After the big punch of free agency, we have entered the pre-draft stage of the NFL cycle. Most big-name free agents have been signed, and the rest will trickle in, or even wait until after the draft to find a new home. As teams start to gear up their focus until the NFL draft we will head into Mock Draft 2.0.
You can check out Mock Draft 1.0, which is the post-senior bowl edition. In the four years of doing this, we have done a good job at nailing players in our four versions. Each version does discuss a different scenario.
To get the pool of players, I used The Draft Network mock draft simulator, so do not yell at me that the player will not be there. Anyway, this is an exercise to discuss the prospect and his fit with the Chicago Bears, and not the exact pick in which he gets drafted.
With that in mind, here is Mock Draft 2.0.
As we get closer and closer to the draft, the realization that five quarterbacks will go well before pick 20 has sunk in. Beyond that, the feeling that the Chicago Bears are destined to draft Teven Jenkins has grown as well.
The Bears brought back Germain Ifedi for cheap and signed Elijah Wilkinson as well. However, while everyone will call Andy Dalton a smokescreen to drafting a QB, these two are bigger smoke screens that the right tackle need is filled.
Let’s get real about Germain Ifedi, he played well against teams like Detroit and Houston but even had his issues at right tackle. That came after he was a bust for Seattle at RT, and Chicago signed him to play guard. Wilkinson has versatility but it best at guard as well. Both are great depth options behind rookie Teven Jenkins.
Jenkins is a bad dude and plays with an edge and a finish the play mentality. He has quick feet and would step the run game up in a huge way, especially in a Matt Nagy outside zone scheme.
Our draft profile on Teven Jenkins is here, with an NFL comparison. The Bears will not pass him up at 20.
Full disclosure, I am not the biggest Kyle Trask fan. This is much more about predicting what the Bears will do. I view Trask similarly to Mason Rudolph, who some hyped as a round-one prospect, but eventually fell into round three. The same has Trask falling to round two here, but I know the Chicago Bears are a bit too desperate to risk missing out on the sixth quarterback in the class.
Ryan Pace seems to value leadership above a lot of things at QB, and Kyle Trask came in for Felipe Franks, the better recruit, and won over the team, forcing Franks to transfer. Matt Nagy would like that he is a task-oriented quarterback. He plays quarterback like a cookbook and follows the coach’s recipe to perfection.
His issue is that he is not bringing as much as a playmaker who can carry a team. That is where he falls into round two.
If there were one quarterback in this class that I would think Ryan Pace likes more than most GMs, it is Kyle Trask. Nagy and Pace convince themselves that his leadership and safe ability to run an offense are worth taking a shot.
From Brandon Marshall to Alshon Jeffrey, to Allen Robinson, and now we have Nico Collins. From one big man to the next made this fit almost too perfect when he fell into the third round.
Of the big-name receivers, he plays most like Jeffrey. He does not blow you away with speed, but his downfield presence is undeniable. He can jump in the air, and position himself to win. Collins tracks with the best of them and has a late burst that seems to help him create and turn 50/50 passes into 70/30.
Coming from the Big 10 and without separation being his calling card there are questions of his speed and athleticism, but he put most to rest at his pro day. Collins can be used as a splash player in year one and develop into a starter by 2022 if the Bears move on from Allen Robinson. Another jump-ball option in the red zone and a player who can flip the field from 20 to 20 is needed in Chicago, and Collins has the ability to bring both.
You did not think Ryan Pace would go this far without drafting a small school player, did you? Robert Rochell is a cornerback from Central Arkansas, who checks a lot of boxes. Beyond the small school aspect, Rochell is a premium athlete which Pace loves to take his chances on as well.
Rochell is great at click and close and while his athleticism stood out in a lower class, it clearly transfers to the NFL based on his test athleticism.
His feet are iffy in transition, and he is better playing one side of the field, but Chicago has always done that with their cornerbacks. Beyond that, it may take a little time to get him on the field. Still, with Rochell learning behind a veteran in Desmond Trufant, it would give him time to adjust. Still, Trufant brings a clear path to Rochell starting at some point soon too.
Jenkins does not finish the Bears need for the offensive line. Ifedi and Wilkinson can be tackle and guard depth, and Alex Bars boost an interior as well. That means we still want tackle talent in this room. Charles Leno will start for one more year, but the Bears need to start planning for life after Leno in 2022.
Jameis is raw and will need to put on weight, but has the foot speed and athleticism to hang with NFL edge rushers.
Nico Collins may be able to see the field early and replace Robinson late, but he does not help much for Antony Miller being a letdown. Cade Johnson is limited to the slot but has the quicks and shiftiness to get free underneath. He is not the athlete of Miller and does not have a wide catch radius, but when timing routes are needed, he will be on time.
Ryan Pace drafted Duke Shelley who is the starter in the slot on paper. Still, Shelley struggled last year and should not enter uncontested. Wildgoose has great instincts in coverage, but is undersized and will man the slot in the NFL.
We have written a draft profile on him, check it out.
Shawn Davis is going to fall because he is limited to being a box safety who struggles in coverage. Still, getting him near the line of scrimmage to lay a boom is what Chicago needs. Beyond that, his combination of speed and burst will get him into a competition for DeAndre Houston-Carson on special teams.