The Defensive Back Most Likely for Bears at No. 43

There is one receiver left worth taking at No. 43, and after that the Bears have to be thinking cornerback because of three elite level players remaining.

The Bears have much to ponder before taking their first pick and it largely involves whether to take the cornerback or the safety.

Most of the wide receivers worth taking at No. 43 are gone except for one, and Denzel Mims may not last the first 10 picks of Round 2 to reach the Bears.

He'd be the pick because of his 4.38-second speed in the 40, a

He was playing in a conference where they pass the ball a lot caught 186 passes for a 15.7-yard average. He'd be a good fit as a Z receiver and could be the X if Allen Robinson was out for some reason.

The Bears have spoken with him according to internet reports.

After Mims, the choice would have to be one of three cornerbacks.

The Bears should still be thinking cornerback at this point instead of safety after a night when none of the safeties were touched. There are only a few top cornerbacks left and safeties can usually be found later in the draft anyway, as is evident from Eddie Jackson and Adrian Amos.

There were enough top cornerbacks to make it likely one of the best will be there at either No. 43 or 50 and their choice should be either LSU's Kristian Fulton or Alabama's Trevon Diggs.

The most likely scenario is Diggs coming to the Bears because Fulton will likely get taken at one of the 10 spots ahead of the Bears in Round 2.

Fulton is a talented all-around corner at 6-foot, 197 pounds with 4.46-second speed. He ran a 6.94-second three-cone drill, which is strong. As a defender, he had two interceptions and 21 career passes defensed. His game all around is more sound than Diggs, who can do the spectacular.

Diggs is actually taller at 6-1. He's 205 pounds and is, of course, the brother of Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs. That's the attraction with Diggs. Like his brother, he used to be a wide receiver. He played it as a freshman so his hands are better than many defensive backs. He had four career interceptions, 17 pass defenses and is supposed to be adept in press as well as at breaking up the throw.

The one question you need answered is his speed. I've not heard anyone say he's slow but he didn't run the 40 at the combine and was saving for the pro day, and of course that never happened.

After those two players it's not a long drop to Jaylon Johnson so the Bears would be wise to consider him. The drop in talent level and competition level between the SEC and the Pac-12 is a factor, but also to be taken into account is the fact Johnson has been defending the pass a lot more than SEC corners. The Pac-12 is a passing conference. You'll get more of a mix in the SEC.

So even if Johnson hasn't had to stop the best receivers in the country, they were good and he faced a lot more fire than the SEC cornerbacks.

After this group the safeties come into the picture and that would mean either Alabama's Xavier McKinney, LSU's Grant Delpit and Southern Illinois Jeremy Chinn.

The prediction: Diggs at No. 43 and then a trade down at No. 50 to acquire more picks.

The trade could come at No. 43 if all of those elite cornerbacks and wide receivers have been taken off the board.

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