Chicago Bears: Deep dive into the hype of the 2021 NFL Draft
The Chicago Bears 2021 NFL draft
Hello to my Chicago Bears brothers and sisters. This article will be a four-part write-up of the 2021 NFL draft class. I would assume that most of you are very happy and excited about the potential of this draft class. I am as well.
This NFL draft is the exact turn out most did not expect. Some mocked the Chicago Bears a quarterback early in the first round, while others mocked them an offensive tackle late in the first round. While I love doing mock drafts and trying to find realistic scenarios, the outcome of this draft for the Chicago Bears did not reflect any of these situations.
I was all over the mock draft simulators, and never once did Justin Fields fall past the seventh position. Fields shouldn’t have fallen as far as he did, but who is complaining. Teven Jenkins was heavily mocked to the Chicago Bears at pick 20, and the fans were mostly content with that.
Ryan Pace, Matt Nagy, the McCaskey family, and the Chicago Bears went out and gave the fans what they deserve. Both a future potential franchise quarterback and left tackle. Speaking of left tackle, Charles Leno Jr was released, as most of you already know. Try not to get excited or too down about that move. As I explained in another article, had the Chicago Bears drafted an offensive tackle, tight end, or defensive tackle early, those positions could be where they cut a veteran player.
It was the only way to make sure there was enough cap space to sign the draft class. Pending a theatrical cut toward training camp, Jimmy Graham and Akeim Hicks should be on the roster entering the 2021 NFL season. I believe we all focused on the college positions a bit too strong.
Meaning, “Teven Jenkins is a right tackle” was something that was said way too much. I fell for the trap as well. Samuel Cosmi, Liam Eichenberg, and other left tackles were locked in as day two left tackles. However, not every player stays at their college position.
Orlando Brown was moved to right tackle despite showing that he is one of the premier left tackles in the league. Some players move to guard due to footspeed, reach, and other factors. The focus should have been, who are the best tackles, period. The positions haven’t been set, that will come in training camp, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Teven Jenkins, Larry Borom, Alex Bars, or any other player gets the job at left tackle. We should expect the better player (Jenkins) to win that job, but it is not set in stone.