Surprises with Bears No. 9 Pick in Mocks

Coming out of the Senior Bowl the mock drafts are pointing the Bears almost in unison at Caleb Williams No. 1 overall, but the second first-round pick remains a mystery.

It's almost like reaching into a hat to pull out a player the mock drafts see going to the Bears No. 9 overall, although a slight edge seems to be forming for UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu.

In post-Senior Bowl mock drafts, Luke Easterling for SI.com and FanNation saw Williams and Latu coming to the Bears, the same two named by NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks in his mock draft.

"Pairing an energetic pass rusher with Montez Sweat could help the Bears' defense continue to improve under Matt Eberflus," Brooks wrote in his mock. "This ultra-athletic QB hunter routinely wins with an assortment of finesse moves off the edge."

It's not unanimous and two prominent draftologists see the Bears going in different directions at No. 9 after Caleb Williams is selected first.

NFL.com's draft analyst Lance Zierlein sees the Bears taking wide receiver Malik Nabers of LSU at No. 9. Many other mocks predict Nabors to be gone by then but Zierlein is focused on a target for their new quarterback.

"Malik Nabers and Georgia TE Brock Bowers would be perfect fits in new OC Shane Waldron's offense (yes, even with Cole Kmet already at tight end)," Zierlein wrote.

It's also the picks Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus has going to the Bears in PFF's lastest mock.

ESPN's Matt Miller has a two-round post-Senior Bowl mock out with the Bears taking Williams but also drafting Penn State tackle Olu Fashanu at No. 9. Miller seems to think the Bears will get the benefit of at least a second-round pick by trading away Justin Fields.

"Everyone I spoke to at the Senior Bowl speculated that the Bears will draft Williams first overall and then trade starting quarterback Justin Fields for a package potentially centered around a second-round pick," Miller wrote.

As for Fashanu, Miller doesn't see current left tackle Braxton Jones as an elite overall type and someone easily replaced by the Penn State tackle. It helps that Fashanu has good familiarity with his new quarterback in this instance.

"Oh, and if things fall this way, the Bears' top two picks reunite: Williams and Fashanu were high school teammates," Miller reminds.

Connor Livesay of The 33rd Team has a post-Senior Bowl selection for the Bears virtually unposted elsewhere but one sounding like he is badly misinformed about what the Bears need and who would be leaving in free agency.

With Fashanu and Latu both still available in his mock, Livesay has the Bears taking Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold at No. 9 overall.

"The Bears would love to pair new QB Caleb Williams with a high-end wide receiver, but with three off the board, they should consider cornerback," Livesay wrote. "

"Jaylon Johnson is expected to hit free agency, and the Bears need a new CB1."

This is news to everyone. Johnson is not expected to hit free agency. GM Ryan Poles said after the season that Johnson is not going anywhere.

The Bears have the franchise and transition free agent tags available to use on Johnson if they wish, so if he's leaving it might not be until 2025 or even 2026. They're deeper at cornerback than at most positions on the team with quality players.

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