Chicago Bears: Updated Top 8 Mock Draft

Who will be available at pick eight for the Chicago Bears?

Now that free agency has officially kicked off and some teams have started to unveil their offseason plans, the entire landscape of the draft has changed. Add in the New York Jets making a blockbuster trade up over the weekend, and everything fans thought they knew about the draft could be shaken upside down. With that said, it is a good time to go back through the top eight picks and see who will be available by the time the Chicago Bears pick. With who is left on the board who would be their best option.

Reminder, this is a mock draft. This is an exercise. This may not get all seven picks 100% right. This is less saying “no way team x will pass on player y”. Rather, the discussion should be debating which prospects fit best if they are on the board. There will also be reasoning provided for every pick. With that said, who could be the first seven players off of the board?

Some were surprised Sam Darnold came out and speculated he had a promise from a team. Sam Darnold did not throw at the NFL combine. The Cleveland Browns also did not attend the Oklahoma or UCLA Pro Days. The Browns seem to know who they want with the first overall pick, and the rest of the league is starting to understand that. The New York Jets even admitted to trying to get up to the first overall pick, but the Browns have the selection locked down. They have a quarterback in mind, and that quarterback is Sam Darnold.

Darnold is the youngest quarterback of the group and would be the youngest ever to start an NFL game if he does next season. However, his ceiling is sky high. He throws and moves with precise anticipation. Darnold makes bad decisions and has to quiet down his footwork. His high turnover rate should fit perfectly with Tyrod Taylor, who is known to be extremely protective of the football. Spending a year behind Taylor and learning to throw it away rather than force passes into coverage should be huge for the mental makeup of Sam Darnold. This is a good fit, and it seems like one the Browns are committed to. You could almost write Darnold’s name in pen with this one.