This will be the first Chicago Bears mock draft that I write up this year. Previous mock drafts in recent years have had selections such as Roquan Smith, Cole Kmet, Bilal Nichols, Jaylon Johnson, Justin Fields, Teven Jenkins, and Darnell Mooney.
With that in mind, these drafts are trying to be predictive more than my wishes on who I want. Of course, this year will be tougher than most because we do not have the track record Ryan Pace left, and this particular mock will focus solely on Senior Bowl players.
Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus were there for a few days, so at this stage of the process, these are likely the only players they have been able to discuss so far when thinking about the NFL draft. Who are some Senior Bowl names who stood out, and when would the Chicago Bears have to think about pulling the trigger.
Remember, the discussion should be more about the player fit, and not whether or not they will be here. Beyond that, I am using the draft network machine, so send complaints to them.
We do not know much about Ryan Poles yet, but we know that he wants to build this thing through the offensive line. They found a right tackle in Larry Borom last year, but that is a day three pick, and many think his upside comes at guard.
If the Chicago Bears do not bring James Daniels back you could be looking at Daniel Faalele next to Borom on the right side of the offensive line. That would be some serious beef. Faalele is almost just a bigger, more physical version of Borom.
Both have the size on their side, and both are at their best getting downhill and annihilating people in the run game. Neither have pitch-perfect feet, especially when moving backward, but that is what will cause Faalele to drop into this zone.
If they can get those two on the same side of the line, it could be a duo we look to as road graders for years to come.
The Bearcats top cornerback is Sauce Gardner, but the attention on him has caused Coby Bryant to be underrated. That is even despite him being the winner of the Thope award. A lot of that has to do with Gardner not getting tested, and teams gunning at Bryant instead.
That is why Bryant has the pass breakups and picks. Of course, he also has some great ball skills, which adds to his profile. The Bears want a zone cornerback who can press, but fall back and come down onto the football.
His profile of size and ball skills should be something Matt Eberflus wants. Of course, the team is lacking at cornerback and does not technically have a starter opposite of Jaylon Johnson as I write this.
You could see Bryant beat out Thomas Graham for outside reps, and possibly see Graham step into the slot. Johnson and Bryant on the outside with Graham inside could give them a young group of cornerbacks, all with varying skill sets.
The Chicago Bears likely wanted to hit wide receiver harder and more than this, but it is tough with how few draft picks the team has. That is the downfall of letting Ryan Pace go all-in last season.
Still, this is one that you have to thank the mock draft generator for letting Romeo Doubs slip this far. There are legitimate concerns with his game. His route tree is not all that complete, and he typically, only plays one side.
However, Doubs is known to go deep, go up, and get the football. That is exactly the type of player that you want to bring into work with Justin Fields. He showed at the Senior Bowl he may have more speed than some realize, and even showed off more routes than he did at Nevada. Hopefully, that does not push him up too high.
Cole Strange is the player that makes the Senior Bowl what it is. Stange dominated at the lower level, but the event now gave him a week next to players from bigger schools than he went to. Scouts and coaches were able to see how Strange compared to other prospects from the big conferences and decide whether he could fit in at the next level.
As noted, the Chicago Bears do not know what they have at right guard right now. They also promised to build depth on the offensive line. Adding bodies all of the sorts to keep the room as sharp as possible is the smart way to build this.
We wrote earlier this week about the Chicago Bears need for a tight end and the question of whether or not to bring Jesse James back. Charlie Kolar answers the question and shows you that you can replace a player like Jesse James late in the draft.
Kolar has a lot of traits that make him similar to James. Both have the size to their advantage with long arms to go with a long frame. They are better blockers than catchers but are a big body trusted for the red zone.
Kolar is not going to split any seams and run away from guys, but he is reliable and could step right in as a depth option.