Split Decision on Bears' No. 9 Pick from Experts
The heavy hitters are out with their post-free agency mock drafts.
At least it's post-one week of free agency, but most of the market is gone now so it's a good point to call it post-free agency.
This, of course, starts but doesn't stop with ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.
The dean of mock drafters has a more logical conclusion for the Bears than does NFL.com veteran mock drafter Daniel Jeremiah in his latest mock.
Kiper, of course, has the Bears landing Caleb Williams first, as does Jeremiah.
"The Bears are going to take a passer with this pick, and all signs point to it being Williams, my top-ranked prospect," Kiper said.
With the ninth pick, Kiper has the Bears taking Florida State defensive end Jared Verse.
"He was too inconsistent at times," Kiper said. "But at 6-foot-4, 254 pounds, he has a complete set of tools to be a devastating pass-rusher at the next level, if he can put everything together.
"The Bears have made a few shrewd moves this offseason, and if their rookie quarterback comes in and plays well, they could be challengers in the NFC North."
The word "inconsistent" hardly seems something you'd see or hear about the top pass rusher in the draft and that's because Kiper doesn't foresee the Bears getting the chance to take the top pass rusher. He sees Dallas Turner as No. 1 among edge rushers and Atlanta taking him one spot before at No. 8.
At least Kiper has the right side of the ball reflected in his mock. It wouldn't hurt the Bears to take a pass receiver with blazing speed to be their future with Williams after Keenan Allen is gone, but it would be entirely short-sighted of them to do this at No. 9 considering they don't really have starters at two defensive line positions right now.
The only way to fill those voids adequately with free agency essentially done is the draft.
It doesn't matter much, anyway. In Kiper's mock, the Bears don't even get the chance to pick from the top three receivers because like Turner, all three are gone by the ninth pick comes around. He has Marvin Harrison Jr. going to the Cardinals at No. 4, Malik Nabers to the Chargers at No. 5 and Rome Odunze to the Giants at No. 6.
All of those picks are based entirely in logic, although you'd have to think the Giants are leaning more toward a quarterback because they're said to be through with Daniel Jones.
Kiper's assessment makes a good deal more sense than Jeremiah's. He had the Bears drafting Odunze at No. 9.
"The Bears could go pass rusher here after adding Keenan Allen at receiver, but I can't resist the prospect of playing Odunze alongside Allen and DJ Moore to give projected first overall pick Caleb Williams a Bengals-like receiving corps," Jeremiah wrote.
At least he acknowledged the need is pass rusher. Saying he "can't resist the prospect" of Odunze with the two veteran receivers only testifies to this being a luxury pick the Bears can't yet afford.
If they don't come away with a pass rusher in Round 1, they're headed for Montez Sweat becoming the new Khalil Mack. And that's not a positive thing because it refers to how Mack got beat up by two or three blockers at a time in 2019 and 2020 and had to play through constant nagging injury.
They'll be ruining the investment they made in a top pass rusher if they don't bring in pass rusher No. 2 before they get to wide receiver No. 3.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
