We are about three weeks away from the greatest days of the year-the NFL draft. The Chicago Bears do still have some needs throughout their roster. I will start by saying this combines drafting for the best player available and drafting for need. There are also no trades in this draft as trades are nearly impossible to project. In his first draft as GM, we saw Ryan Poles spend his first two picks on defensive backs when it seemed like there were far more glaring needs. It will be interesting to see if he takes the same approach this year now that he owns a top-ten pick.
9th Pick: Georgia DT Jalen Carter
This would be perfect for the Bears, as it addresses a huge need and Carter is one of the best players in this draft class. Jalen Carter is quite possibly a top-three talent in this class but has some off-field concerns that have caused him to fall down the board. He is 6’3 and weighs 314 pounds, and I think he would be a perfect fit at three-technique for Matt Eberflus’ defense. He created consistent penetration for Georgia and has the ability to wreak havoc on both the opposing rushing and passing game.
53rd Pick: North Dakota State Tackle Cody Mauch
This pick addresses a massive need for this Bears team at offensive tackle. Braxton Jones was a steal in last year’s draft and can hopefully be our future tackle, and Cody Mauch could hopefully be on the other side of the line at the other tackle spot. He has good movement skills for a lineman but also lacks arm length. He may project to guard at the next level with shorter arms, which is another position that the bears could improve on anyway.
61st Pick: Miami Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson
The Bears need help at corner, even after taking Kyler Gordon in last year’s draft. They have Jaylon Johnson and hopefully Gordon develops, but they still need at least one or two more corners on the roster. Stevenson is aggressive and physical and could be a starter on the outside opposite of Johnson.
64th Pick: Texas A&M Running Back Devon Achane
With the departure of David Montgomery this offseason, I believe the Bears will try to get another running back to handle the load alongside Khalil Herbert. Herbert was fantastic and I think that Achane would be a good complimentary back on any team in the league. He brings unprecedented speed to the offense and makes defenses account for his explosive play ability.
103rd Pick: N.C State Guard Chandler Zavala
The Bears need a lot of help along the offensive line after what we saw last season. Fields gets some help with a pair of rookies in this draft. Zavala is big at 6’5″ and 325 pounds and quite agile running a 5.01-second 40-yard dash and 4.53-second shuttle. He is also one of the best pass-blocking interior linemen in this entire draft allowing only eight pressures and no sacks over the past two seasons.
133rd Pick: Louisville Edge Yasir Abdullah
After having the worst defense in the NFL, they need to draft a number of players on that side of the ball. Abdullah can potentially be a great edge rusher with his pass-rushing ability coming out of college. He is undersized at 6’1″ and 237 pounds, so I would hope to see him add some weight to be a defensive end in our 4-3 scheme. Abdullah is one of my favorite players in this draft because he is hyper-explosive and has good pass-rush production coming out of college that could get even better after developing in the league.
136th Pick: Clemson Tight End Davis Allen
With Cole Kmet entering the last year on his rookie deal, this pick is more just for insurance. If Allen plays well, they won’t have to re-sign Kmet and have another tight end on a rookie contract. This could be a fantastic play so they could save money at a non-premium position and allocate it to more premium positions or needs.
148th Pick: USC Cornerback: Mekhi Blackmon
Drafting by volume! We have seen in the past that drafting cornerback by volume hasn’t exactly worked out (Vikings), but after Bills’ rookie corner Christian Benford outplayed his teammate Kaiir Elam despite being picked in the sixth round as opposed to the first round, it could be a decent strategy. With how bad the defense was last season I think we can never take too many defenders in this year’s draft. Each defense also needs at least three or four cornerbacks so if both Blackmon and Stevenson develop, they could be set at the position.
Final Thoughts:
Jalen Carter falling to the Bears at nine would be a dream scenario as he is a top-five talent, and plays a position of need. Other than the first pick, the Bears address a lot of their needs along the defense and offensive line in the mid-rounds. The end of the draft also has players that could help fill out their roster and possibly produce for the team if they develop into starter-level talents.
Be sure to check out more of our sports content here at Belly Up! Feel free to follow me on Twitter as well as my podcast: Footballytical for more content in the future.
