The Bears are in somewhat of unfamiliar territory in this draft. Due to the Khalil Mack trade and other moves along the way in the Ryan Pace era, the Bears first pick (barring a trade up) is in the third round, pick 87 to be exact. You will have to go all the way back to the 2010 draft to see the last time the Bears didn't have a both a first and second round pick.
This year the Bears picks leading up to the draft are:
- 3rd round/87th overall
- 4th round/126th overall
- 5th round/162nd overall
- Two in the 7th round/222nd overall & 238th overall
So five picks overall, with two of those coming in the 7th. I personally don't foresee a trade up because I'm not sure we have the capital to really make an enticing move up. But Pace has shown many times in the draft when he likes a guy he will do what it takes to go up and get him. Nothing is off the table of course.
The way I see it, the Bears top two position of needs in this draft are running back and defensive back. Neither of these positions are serious pressing needs or glaring weaknesses. But the best football teams in the NFL take advantage of these late round picks to find cheap, productive talent.
I think the first position is pretty obvious. As it stands right now, the depth chart at running back looks something like Tarik Cohen and free agent signing Mike Davis sharing the majority load in the backfield. Both very fine players certainly, but we have seen so many times throughout the past few drafts that you can find stars at the RB position late in the draft. A few familiar names that have been drafted in the third round or later:
1) Tarik Cohen- Pick 119
2) Jordan Howard- Pick 150
3) Alvin Kamara- Pick 67
4) David Johnson- Pick 86
5) Kareem Hunt- Pick 86. I am speaking strictly from a player, on the field production stand point. Hunt obviously has had his off the field issues and I hope the Bears don't draft a person like Hunt, a player like him certainly though.
Anyways, as you have seen these are players that we have become familiar with in Cohen/Howard. And players that, on the field, have put up All Pro/Superstar numbers in this league. There is tremendous value that can be found at pick 87 or later in the draft. A few guys to look out for are:
-Miles Sanders: Penn State; Sanders stock has trended upwards daily in the draft process. So I am not so sure he will be available by pick 87 when we are on the clock first. But he is a star in the making, think Alvin Kamara type.
-Devin Singletary: Florida Atlantic; The Bears have reportedly had multiple pre-draft meetings with Singletary. Singletary was the engine that made the Lane train run in Boca Raton the last few years with over 3,000 yards on the ground and 55 touchdowns, earning himself the nickname "Motor" along the way.
- David Montgomery: Iowa State; Montgomery is one tough S.O.B. He is the quintessential "quick, not fast" running back. He ran a 4.63 at the combine which isn't great but his speed isn't what makes him good. He runs tough between the tackles and has great, patient vision. A reliable pass-catcher out of the backfield as well.
- Rodney Anderson: Oklahoma; This guy would be talked about as the best RB in the class if he didn't injure his knee in the second game of the season this past fall. His biggest concern throughout his career as a Sooner was injuries. He dealt with a broken leg, a fractured vertabrae, torn ACL, these aren't minor injuries of course. But his one healthy season during Baker's Heisman year he was absolutely incredible. 18 touchdowns on 1,442 total yards on 205 total touches. Again, the injuries are a huge concern but because of that reason he will fall in the draft and at some point he will fall enough and his talent will become valuable.
A few other names to look for: Darwin Thompson (Utah State), Devine Ozgibo (Nebraksa).
Defensive back is the second position of need. Now I know this may seem odd considering the secondary starters are locked in. HaHa Clinton-Dix, Eddie Jackson, Kyle Fuller, Prince Amukamara, and Buster Skrine as the nickel. But, Clinton-Dix is on a one year deal and Amukamara is 30 years old after this season and may be cut to help save some cap after the season so depth in the defensive backfield is key. Finding some diamonds in the rough as the Bears have in the draft before, like Eddie Jackson and Adrian Amos, in these rounds can prove to be huge in the future. Some names to look out for:
1) Deionte Thompson, Safety: Alabama; Thompson seems identical to Eddie Jackson. Eddie Jackson was an All-SEC player roaming center field for Nick Saban and then he broke his leg in college and fell to the fourth round. Thompson suffered an injury during the pre-draft process and hasn't really been able to participate in any on-field drills or testing since and has seen his stock fall a bit. But he is a rangy, ball hawking safety with elite closing speed. He may be off the board by the time the Bears are on the clock but if not he could prove to be tremendous value at pick 87.
2) Amani Hooker, Safety: Iowa; Hooker's biggest asset is his versatility. At Iowa he played all over. He played in the nickel, close to the line of scrimmage in run support, and 12 yards off the LOS. He is a tough guy that isn't scared to come up and make a hit in the hole and he's capable in pass coverage. New DC Chuck Pagano likes versatility from his guys to help bring different looks and Hooker brings just that.
3) Mark Fields, Cornerback: Clemson; Fields is the perfect player to draft with the future in mind. He has loads of upside and athletic ability, ran a 4.37 at the combine and is just an all around fluid athlete. He has experienced big time football in his career at Clemson and if you draft him and give him a year to spend learning the system he could be a star two years down the road.
4) Isaiah Johnson, Cornerback: Houston; This guy may be my crush of the draft. He is 6'2" 200 lbs and runs a 4.4 at cornerback. I love a CB with that size that can move like crazy. Johnson is an elite athlete, he came into Houston as a receiver and switched over the DB after two years so he is still pretty raw at the position. But a raw, work-in-progress prospect is exactly what the Bears can afford to do in this draft. A guy like Johnson can really benefit from being around a coach like Chuck Pagano who is a secondary guy by nature. Guys this size and this speed don't come around too often at this position, he is worth the risk.
A few other names to look out for: David Long (Michigan), Joejuan Williams (Vandy)
A few other positions I could see the Bears drafting are offensive/defensive lineman because you can never have too much depth at these positions. Tight end is another position to look at because Trey Burton is really the only proven pass catcher from this position on the team and two TE sets can be lethal. The last position is kicker. You don't see kickers drafted too often but there are a few guys in this draft who could be worth a look in the 7th round in Cole Tracy, Matt Gay, and Austin Seibert.
Draft day is awesome and it means we are just one step closer to the season. Daaaaaaaaaaaaaa Bears.
P.S.
WHAT AN AWESOME TWEET. Khalil Mack is worth 100 first rounders.
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