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Wide Divde Exists Among Late Mock Drafts on Bears at No. 9
No clear consensus exists as the Rome Odunze coaltion that had built among many mock drafters seems to have collapsed.
If mock drafts reflect what has been heard around the league in recent days, the Bears could he headed for a different wide receiver than many people think.
Most mocks seemed in lock step toward Rome Odunze at No. 9 for the Bears but in the final version of most of these drafts, they had other players in mind, some at other positions.
Mel Kiper Jr. has them taking Odunze at No. 9, still, after picking Caleb Williams in his final mock for ESPN. Peter Schrager of NFL Network follows suit.
"Caleb Williams gets what Andrew Luck got in T.Y. Hilton so many years back -- a draft-class partner in crime," Schrager said.
However, some mocks see plenty of movement going on in the top 10 and as a result, LSU receiver Malik Nabers winds up with the Bears at No. 9 on mock drafts by SI.com's Albert Breer and CBS's Pete Prisco.
"They would be thrilled to see him fall to this spot," Prisco wrote of Nabers. "Nabers might be better than (Marvin) Harrison (Jr.) in the long run. This would be a great pick for Williams if it falls this way."
The interesting aspect of Breer also picking Nabers was how he described the LSU receiver, who ran 4.35 in the 40 at a pro day and had a 42-inch vertical leap. Breer had the Giants taking Odunze at No. 6, and Nabers falling.
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"Call this a hunch," Breer wrote. "The Giants just went through a tumultuous year. Malik Nabers is a great prospect, but has a reputation for being a little difficult to coach. Odunze, on the other hand, has A-plus character in the same way as his old teammate Trent McDuffie, and projects as a Davante Adams-type of receiver."
If this turns out to be true, the Bears most likely would rather have Odunze.
At least one of the last-second mock drafts took Caleb Williams quite literally.
In Detroit on Wednesday, Williams said if he was picking he would draft tackle Olu Fashanu of Penn State at No. 9. Fashanu might be a first-rounder but probably isn't held in the same high regard by mock drafts as Williams holds him.
Of course, that's because Fashanu is his former high school teammate.
Brugler, in the last mock draft, chooses Fashanu for the Bears. So does NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah.
"I believe the Bears might be interested in trading down from No. 9, which could still put them in the range to land Fashanu," Jeremiah wrote. "Remember, they only have four picks this year. However, if they do stay at No. 9, I expect this will be a selection to support Caleb Williams, whether it's a receiver (Rome Odunze) or offensive tackle."
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Jeremiah refers to Fashanu as "..a massive upgrade over incumbent left tackle Braxton Jones."
Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports also sees Fashanu going ninth, but not to the Bears. He projects a trade down with the Saints, and then the Bears pick defensive tackle Byron Murphy II at No. 14.
"The Bears could take an edge rusher here and it would make all the sense in the world, or they could take the best defensive player in this class in Byron Murphy II," Wilson wrote.
CBS sidekick Josh Edwards is convinced the Bears like Murphy enough to take him at No. 9 without trading back.
"Chicago took Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens a year ago, but Byron Murphy II would give it greater expectations for the position," he wrote. "The Bears defense took a large step forward last season but is now poised to take an even bigger step."
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