Bears' dream NFL draft scenarios target tackle, tight end and Jalen Hurts
Revisit former Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet's top highlights as he scores big for the Fighting Irish to prepare for the upcoming NFL Draft. (0:58)
The Chicago Bears enter next week's NFL draft with limited resources in the first 150 picks.
General manager Ryan Pace does have two picks in the second round (No. 43 from Las Vegas and No. 50), but Chicago's first- and third-round choices belong to the Raiders by virtue of the Khalil Mack trade. Last month, Pace sent the club's 2020 fourth-round compensatory pick to Jacksonville for veteran quarterback Nick Foles, who will challenge Mitchell Trubisky for the starting job.
The Bears addressed several needs in free agency when they acquired Foles, signed pass-rusher Robert Quinn ($30 million guaranteed) and re-signed veteran inside linebacker Danny Trevathan, but there's still plenty of work to do.
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Chicago needs immediate help at cornerback, safety and offensive line, where the Bears are likely to overhaul the majority of the group to fit what offensive line coach Juan Castillo prefers. Castillo wants large bodies on the offensive line. The Bears are not particularly big up front, except for right tackle Bobby Massie (6-foot-6, 325 pounds) and new guard/tackle Germain Ifedi (6-5, 325).
Additionally, the Bears could use another wide receiver, tight end and a developmental quarterback to groom behind Foles and Trubisky.
There's little chance the Bears accomplish all of that given their lack of draft capital in the early rounds. In a perfect world, Pace swings a couple trades and stockpiles extra picks.
The Bears have four picks spread over the sixth (No. 196 and No. 200) and seventh rounds (No. 226 and No. 233). But, when the draft reaches the late rounds, there's no way to accurately forecast what a team might do.
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So let's focus on Chicago's top-three choices. Here's what the Bears' ideal picks could look like:
Round 2, pick No. 43: At 6-foot-5, 322 pounds, USC left tackle Austin Jackson is the Castillo mold. Veteran Charles Leno has been a tremendous player considering he entered the league as a seventh-round pick, but neither Leno nor Massie played their best football in 2019. Massie is guaranteed $6.9 million in 2020 and Leno is out of guaranteed money. The Bears have to plan for the future at offensive tackle. Jackson being available at this spot is the best-case scenario, but if he is not, the tackle class is strong. The Bears could have other tackle options later.
If Jackson is off the board, ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has Chicago taking Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet. The pick makes sense on paper. The Bears are a mess at tight end. Pace tried to improve the situation by signing veteran tight end Jimmy Graham ($9 million guaranteed) in free agency, but Graham is coming off an unspectacular stint in Green Bay. To make matters worse, highly compensated tight end Trey Burton missed almost all of last year and had to undergo another offseason surgery, and former second-round pick Adam Shaheen has yet to make an impact after three years on the roster. The Bears also added veteran Demetrius Harris, but coach Matt Nagy needs dynamic playmakers at that position. The 2020 tight end draft class is, unfortunately, not great. Kmet is viewed as the best of the bunc h.
Round 2, pick No. 50: The Bears can go in many different directions. Kiper has Chicago selecting Penn State receiver KJ Hamler, who's one of the fastest players in the draft. It's not a stretch to envision Hamler replacing Taylor Gabriel, who was released, in the Bears' offense. The health of receiver Anthony Miller is another question mark after Miller had another offseason shoulder surgery. So, the Bears need help at receiver, but this is a deep receiver class so the Bears could wait.
LSU's Grant Delpit and Southern Illinois' Jeremy Chinn are safety prospects that are projected to be second-round picks, but history has shown that safeties can be found later in the draft. Bears Pro Bowl safety Eddie Jackson, for example, was a fourth-round pick in 2017. Again, the Bears can probably afford to wait at safety.
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Relive Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jalen Hurts' most dominant moments as he prepares to take over the NFL.
The most intriguing player in that range is Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts -- Kiper projects Hurts to the Steelers at No. 49. Pace has drafted one quarterback in five years: Trubisky. Now is the perfect time for the Bears to invest a draft pick in a developmental quarterback. The rookie would be third on the depth chart and under no pressure to play. Foles might be the short-term solution, and the Bears have yet to pick up Trubisky's fifth-year option. For those reasons, taking a QB makes sense, but history suggests Chicago avoids that route.
The most practical pick at No. 50 is probably cornerback. The Bears are in the market for another starter after they released veteran Prince Amukamara. Cornerback is a premium position and the quality ones are usually taken early in the draft. TCU's Jeff Gladney, Ohio State's Damon Arnette and LSU's Kristian Fulton were all given solid second-round grades by Kiper. There's also the financial element. The Bears already doled out serious cash to Jackson and cornerbacks Kyle Fuller and Buster Skrine. Chicago can't afford another pricey veteran in its secondary.
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Check out some of the best college plays from Minnesota wide receiver Tyler Johnson
Round 5, pick No. 163: Here's where the Bears make a move. Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said he wouldn't take a wide receiver until the third or fourth round because the class is so deep. Chicago has to figure out how to trade back into the third or fourth and snag a quality receiver. Perhaps the Bears could wait until the fifth round, but that's risky. The last thing an NFL team wants is to miss out on a great wide receiver class when it so clearly has a need there. Pace has always been aggressive. This year should be no different. A sleeper receiver, such as the University of Minnesota's Tyler Johnson, could be an option if the Bears miss out on the top pass-catchers.
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