Chicago Bears 2021 Mock Draft 1.0 for BearDigest.com
The problem with computer-based mock drafts is the lack of emotional involvement.
The first mock draft conducted by BearDigest.com for 2021 through a computer service couldn't properly forecast in human terms the desperation teams like the Bears have for a quarterback.
The mock draft was done half a day prior to reports Philip Rivers would be retiring, and the Indianapolis Colts became desperate for a quarterback then, as well. They happen to draft one spot behind the Bears.
A real war could be building among those teams willing to trade up to get a passer.
So teams' abilities and desires to move up or down and acquire a coveted quarterback in this draft are real. A computer would not be able to adequately depict how far a team is willing to go to bring in the needed player by jumping up and dealing away picks.
The first mock draft of 2021 does not include trades and is only for three rounds, anyway. Future mocks will expand and include trades.
Hopefully they'll also include a more realistic approach toward the quarterbacks in this draft than the computer simulation took in 2021 Mock No. 1.
Round 1
Pick No. 20: Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
There is no way in the real world Zach Wilson lasts until the Bears pick 20th in the draft, even with the negative publicity he received late in December from the highly reputable football website Walterfootball.com.
It was Walter Football which came up with the story quoting an unnamed NFC director of college scouting as saying an unnamed source told him Wilson had character issues based on a feeling of entitlement resulting from his family's affluence. Wilson's uncle owns Jet Blue. The unnamed source relying on an unnamed source called Wilson a know-it-all type.
I know of an unnamed sports writer who has unnamed sources saying this unnamed source with unnamed sources don't know what they're talking about.
After watching Wilson play over the course of the last season, he can be a know-it-all in this man's draft any day.
Even if all this were true, the only Bears quarterback to win a Super Bowl came from BYU and was anything but an ideal first-round selection but worked out better than anyone else for them at the position since Sid Luckman.
Drafting for the Bears in this mock, I was shocked and embarrassed for the computer when it allowed Wilson to be available to me at pick No. 20.
This must have been a computer from the early 1970s, the old reel-to-reel kind you see in movies of that era. it seemed to value all quarterbacks like nuisances.
For instance, Ohio State's Justin Fields was not selected in this mock draft until the Raiders picked him at No. 17. Some early mock drafts had Fields going right after Trevor Lawrence. So falling to No. 17 seems extremely unlikely based on Fields' athletic ability alone.
Wilson might actually rate better than Fields because he has all the tools plus he gets rid of the ball faster. On film, he seems to have a better ability to read defenses within a well-designed passing attack.
And there he was, right there for the taking.
This was about as realistic as those preseason Madden computer simulations forecasting the Bears as Super Bowl LV champions.
The other part of all this is the Colts' great need for a quarterback. With Rivers' retriement, Indianapolis now needs to be willing to move up with trades ahead of the Bears. Wilson would be an ideal fit in Matt Nagy's offense with his mobility, arm and ability to read defenses. This also goes for Frank Reich's offense. It's basically the same attack.
This mock draft did not include trades, but future mocks will include this possibility.
The Colts would move up and the Bears would need to be ready to do the same.
The Senior Bowl is approaching next week and mocks all tend to take on a different tone afterward. Quarterbacks often lose luster as scouts fall in love with linemen, linebackers, receivers and others who haven't been as closely examined in the past.
So far, many mocks have forecasted all the top quarterbacks going in the first 12 to 15 picks. We'll see if this holds up after the Senior Bowl with BearDigest.com's Mock Draft No. 2.
Round 2
Pick No. 52: Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama
If Wilson going at 20 was unrealistic, the Bears also getting Leatherwood at No. 52 could only be classified as the mock draft day when the rest of the NFL fell asleep. I'm so embarrassed for this computer.
Leatherwood is exactly what the Bears need at left tackle. Who wouldn't want this year's Outland Trophy winner?
A 6-foot-6, 322-pound tackle with a long reach, Leatherwood played guard until moving out to left tackle as a junior. He's not an underclass, untested player and he played for one of the best producers of NFL offensive linemen.
The Bears have needed a more physical presence at left and right tackle to help their running game. Leatherwood would supply it, and he will not be there at No. 52 in the real world unless everyone else blacks out. Just like with Wilson, the Bears would need to worry about the Colts jumping ahead to take him because they also need a tackle with Anthony Castonzo retired.
In this mock draft, the Bears pass on the chance to take LSU wide receiver Terrace Marshall in order to select Leatherwood. Marshall wound up with Seattle. I assumed the Bears would find a way to retain Allen Robinson with a tag. If he leaves, the need for a wide receiver becomes greater than the need for a tackle.
Round 3
Pick No. 83: Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue
Both Michigan's Nico Collins and Moore were available in this mock despite Round 2 grades but Collins is the classic X receiver, like Robinson. Moore is exactly what the Bears should be looking for to get Nagy's offense working the way it was intended to work. He's a slot receiver with top-end speed. Moore projects as a receiver with even better speed than Darnell Mooney, but more polish against top competition than Mooney had coming out of Tulane. The Bears need to be faster at receiver to properly implement the Kansas City offense. Moore upgrades their ability to catch and run considerably, or to challenge safeties downfield. He's a slot receiver with far greater speed than Anthony Miller.
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