Who could be on the table for the Chicago Bears 2020 NFL draft?
It is that time. Like years of the past, the pre-draft process is all about identifying players for the Chicago Bears draft. Doing mock drafts in past years, we have identified players such as Roquan Smith, Bilal Nichols, Javon Wims, David Montgomery, and plenty of others.
Now, let’s see if we can identify any picks before the 2020 NFL draft. As always, the picks will come from TheDraftNetwork and their mock draft machine. I recommend anyone to give it a shot themselves. However, with that in mind, remember that the conversation should not be “he will not be there” but rather whether they will fit with the Bears and what they bring to the table.
With that in mind, let us start with round 2.
There has not been much noise around Hunt, and he had a relatively quiet combine. However, for a player in Hunt’s situation quiet is good, and the thought is that as we get closer to the NFL draft, his name will get louder and louder.
Hunt did not make a lot of noise at the combine because he is currently recovering from a groin injury that held him out of five games in his last year. The fact that the combine was quiet for Hunt means that there were no red flags that popped up, and as he gets healthier, his name should grow amongst draft fans.
Robert Hunt was an absolutely dominant tackle at Louisiana and has tape that says first-round possibility. His injury and small school pedigree, along with most scouts saying he needs to kick inside have him falling in the draft. However, 43 is about as far as he can fall.
Hunt would be an excellent fit at right guard, and with his improved health, starting week 1 is not off of the board. There are not many guards in this draft you can say that about. NFL.com compared him to Cody Ford, who started every game for the Bills as a rookie. Ford played right tackle, but projects to move to guard for the Bills this offseason.
Pro Football Focus noted his upside is that of a Pro Bowl guard, and that he could get on an NFL field tomorrow at the position.
Lastly, Dane Brugler of The Athletic also agrees that he has traits to line up guard and start immediately.
Not often do you find a day one starter in the middle of the second round. His groin injury is not serious, and he may workout at his Pro Day. Expect that to be the time that fans and draft analysts start mocking him as a top 50 pick.
The Bears could not pass up a chance to add a day one starter at right guard, and Hunt is a perfect fit.
By now, fans know all about Cole Kmet. It is no secret that the Chicago Bears need a tight end. However, it also is no secret that this tight end class is not one of the better groups in recent years. Daniel Jeremiah does not have a tight end in his top 50 rankings, the draft network had Kmet ranked 62nd on their predictive board, and Pro Football Focus gave Kmet a late third-round grade on their rankings.
With that in mind, many fans will say 50 is too late for Kmet, but according to these experts, the pick is almost considered a reach. Well, let me reach and land the Bears a perfect fit for their offense.
As you can see from Kmet, his height, weight, and explosion are all above average based on NFL standards. He does lack agility, but has size and can split the seams.
This is why Kmet is a perfect fit in Chicago. He can line up in-line, and can run up the seams and stress defenses over the middle of the field. This makes him the perfect “Y” tight end. Trey Burton is still the “U” tight end.
Fans are annoyed with Burton, but he had too much on his plate and could not get healthy. Putting him in more of a limited role could get more juice out of him. With Kmet being a rookie, Burton can ease how much work he is getting as well. The combination of Burton and Kmet is perfect on paper.
Kmer is a developing blocker and is just 20 years old. He is not a complete package, which is why he is falling in media circles. However, with a strong combine and a great fit, this is as far as Kmet can fall.
While the Bears are likely to keep Leonard Floyd, the depth behind him is ugly, and extending Floyd is not quite on the table yet either. The Bears need to try to build some depth. While Anfernee Jennings may not have the highest ceiling, he brings Alabama pedigree and, at the least, could improve the depth of the group.
Here is NFL.com on Jennings.
"“Stand-up 3-4 outside linebacker with an average rush, but good strength and technique at the point of attack. Jennings knows what it takes to win and plays assignment-oriented football using length and physicality to set hard edges. He plays with a tough field demeanor and can lay the lumber as a striker but is just an average athlete in space. His frame and toughness could make him an eventual starter as a run-thumping 3-4 OLB, but he needs more development as a rusher in order to reach his potential.”"
Jennings is a good scheme fit. He can play on his feet and would be a great run stuffer. If needed, he can drop into coverage, and while his bend and pass rush isn’t great, he is always a threat to rush off of the edge.
No, he is unlikely to have the upside to take over the starting edge rusher spot. However, with strong run defense and special teams, he can beat out names such as Aaron Lynch and Isaiah Irving. In the fourth round, that is all you are looking for.
Jennings is a great scheme fit, a great need fit, and in the fourth round, the talent matches the production of an average SEC edge defender.
Bears fans have been clamoring to bring in a pure box safety, and let Eddie Jackson live in center field. Brooks may not be a day one starter, but if he does get on the field, he is a pure box player. In 2019, Brooks played over 655 snaps in the box, while only playing 108 deep snaps. The results were his best season at the college ranks.
Brooks is a strong tackler. The rest is up for debate. There is no doubt that he will stick his head in and bang, though. As you can see, Brooks is not the most physically gifted or talented safety. His ball skills are not great, either.
However, he knows his run keys; he can hang in the box, and moving east to west, he is dangerous.
Here is what NFL.com has to say.
Pro Football Focus adds
"With how comfortable he is playing around the line of scrimmage, Brooks makes you think he could pass as a linebacker at the next level. At 5-11, 216 pounds that could be a pipe dream."
A linebacker playing safety with special teams ability could make the Bears roster. It is the type of safety they are looking for, so keep an eye on Brooks in the next coming months.
The Bears finally go quarterback. As we have mentioned, going from the Senior Bowl through the combine, if anything stood out, it is that none of these quarterbacks are worth falling in love with.
Names like Jacob Eason and Jordan Love may go too high, but names such as Jake Fromm and Anthony Gordon proved that they do not have the physical make up in the NFL.
This leaves us with James Morgan. Morgan had a nice Shrine bowl week that led into the combine. He was recovering from a shoulder injury that he played through, and looked much healthier throwing this past weekend then he has in a while.
Morgan has all the of tools to build a quarterback and has the quick processing as well. Of course, coming from Florida International, this is a player expected to sit and develop for a bit.
The Bears are likely to add a veteran of some sort this offseason. Adding Morgan in the sixth round to be the third-string quarterback would completely renew the quarterback room. Bring on all the competition for Mitch Trubisky.
Like James Morgan, we have talked about Jon Runyan as well. Before the combine, his video at Michigan was impressive, and he became a player to watch in Indy. After the combine, Runyan in the sixth sounds like a steal.
Many questioned if he has the size and athleticism to make the move to the NFL. His length says that he is a guard in the NFL, but his athleticism says that he can make the transition with ease.
Runyan comes from a football family and has plenty of experience. Making the switch will be easier for Runyan than many. Still, with Hunt drafted earlier, the expectation is that Runyan can be a swing lineman for the Bears.
He can play up and down the line in a pinch and give them youth and depth in the same swoop. The Bears should double up on offensive lineman, and do so in this mock with Robert Hunt and Jon Runyan,
Lastly, we have our Taylor Gabriel replacement. Watkins is a bit undersized and coming from Southern Miss, is flying under the radar. However, like Gabriel, despite being undersized, he is fast, and I mean very fast.
Watkins ran in the 4.3s at the NFL combine, showing he is a true burner.
His size, speed, and college production metrics match Dede Westbrook as a comparable player.
Of course, he does have plenty of room to grow. He does not have an expanded route tree, contested catches are an issue, and his size defines his role.
Still, he can run the go-route and can run past defenders. From there, he is tough to catch with the ball in his hands. Sounds like Taylor Gabriel, right?
Watkins can step in and be immediate competition for Riley Ridley and Javon Wims. All three are a bit different in style, so the Bears can mix and match as well as hope that the competition brings out the best in each. In round seven, a pick on Watkins is well worth it.