Chicago Bears pick 44th overall
Fans should love this pick. Liam Eichenberg is the prototypical size for a left tackle in the NFL. He stands 6’6″ and 305 pounds. This also means that Charles Leno is likely no longer the Chicago Bears starting left tackle. Honestly, Leno gets too much negative attention. His 2019 performance was awful, but prior to that season, he was always slightly better than average.
It will be interesting to see if the Chicago Bears invest a second-round pick in a left tackle. The team has yet to invest that high of a pick in a left tackle for quite some time now. What I envision happening here if Eichenberg is available this low (he has been seen by many as a first-round pick), is Leno moving over to right tackle, Bobby Massie will find himself being released and Eichenberg will step in as the starting left tackle.
As I noted, I am not so sure Eigenberg drops to 44th overall though. Offensive tackles are coveted in the NFL Draft. This mock draft has nine offensive linemen going ahead of Eichenberg and six going in the first round. This seems about right. If a 2020 season does not take place, the rankings of these prospects could shake up drastically before next April. Either way, investing in the offensive line should be happening and if not in the first round, definitely in the second round.
Eichenberg is a two-year starter and predicted to start in 2020 as well. As a three-year started for the Irish, he would definitely have plenty of experience and comes from a team that has proven success in developing high-quality NFL offensive linemen. (Still hoping Alex Bars is a thing).