2013 Week 13 Mock Draft – The Chicago Bears Select…

Apr 26, 2012; New York, NY, USA; A general view of the 2012 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

Mock draft season is heating up as more and more teams drop out of the Contenders list and start thinking about next season.  Despite the Bears’ devastating 23-17 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the Bears are still in the Contenders group for another week, but we can still peek in on what the draftniks at FanSided think the Bears will do with a late first round pick:

"27. Chicago Bears – John Jenkins, Defensive Tackle, GeorgiaChicago needs to add talent in the trenches on both sides of the ball. There will be some cries for protection for Jay Cutler, but a talent like Jenkins next to Peppers would only create more chaos for opposing quarterbacks and create more plays for the Bears ball-hawking secondary."

I guess they need to adjust their draft order because I don’t think the Bears will be picking that late, but that’s just semantics.  To be honest, I don’t see any way the Bears draft a defensive tackle in the first round.  While the thought of another disruptive force on the defensive line to help infuse some youth into that aging Bears defense is intriguing, the Bears need to address their offensive line more.

Besides, defensive tackle is one of their stronger areas with young talent like Henry Melton and Stephen Paea.  If the Bears were to take a DT, it would be either because they’ve fired Lovie Smith and would be changing their defensive scheme or because they didn’t think they could get Henry Melton to sign an extension in the offseason.

As for the prospect, he sounds like a heckuva player.  He’s a mammoth at 6’3″ and nearly 360 pounds, which to me sounds like more of a true NT in a 3-4, but I don’t have a ton of info on him at this point in the draft process.  He’ll be one to keep an eye on as his Georgia Bulldogs take on Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl on New Year’s Day.

What do you think?  Which direction should the Bears go in the 2013 draft?  Is Jenkins worth a look in the first round?  Let’s hear your Comments.

Be sure to check in each week on the FanSided mock drafts from now through the April draft.