Knowing what the depth chart looks with without Cameron Meredith who should the Chicago Bears draft?
As the days tick down until the NFL draft, we will use a couple different mock drafts to see some situations in which the Chicago Bears should be looking at during the draft weekend. As always, the discussion should be aimed at how specific players fit in certain spots, rather than whether or not they will be there at that particular time. To find a pool of players, we will use fanspeak.com.
Does their draft philosophy change much with the Cameron Meredith news?
It is starting to feel like the Chicago Bears are in Quenton Nelson or trade down mode. They have a hole at guard. They have Nelson’s former offensive line coach on the staff. Nelson is being hyped up as the best offensive line prospect in a long time. If anyone would know, it is the Chicago Bears, who decided to cut Josh Sitton. Now, there is a decent chance he is not around when the Bears pick, he is most likely the best player in the draft. However, quarterbacks will go high, and teams will have a hard time justifying guard that high. If the Bears can get Nelson, which they do in this simulation, they are the big winner early.
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Call it an overreaction to the Cameron Meredith news but D.J. Moore could also be the top player on the board by the time the Bears pick in the second round. He also could definitely be on the board. With the release of Dez Bryant came reports that they feel confident that any receiver they want will be there at 19. They seem to be considering Calvin Ridley and Courtland Sutton so while those two may go late first, Moore could be there in the early second. If so, it becomes a very logical selection.
Related Story: D.J. Moore draft profile
Sure, it may not have been the move had the team matched the Meredith offer. Still, he is likely a better fit. Moore is a fierce competitor who fights with the ball in his hands. He also has the speed to stretch the field and toughness makes contested catches.
Moore can move in and out of the slot and with that combination next to Taylor Gabriel comes high completion rates and a lot of yards after the catch for the Bears in 2018.
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What is great about Duke Ejiofor is that he can get on the field right away. After 2016, Ejiofor was a late first-round pick. Ejiofor suffered an injury, did not have the same level of success in 2017 and had a quiet draft process. Now, the Bears are seeing him in the fourth round. That sounds like the edge rusher version of Eddie Jackson.
Related Story: Mid Round Pass Rushing Options
However, even better than Jackson is that Ejiofor should be fully healthy by OTA’s. Ejiofor is an experienced rusher with the floor of a run stuffer. He takes a lot of the team’s reliance off of Aaron Lynch and gives them at the very least a quality depth piece moving forward.
One look at his mockdraftable web and you can see a player that Ryan Pace is going to be interested in Isaac Yiadom.
Yiadom brings height and length. However, for his size, he is a pretty good mover. He is strong at mirroring routes, and his physicality due to his length makes him a corner who can jam at the line of scrimmage. The Bears can play him in the slot, and in dime situations. He has starter upside and at the very least they are going to see special teams value making the pick worthwhile.
Nick Kwiatkowski is going to plug into a starting spot if the team does not land Tremaine Edmunds. While he has been solid in his limited starting experience, he is better between the tackles than out in space. Warner is a player who spends a lot of his time out in coverage against slot receivers and tight ends. Warner can check in for Kwiatkowski on heavy pass catcher downs.
His inexperience against the run is an issue but he has shown an inability to diagnose between the tackles. There is an early career impact and later career upside in Fred Warner.
Tackle is not a pressing need, but there is a hope that this is the last year Bobby Massie is a starter. Toth has starter potential and is a finisher who can get to the second level. However, coming from the Army offense, he does not have much pass protection experience. A year with a strong coaching presence like the Chicago Bears might turn out the physical Toth.
Lindsey is a higher upside version of Benny Cunningham. He is a high effort pass blocker who can provide for the team next season on third downs.
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Lindsey can play on each level of special teams and while his upside is limited due to his size, the versatility in usage is going to make the Chicago Bears would be happy to have added him this late.