With free agency almost settled who should the Chicago Bears draft in 2019?
With free agency and the combine officially over there is some clarity about where the team may go in the 2019 NFL draft. This means it is time for year two of our 7-round mock draft.
While this draft will be much harder to predict considering the Bears draft equity, we had mocked Bilal Nichols and Roquan Smith to the Bears last years, as well as mentioning Javon Wims and Kylie Fitts as options.
With that in mind, this is looking to be more predictive than a wishlist. Can we strike similar magic in identifying options this year?
For this year’s draft, I used the mock draft machine over at TheDraftNetwork. Go try one for yourself.
If you have been following this account you know that for some time we have been propping up as Miles Sanders as a perfect fit. Now that the Chicago Bears have met with him at the combine and brought him in for a visit, the Sanders smoke has grown.
While it is almost becoming too trendy, Miles Sanders is worth it, and it seems like Nagy knows it. For those who do not think he will be there, he was in the predictive simulator, as was David Montgomery and Trayveon Williams.
For the sake of ending any arguments , we will say they traded Howard and their third round pick to secure the deal.
As a player, Sanders has the upside between the tackles but can also catch and make lateral adjustments down the field.
With Sanders being eased in thanks to Mike Davis, Tarik Cohen, and even Cordarrelle Patterson the Bears would have a formidable group to mix and match and choose matchups.
Ben Banogu was a player worth following from the Senior Bowl, as the Chicago Bears met with the pass rusher from TCU. Banogu looked like an athlete, but it did not translate to too much success.
He was explosive sure, but the question was whether or not he had the adequate bend to get around the corner as an outside linebacker. Most of his sacks came from stunts and free rushes
Then, Banogu had a massive combine including a 3-cone drill in the 80th percentile. As you can see from his sack compilation video, most of his sacks were as mentioned but every once in a while was a hint of bend around the edge.
Banogu told Pro Football Focus that it was not a lack of ability but rather lack of scheme and coaching. He mentioned learning pass rush moves in his spare time away from the football field.
This is a raw pass rusher, but a player with more upside than Kylie Fitts. He could be used as a free blitzes on passing downs and could develop into a rotational piece.
His upside is worth an investment.
Sheldrick Redwine is another name that has been attached to the Bears for a while. The two met at the Senior Bowl, and once again Redwine showed why at the combine, testing as a superb athlete.
Redwine also saw high regards from Pro Football Focus, ranking 20th in yards per coverage snap.
What makes Redwine interesting is his versatility. He profiles as a free safety due to his lean size combine with his explosion and change of direction. However, Redwine also saw snaps in the box and as a nickel and dime player.
He can line up all over the defense, which is what Chuck Pagano is looking for, as highlighted by signing HaHa Clinton-Dix to compliment Eddie Jackson.
Next year Redwine can compete with Deon Bush for dime snaps. The Bears can evaluate whether he has the upside to see snaps at safety or in the slot.
This pick made too much sense when I saw him sitting on the board. Bars is the perfect swing to take in the seventh round. Obviously, Harry Hiestand knows Bars, and Bars had his best season with Hiestand. Of course, it does help that he had Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson as well.
Nonetheless, Bars showed the upside of an NFL starter paired with that group. He tore his ACL to end his 2018 season early and is rehabbing now.
Bars will not provide early impact, but the Bears do not need it. They can ease him along with Ted Larsen and Kyle Long, and hope that by the time the injuries completely catch up to Long, that they be a note in the past for Bars.
First, the Chicago Bears draft a safety who can play nickel and dime. Now, they draft an outside cornerback who profiles as a slot in the NFL. You can tell by his size and length that the outside is not the spot for him.
You can also see why he is falling into the seventh round. His size profiles similarly to Rashard Fant, a UDFA from last season. Still, it also profiles similarly to Bryce Callahan and Buster Skrine.
When you turn on the tape, you know why Crawford has a chance in the NFL. He has great foot quickness and is not afraid to press corners and rely on his feet to mimic routes. He obviously is not relying on his reach to jam them.
Crawford is also a sound tackler who sticks his nose in the running game. This year PFF pegged him at ninth in yards per target and seventh in tackling efficiency.
This is the type of player that Pace would identify in the 7th round to take over in the slot in a few years.