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Daring Mel Kiper Bears Pick

Several mock drafts had the Bears taking more risky selections at No. 9, starting with the one released by ESPN's dean of mock drafters.
Gene Chamberlain|
Daring Mel Kiper Bears Pick
Daring Mel Kiper Bears Pick

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Chicago Bears

A post-holiday round of mock drafts came out with the dean of draft analysts pointing the Bears in a strange, new direction.

This isn't the really dangerous pick, however. Some other recently released mock drafts have the Bears being more daring yet.

Mel Kiper Jr. released mock draft 4.0 on Tuesday and in it he has the Bears at No. 9 taking Tennessee tackle Darnell Wright.

"He's the best right tackle in this class," Kiper wrote.

It's true enough, but in the NFL tackles frequently change sides in the draft because the best tackles are playing on the left side in college. There's no great need to take a right tackle over left. They'll decide who plays where in practices.

It's like with cornerbacks. The better cornerbacks at a lower level are on the outside but when they get to the NFL some of those players need to move inside to the slot because players of high quality are needed there, as well, and other players of higher quality might be available for the outside.

There are clearly two better choices on the offensive line for the Bears than Kiper's pick. It's Paris Johnson Jr. and Peter Skoronski, and if one is gone then they need to take the other.

Wright was regarded as a late first-round pick by most analysts until very recently, and hasn't been a top-10 staple at all.

The Leap of Faith

The daring Bears peeked out from behind the gates of Halas Hall in two other mocks. On one conducted by Yahoo Sports and on the latest by NFL.com veteran Chad Reuter, the pick for the Bears is defensive tackle Jalen Carter following his visit last week.

"The Bears need playmakers in the middle of their defense, and Carter's value is too good to pass up at this point in the draft," Reuter wrote.

It's true enough. The real issue is whether he could actually fall all the way to No. 9 with talent this good. It seems unlikely when Detroit is picking No. 6 and has already addressed its obvious problems in the secondary.

Carter would seem perfect for a team with a questionable group of linebackers because having a three technique so dominant covers up problems they could have with that group.

The Yahoo Sports pick was made by Alyssa Barbieri and with it came the very valid acknowledgement of risk because of Carter's perceived maturity level following the racing charges in the fatal accident, as well as how he came into a pro day workout sluggish and seemingly out of shape. Barbieri's commentary provided succint insider analysis regarding worries about the locker room mix.

"Poles and his staff are being cautious about bringing the wrong person into the locker room as the Bears are still a young, impressionable team," Barbieri said.

They've even acknowledged directly the concern over this.

"But they're also in need of talent, and Carter is everything Matt Eberflus is looking for in a disruptive three technique," Barbieri wrote.

Yahoo Sports' simulation didn't ignore this need at the second Bears pick of a two-round mock, No. 53 overall. Jaelyn Duncan of Maryland was an adequate second-round selection and a player who visited Halas Hall.

Notre Dame edge rusher Isaiah Foskey at 61 was another needed selection for the Bears in at this point.

It's Reuter's second four-round mock and in subsequent rounds he has the Bears making picks to raise eyebrows almost as much as Carter.

He had Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson at No. 53 and SMU wide receiver Rashee Rice going No. 61 in Round 2, TCU guard Steve Avila at No. 64 and teammate Kendre Miller, a running back, at No. 103 in Round 4. The last pick at 133 was Auburn edge rusher Colby Wooden.

If the Bears went throu gh four rounds without choosing a legitimate tackle and waited to find an edge rusher until No. 133 so they could take wide receivers, cornerbacks and running backs, someone should be asking if it's time for Ian Cunningham to take over as general manager.

Their greatest weakness coming into the draft was on the line, both sides. It was the main reason they won three games last year. And they barely touched those spots in free agency.

The edge rusher spot, in particular, is critical after they had 6 1/2 total sacks from defensive ends in 2022. Tackle is huge because no QB was sacked more than Justin Fields and they're going four rounds without taking one here.

Risk and Reward Elsewhere

Sports Illustrated's Kevin Hanson released a one-round mock on Tuesday and has the Bears going with need at No. 9, along with proximity. He took Northwestern guard/tackle Peter Skoronski

"Skoronski, a three-year starter at left tackle, is technically sound with smooth and balanced footwork and is one of the safest prospects in this draft class despite a lack of arm length (32¼" arms)," Hanson wrote.

The reason Skoronski is so safe a pick is his floor is being an excellent guard due to his shorter arms, while the ceiling is the chance he could continue at tackle and be a Pro Bowl type because of his sharp blocking technique.

In another mock just released, CBS' Ryan Wilson mocked the other tackle choice to the Bears at No. 9, Paris Johnson Jr. from Ohio State.

"There's still a need at right tackle and edge rusher but with many of the top free-agent offensive linemen already signed elsewhere, and since this draft class is deeper at EDGE than OT, Chicago takes Paris Johnson Jr. here," Wilson wrote.

CBS colleague Kyle Stackpole agrees with Wilson but the other two CBS mocks were more daring. Chris Trapasso has them selecting Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba while Josh Edwards predicts Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith, who just completed a visit with the team at Halas Hall on Monday.

In a round of mocks with risk involved, maybe it was Pro Football Focus causing the biggest stir. Calijah Kancey's ability as a three technique has been well known since even before his spectacular 4.69-second 40 at 281 pounds at the combine. He was the pick by PFF for the Bears, but at No. 9? The Pitt defensive tackle has risen steadily but getting to the top 10 is a huge leap from middle to late-middle of Round 1.

Sam Monson says Kancey starts to become "intriguing," at No. 9.

That's one word for it.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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