Halas Hall Reporters' Picks

A view of first round picks mocked by Bears reporters at Halas Hall.

Mock drafts from the world outside of Chicago have arrived at a variety of different conclusions for the Bears, although NFLMockDraftDataBase.com on Wednesday puts them firmly in the tackle camp.

Of 1,360 mock drafts collected by the data base, percentages are at 28.3% for Paris Johnson Jr., 23.2% for tackle Peter Skoronski and 9.4% Jalen Carter, with 39% going elsewhere.

The national mock draft scene has been thoroughly reported all along.

It's time to look inside Halas Hall at the beat reporters who are around the team the most and see their vision of the Bears' first-round pick. 

One mock per outlet please, because it seems there are more beat reporters these days than there are players on the roster.

If you're looking for uniformity, look elsewhere. Round 1 and the Bears pick is as unpredictable based on these mock draft picks as elsewhere, and maybe even moreso.

Brad Biggs of the Tribune has the Bears taking what some might consider the high-risk, high-reward pick as he sees Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter sliding to them.

"The Bears have a serious need on the defensive line, and the gamble could be worth it if they believe he'll come in with a chip on his shoulder," Biggs wrote.

Pat Finley of the Sun-Times went to the offensive side and took tackle Paris Johnson Jr. in the last Sun-Times mock. He pointed out it's between Peter Skoronski, whose short arms scare some into thinking he's a guard, and Johnson.

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"Drafting a star guard this early isn’t as verboten as it used to be—but the Bears need a tackle," Finley wrote.

ESPN's Courtney Cronin, in the annual ESPN team beat reporters' mock draft, chose Skoronski despite the issue with his arms being shorter.

"Skoronski's arm length (32 1/4) presents questions about where he'll fit best, but if the Bears slot him in to start at left tackle and move Braxton Jones to right, the O-line is already in better shape. Chicago could also play Skoronski at guard before eventually moving him to tackle."

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Veteran Hub Arkush of Pro Football Weekly, Shaw papers and the Daily Herald has them going for the real splash and taking running back Bijan Robinson.

Arkush wrote: "I am not confident the Bears will take Robinson. I just hope they will because I believe he is going to be the rookie of the year and the best player out of this draft, which would be a steal at No. 9."

The Athletic's Kevin Fishbain, a Northwestern guy, had to pick Johnson over Skoronski.

"Scouts I've talked to say he's the top offensive tackle...," Fishbain said, and points out how The Atletic's draft guru Dane Brugler says Johnson is ideal for the wide zone scheme used by the Bears.

Adam Hoge of CHGO brought in another option with edge rusher Lukas Van Ness of Iowa, a player who could fit the style of defensive end Matt Eberflus uses in his scheme.

Van Ness has a powerful bull rush that shows up all over his tape and is already a dominant player against the run. His pass rush moves just need a little seasoning and the sky’s the limit. He also has the ability to kick inside in sub-packages.

WSCR AM-670's Chris Emma goes for the Northwestern tackle regarded by many as a guard.

"Bears general manager Ryan Poles has prioritized taking the best player available, and that would be Skoronski here," Emma wrote.

BearReport has yet another player entered into the fray and one rising in national mocks, tackle Darnell Wright from Tennessee.

Aaron Leming projects a Bears trade down with Pittsburgh before they pick a pure right tackle.

"The former Tennessee product has played both sides but you’d be hard-pressed to find many people that would argue against his best fit is at right tackle," Leming wrote.

Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago has them dealing back and also taking Darnell Wright. He sees the trade being with the Titans at No. 11 and referred to a high relative athletic score by Wright despite being 6-foot-5, 333 pounds.

"It has been trending this way for a while, and I feel there’s a good chance this will be the selection come Thursday night," Schrock wrote.

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