Bear Digest

Mock Drafts Like Bears Receiver Chances

Post-combine mock drafts are seeing trades and wide receivers in the future for the Chicago Bears.
Gene Chamberlain|
Mock Drafts Like Bears Receiver Chances
Mock Drafts Like Bears Receiver Chances

In this story:

Chicago Bears

The end of the NFL Scouting Combine is like the dinner bell ringing for mock drafters.

Here they come, fast and furious.

From NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein to The Athletic's Dane Brugler and down the line, the mock drafters have seen the workouts and are wiser for it.

The universal pick for the Bears is Caleb Williams, whose comfort in the spotlight seemed obvious. Williams is now listed on 97% of mock drafts as the top pick to the Bears via NFL Mock Draft Database.

However, there is a huge disparity on the ninth pick.

Some are even coming armed with trades both ways to get the Bears what they need with the ninth pick.

Lance Zierlein, draft analyst for NFL.com, started the trade rush. He has the Bears trading back at No. 9, an entirely realistic scenario. However, he doesn't really specify terms of the trade, just thatt they are dealing with the Broncos and move back to No. 12.

The unrealistic part: He has them taking Rome Odunze at No. 12. Odunze looks like a sure top 10 pick and moving back is unlikely to produce a receiver this good.

"Ryan Poles slides back from No. 9 overall, adds draft capital and falls into his choice of pass rusher or pass catcher," Zierlein writes.

This would indeed be like falling into a pot of gold and not a draft pick. This won't happen.

Two other trade scenarios seem even less likely because they involve the Bears trading away draft picks to move up.

They just traded away another pick for backup guard/center Ryan Bates. They're down to five picks in the draft and picks in only the first, third and fourth rounds. Don't expect them to deal away anything and they're more likely to deal back with No. 9 or even with one of their third-rounders to try and get an extra pick.

Brugler started the trading up movement after they draft Williams No. 1. He has the Bears sending the ninth pick, the 75th pick in Round 3 and the 143rd pick in Round 5 to the Chargers. Well, that's out the window because the Bears just traded No. 143 for Bates.

At least he made trading up worthwhile as they came away with Odunze.

ESPN's Jordan Reid released a two-round mock in which the Bears take Williams but trade away their 75th pick this year and a third-rounder next year, as well as their ninth pick in Round 1 to move up four spots and draft LSU's Malik Nabers at No. 5.

Nabers would also be worth a move, but again, the lack of consideration for draft picks seems unlikely. Trading away a fifth-round pick for a veteran who can be a guard or center as a back up or even place-holder until a rookie center is ready like Bates could be is one thing. Trading away third-rounders -- especially a future third-rounder as well -- seems much less likely. There are other receivers available without even moving if the Bears see the need, and one mock draft found him.

Luke Easterling of Athlon Sports conducts mock drafts for FanNation and Sports Illustrated and has the Bears coming away at No. 9 with a receiver who may have made the biggest leap forward at the combine, and that's LSU's Brian Thomas Jr. It was Thomas who ran a spectacular 4.33-second 40-yard dash, second-fastest among receivers who ran, and placed his name right with the big three of the draft at receiver, in many opinions. You don't find many 6-foot-4, 205-pound receivers who run 4.33 and lead the nation in TD catches with 17. He teams, then, with Williams and the Bears pass on chances to draft Jared Verse and Chop Robinson in this mock.

Mocks with no trades but a good result for the Bears include a post-combine selection process conducted by CBS Sports veteran Ryan Wilson.

He was another who had the Bears coming away with LSU's Nabers. While it seems unlikely to get a receiver who might even be better than Marvin Harrison Jr., Wilson had a run on the quarterbacks cause receivers to fall.

"He's legit a top 5 talent, and now Chicago has QB1 and essentially WR1.5 based on all the things Nabers does at such a high level," Wilson writes.

CBS Sports apparently has decided to raise an army of mock drafters and how has added Kyle Stackpole to their four already listed. Five mocks is four too many for here. It's one per site.

Because pass rusher were the first words out of coach Matt Eberflus' mouth after being asked about Bears needs beyond quarterback, the pick made by Marcus Mosher at The 33rd Team might be the most realistic of all the post-combine mock drafts. Besides Williams at No. 1, he has the Bears selecting Jared Verse at No. 9. Besides running 4.58 in the 40, Verse had 31 reps in the bench and it shows in his pass rush repertoire.

"Byron Murphy II and Chop Robinson were considered for this pick, but the Bears opt for one of the most complete players in this class," Mosher wrote.

The most unrealistic and wasted pick of all the post-combine mocks from a Bears standpoint went to Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus. After Williams, he had the Bears drafting tight end Brock Bowers of Georgia at No. 9.

"This feels like a luxury pick, given that the Bears already have Cole Kmet at tight end, but an elite prospect like Bowers would give them Caleb Williams and a pair of targets who can win in the middle of the field," McGuinnes wrote for the analytics-based website.

Luxury is a good way to put it. The Bears don't have a No. 2 wide receiver or No. 2 edge rusher right now and he has them drafting a second tight end in the early first round?

He might as well have had them draft a long snapper there.

Bowers is easily the best tight end in the draft but taking another big receiver who runs 7-yard routes isn't what the Bears need when they already have Kmet.  Tight end is a somewhat disposable position and good No. 2 tight ends can be found in the second round or later, or even on waivers.

The Bears would be better off reaching for a running back, safety or center here than a second tight end.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

Published
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.

Home/News