Chicago Bears Round 6, Pick No. 180
A mainly press corner, Olaijah Griffin plays with a lot of physicality at cornerback. He has great length as well and he loves to attack the football when targeted. He declared for the NFL Draft likely a season early as he had more to prove, but he can be a good developmental corner.
Griffin would provide great depth to cornerback as the Bears need it. He could sit behind Jaylon Johnson, who is also a press corner. Johnson has his injury concerns, so Griffin would be a solid fill for him if he were to go down.
Chicago Bears Round 7, Pick No. 196
After getting plenty of experience at Notre Dame, Hayes wasn’t getting a lot of draft buzz until his impressive display at the Senior Bowl. Hayes has all the traits to be a great edge rusher in the NFL and has shown great ability to stop the run, but the sacks have not been there. He could develop into a star in the NFL.
Bears need edge depth outside of Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn. Barkevious Mingo was solid as depth this season, but he is a free agent this offseason. The Bears additionally have Trevis Gipson, who is viewed as a project, but Hayes could be a rotational piece right away for the Bears defense.
Final Thoughts:
This draft corrects every major issue surrounding the Chicago Bears. I would’ve liked to add a better wide receiver than Trevon Grimes, but none of the guys I liked fell to me. The Bears would need to target a wide receiver in free agency. Regardless, this would be great for the Bears.
Previous Mock Drafts:
- Mock Draft 7.0 (1/12)
- Mock Draft 8.0 (1/31)