Chicago Bears: What Daniel Jeremiah’s recent 2020 NFL mock draft means for Ryan Pace

15 of 32 Picks Go Defense

Chase Young obviously goes as the top defensive player in the 2020 NFL Draft. Daniel Jeremiah agrees and has him going as the second-overall pick to Washington. Who are the other 14 defensive players that Jeremiah has going in this draft and where does he have them going?

EDGE

Jeremiah has five EDGE rushers going in his mock draft. The top three were fairly obvious choices. As already mentioned, Young goes as the top pass-rush specialist. K’Lavon Chaisson comes off the board next at 11th overall to the Jets. A.J. Epenesa goes five picks later to the Falcons. The next two were a bit of a surprise though.

With the 29th pick and the 31st pick, two more EDGE rushers come off the board. The Titans take Marlon Davidson and Zack Baun goes 31st to the Chiefs. Now, the Chiefs just won the Super Bowl so Baun would actually go 32nd. These picks are a little shocking though as neither are projected as first-round talents.

The good news is this leaves some solid talent on the board. If Yetur Gross-Matos or Terrell Lewis are available the Chicago Bears need to speed-dial their picks in. I prefer Lewis slightly over Gross-Matos, but either would be fantastic with the 43rd pick. Julian Okwara would be another option, but I would prefer they drafted him at 50.

Defensive Line

Three defensive linemen are chosen by Jeremiah in his first mock draft. Derrick Brown comes off the board first as seventh-overall to the Carolina Panthers. Next off the board is Javon Kinlaw at 25th overall and two picks later Ross Blacklock went to the Seahawks. If this happens the Bears would be hard-pressed not to consider adding Raekwon Davis or Neville Gallimore. Both would make great additions to their front seven.

Inside Linebacker

This is a major need for the Chicago Bears this offseason. Jeremiah has three linebackers going in his first round. Isaiah Simmons, Patrick Queen and Kenneth Murray are the three he sees as first-round talents. Although, he has Simmons listed as a safety. It will be interesting to see which position Simmons ends up playing in the NFL.

With these three off the board, a second-round pick at this position is not likely. Could talent such as Malik Harrison drop to the Chicago Bears in the fourth round? Highly unlikely, but could Ryan Pace snag him late in the second or early in the third if he moves back from the 50th pick in the draft? Possibly. If they look to the fifth round, names like Shaquille Quarterman or Jacob Phillips would be nice options.

Defensive Backs

The Chicago Bears are in need of help at both the cornerback and safety position this offseason. Prince Amukamara is likely to become a cap casualty and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix will probably not be re-signed. The Bears recently signed the top CFL free agent Tre Roberson (CB), but will still need to look for additional help.

Jeremiah has two safeties and three corners going in his mock draft. He has Jeffrey Okudah as the first cornerback off the board. He actually has him going third overall to the Detroit Lions. Xavier McKinney is the top safety (not counting Simmons who many view as a linebacker) off the board. McKinney was fantastic for Alabama and I knew he would not drop to the second round.

C.J. Henderson (CB) and Grant Delpit (S) come off Jeremiah’s board at number 20 and 23, then A.J. Terrell (CB) finishes off the first round. If this is how the first round goes, the Bears might need to pull the trigger on a corner at number 43. Trevon Diggs out of Alabama and Kristian Fulton out of LSU would be amazing lands at that point in the draft. If one were there, they’d have to go that route over the lesser need at wide receiver.

As we know, this is a mock draft. The offseason is not even technically upon us yet. Not to mention the NFL Combine could change the draft grades (it should not) on some of these players. Trades could take place too and well, free agency could change the landscape of the Bears’ needs altogether. What I do know is that the Chicago Bears must find a way to make big plays on offense in 2020. Whether that includes a move at quarterback or adding more skill players is up to Pace.