Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
A lot will change between now and the NFL draft (April 30th). The Bears will bring back some of their free agents, let some go, sign new ones, etc. The combine and pro days will change projected draft slots drastically in the next 3+ months. We don’t even know for sure what defensive scheme the Bears will be running under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. But as of today, Jan 28th, this would be my ideal draft for the Chicago Bears.
To determine which players would be available in each round I calculated the average draft slot for each player from the most respectable mock drafts I could find¹. Once I had the average draft slot, I used that to determine which players would be available when the Bears picked in each round. For example S Cody Prewitt had an average draft spot of the 81st overall pick, so he wasn’t an option for the Bears 4th round pick (103rd). For each pick I took the player I liked best that met a specific need for the Bears. What I consider needs and what new GM Ryan Pace does are obviously going to differ, but this is how I hope things pan out.
For the purposes of this article, I am assuming that the Bears don’t make any trades, even though it was tempting to trade down to add picks and address their multiple needs. I didn’t do that, but I wouldn’t be upset if it happens in real life. I covered round 1 Monday, rounds 2 & 3 on Tuesday, and today I’ll cover rounds 4-7. If you have any issues with my picks, let me know in the comments or on Twitter.
Chicago Bears 4th round mock:
103.) Rob Havenstein, OT – Wisconsin
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
New HC John Fox is a proponent of power football and if the Bears are going to become a run first team they need to make some adjustments on their offensive line. There has been talk about moving LG Kyle Long to left tackle to replace the ineffective Jermon Bushrod. Bushrod was a favorite of former OC Aaron Kromer and supposedly was a good fit for Trestman’s pass-happy offensive scheme, but really struggled as a run blocker. His -6.7 run blocking grade was 72nd out of 84 NFL tackles last season according to Pro Football Focus. Rookie Ryan Groy was impressive in a trial run last year and could take over for Long at RG and be reunited with former linemate at Wisconsin Rob Havenstein. It’s pretty obvious that Jordan Mills isn’t the answer at right tackle and Havenstein is polished enough to step in right away and be an upgrade. He started 41 consecutive games at Wisconsin and is an absolute mauler in the run game. I had some doubts about his pass pro abilities, but not any more after watching him stone quality DEs (Marcus Golden, Preston Smith) at the Senior Bowl. With Long and Slauson on the left side and Groy and Havenstein on the right, the Bears could have an elite run blocking unit as early as next season.
Attributes – 6’7 | 332 | 5.39
Scouting report – A massive human, who was actually even bigger when he came to Wisconsin. Havenstein was 380+ pounds as a freshman, but has worked hard every season to trim his weight and is down to a manageable to 332 as of the Senior Bowl. He’s started 41 straight games at right tackle for one of the best run blocking lines in college football and has been a road grader in the run game the last two seasons. His lateral mobility isn’t great which is why he’s not higher on prospect lists, but his combination of strength and long arms has been enough to stop speed rushers in the Big Ten and again at the Senior Bowl. With his yearly weight loss Havenstein has gotten a little more mobile every year, his footwork has gotten smoother and his pass protection has improved accordingly. I think he’s one of the most underrated lineman in the draft and would be a good value pick even a round earlier.
NFL comparison – Phil Loadholt
Others considered: CB Ladarius Gunter (Miami), CB Eric Rowe (Utah), DT Christian Covington (Rice), RB David Johnson (NIU), G Jamil Douglas (ASU), B.J Finney (Kansas St), S Clayton Geathers (UCF)