The first day of the draft came and went like a windstorm, but the second day is always the best day of the NFL draft. For the Chicago Bears, it will be the meat of the draft as well as the team has three picks. Unfortunately, they have the Ravens and 49ers second-round picks, so they do not pick until midway through round one.
It will be tough to know who will be there in the next 32 picks, as the Chicago Bears have three picks in that range. However, these 10 players are who fans need to be rooting for.
10. Keion White, DE, Georgia Tech
The Chicago Bears addressed their offensive line in round one, and now they would love to hit some defensive line help. One of the better options would be Keion White. White is a heavy rusher as an outside player, but his size and strength may project him best to the inside. Speaking of project, that could be what White is considered.
He played fullback at Old Dominion early in his career, but moved to defense and saw his stock rise. He transferred to Georgia Tech and now he is in contention to be a day-two pick. The issue is that White is raw, and he is not young with his long journey to the NFL.
So, the upside is immense, but the wait may not be worth it, and it could never come. Still, at worst, you are getting a thick presence who can play with power and hustle. At some point, he will be the best player available. His size and strength make him a player who could be similar to DeMarcus Walker, and it could be a nice fit for White to rotate with and behind Walker, and then eventually hope to take over with more upside as he grows in the NFL.
9. Adetomiwa Adebawore, DL, Northwestern
The hype around Adetomiwa Adebawore was starting to get out of control. However, now that the first round came and went it looks like everything is back to normal and the early mock drafts on Adetomiwa Adebawore were more accurate than recent thoughts.
Adetomiwa Adebawore rose up because of his performance at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine. However, the tape is still too raw for him to be considered a first-round pick. He still may go top 50, and because his hype is still high we have him lower on this list.
Still, it is clear that Adetomiwa Adebawore was more hyped by the media than the NFL. It is fair to some degree. He did not light the world on fire at Northwestern, and his tape brings questions. Still, most of the questions are about him playing on the edge in college, while most in the NFL would view him as a three-technique. So, did fans overreact to the Senior Bowl, or was his limited glimpse as a three-technique show that he needs to be an option for the Chicago Bears? The question now is whether he is going to fall.
8. BJ Ojulari, Edge, LSU
The Chicago Bears could use an edge rusher like BJ Ojulari. Ojulari is a speed rusher, who uses his bend and quick feet to get around the edge. The questions with Ojulari revolve around how much he can hold up against the run, and whether he is just a designated pass rusher or a three-down player.
Beyond that, Ojulari is dealing with a hamstring injury and did not do much in the offseason before the draft. This may work out for the Chicago Bears, though. They can see Ojulari fall to them.
Beyond that, Ojulari is a nice fit. Sure, he is not great against the run, but the Bears added run-stoppers in Rasheem Green and DeMarcus Walker. The pass rushers do not shake free in free agency as often, so the Bears could be thinking that adding a run stuffer in free agency could be complimented well with a pass rusher in the draft.
Beyond that, Ojulari is not flat-out uninterested in the run, so there is something to see for upside. Keep an eye on how far he falls because a healthy offseason could have had him taken already.
7. Cody Mauch, OL, North Dakota State
The Chicago Bears drafted a player who saw his stock rise at the Senior Bowl when they selected Darnell Wright. Now, the Bears do the same thing with Cody Mauch. Mauch was a tackle at North Dakota State and he has some seriously fun tape to watch.
However, he is probably not going to be a tackle in the NFL. A lot of NFL teams view him as a guard, but some teams also call him a center. Mauch snapped at the Senior Bowl, and if the Chicago Bears liked what they saw they could be ready to invest.
Mauch has questionable length at tackle, but great length at center. Beyond that, his athletic ability would be perfect for a zone blocking scheme. It is obviously a projection, and that is why he is not going too high. However, if he can fall to the 50s, and he has upside at center, it is a great pick. It also gives the Bears the time to start Cody Whitehair while also having a backup in waiting for when an injury comes.
6. Gervon Dexter, DL, Florida
The Chicago Bears had Jalen Carter right in their hands. They could have easily made that move, but they traded down and decided to drop to ten and take Darnell Wright. Still, we know the team need a three-technique. Does that put them in the mix for Gervon Dexter?
We wrote about how Dexter compares to Chris Jones all the way down to the coaching staff in college. The Kansas City Chiefs saw Jones fall into round two and took advantage. Ryan Poles just so happened to see how that went. Did he think that while he could get Carter, he has a sleeper option in Gervon Dexter in the hopper at a later pick?
The familiarity with his coaching staff in college has to help. Beyond that, the fit is undeniable. His up-and-down tape in college may have him in the range where the Chicago Bears can take him. This is a guy fans need to have eyes on.
5. John Michael Scmitz, C, Minnesota
We noted that the Chicago Bears are going to need a center. They could hope that Cody Mayuch is a fit and takes the transition well, or they could draft John Michael-Schmitz. If they took JMS, they could be looking at releasing Cody Whitehair right after the draft and saving some money. That is because JMS is ready to start right away.
If anything the knock on JMS is that his ceiling is not all that high. He is likely just a center, and he is 24 years old already, so what you see is what you get from Schmitz. However, at a certain point that becomes valuable.
John Michael-Scmitz is going to come in and start immediately. He does not need to sit for anyone, so it does make the team flexible. JMS is also scheme versatile and could adapt to any team. That is what makes it seem unlikely to see him fall to the 50s. We all knew his upside was not round one, but we know that the floor is also somebody who will go between 32 and 50. If he does fall he is the best option, and fans should root for it.
However, he falls to five on our list because he may not be on the board when the team is making its three picks.
4. Isaiah Foskey, Edge, Notre Dame
If the Chicago Bears are drafting players who fits the HITS principle, they are looking at Isaiah Foskey. Foskey is a player who hustles hard. When you watch him play and when you read draft profiles you see and hear the hustle that he plays with. That is what the Bears want to invest in.
The question with Foskey is whether he is a one-trick pony. He has a long arm and knows how to use it. He creates push with it and can push pockets. However, he lacks counters off of it and does not have much bend around the edge. Foskey mostly relies on that long arm and his hustle to clean things up as a pass rusher.
His hustle shows in the run game as well, but he could anchor better. Still, that is why this is not a round-one pick, and also why he may not crack the top 50. If the Chicago Bears see him around pick 61, they may be seeing the best player and someone who can rotate in as a pass rusher.
3. Derick Hall, Edge from Auburn is a great option for the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears went with an SEC player who was at the Senior Bowl in the first round. If they go back to that well, it could lead to them selecting Derick Hall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Derick Hall may be slightly ahead of Isaiah Foskey as the top option for the Chicago Bears. The reality is that Hall has a few more moves and a little bit more juice in his pass-rushing arsenal. The thing with Hall is that he is shorter and thinner, and at times he can get blown up in the run game. It is not for lack of trying, but someone like Fosey can generate power quicker.
However, Hall does a great job of creating speed to power, and his punch as a pass rusher makes you feel his presence. Hall could improve in the run game, but we already noted that the Bears have better-run defenders than pass rushers at this point. So, getting a pass rusher who may be able to rotate in with a chance to improve in the run game could be the move.
2. Keeanu Benton, DL from Wisconsin is a top option for the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears need to have eyes on Keeanu Benton and find out if he could fall to them. He is another Senior Bowl player, and you know the Chicago Bears were watching him closely. That is when he improved his stock the most.
At Wisconsin, and in the Big 10, run defense was glorified. Wisconsin played him inside at the nose tackle and one-technique more than as a three technique and pass rusher. This had some thinking he was limited. However, the Senior Bowl disproved that as Benton exploded off the ball and won with his hands as a pass rusher. He had a great NFL combine as well, and showed that he does in fact have a little more in his step than he showed at Wisconsin.
He is already a good run defender, but there is a real chance that he can fill that three-technique role as well. The combination of floor and ceiling is exactly what you want. This is the type of player that can make you forget about passing on Jalen Carter. The question with Keanu Benton is far more about whether he falls to the Bears than if they pass on him. They could love a fit like that.
1. Joe Tippmann would be a dream scenario for the Chicago Bears
We highlighted that a dream sceanrio for the Chicago Bears could be trading down just a spot or two, taking a tackle, then adding Joe Tippman in the second round. Needless to say they nailed the first portion of the dram weekend. Now, can they finish this off with Tippman.
We noted two other options at center. One was Cody Mauch, who is moving from tackle to center. The other is John Michael-Schmitz who appears to be less likely to fall to the Chicago Bears pick. Tippman may be the happy medium of a player who is plenty experienced but also may be there.
Tippman is almost an oversized center. He can lose with leverage at times and can end up playing too high. That can be an issue and can be what causes him to fall. However, he is a great fit for the Chicago Bears due to the zone scheme.
He could come in right away, or at least push Cody Whitehair right away. It will be interesting to see if he falls, which is something we have calling for for a while now. The start of the draft went as expected position-wise, now do they take a center like we expected on day two?