Yards, 73 Touchdowns, 35 Interceptions
Round 6 – No. 181 overall: Ja’Von Rolland-Jones, Edge – Arkansas State
I am a little biased with this pick as I am a proud alum of Arkansas State and had the privilege of watching Rolland-Jones the past four years.
Rolland-Jones is relatively unknown to the public, but he shouldn’t be.
There has only been one player in the history of college football with more career sacks than him and his name is Terrell Suggs.
He is an elite talent coming off the edge and can excel in situational pass rushes in Chicago similar to what Mark Anderson did in 2006.
His size is a concern for an edge rusher as he is 6-foot-two and weighs 244 pounds, but he has great technique and a natural ability to get to the quarterback.
Career Stats: 179 Tackles, 63 TFL, 42 Sacks
Round 7 – No. 224 overall: Shawun Lurry, CB – NIU
You may not recognize the name, but Lurry is just two seasons removed from leading the country in interceptions as a sophomore.
His numbers have gone down since his incredible 2015 campaign with the Huskies, but he is still a very productive corner with the ability to make game-changing plays defensively.
He is definitely undersized for a defensive back as he is a mere 5-foot-eight and 170 pounds, but his ability to read the quarterback and make plays on the ball make him worthy of a seventh-round pick.
Career Stats: 117 Tackles, 14 Interceptions, 33 Passes Defended
Wrapping Up
That will do it for my mock draft. Do you agree (or disagree) with it? Better yet, what’s your current mock draft for the Chicago Bears? Let us know in the comments below!
I really do like it all. Real soon we’ll see what the Bears do
I would be really happy with the first 3 picks, but I don’t think the bears are in a position to draft a long term developmental QB in the 5th round at this point. and if they invest in Meredith and a top Tier WR and Kirk, I would rather see them address a CB/Safety earlier in the draft (like 4th or 5th round) in lieu of the 2nd drafted WR, and if they choose to draft a 5 tech, or a 2nd secondary piece (Or another RB) I would be happier than if they take a flyer on a QB.
All of those picks look good to me, particularly the 4th round.
I’d pick Quenton Nelson at 8th if he’s still on the board instead of Edmunds but I certainly wouldn’t complain about it if Edmunds was picked first.
I’m starting to doubt Kirk will be there in the second round since he’s become the 2nd best receiver on a lot of people’s rankings since the combine. D.J Moore would be a nice alternative, especially if they can trade down.
I also like cb Darius Phillips in the 5th if they get a backup QB in free agency.