3 Bold Predictions for the Bears in the NFL Draft
By Brady Williams
The Bears are in an incredibly odd spot. After trading away a ton of assets for Khalil Mack, they're still a struggling organization with a shaky-at-best quarterback. Though they were able to sustain an 8-8 season in 2019, they're close to slipping into a serious rut unless they find some offensive cohesion and stop further defensive regression. Needless to say, it's going to take some bold measures in this year's draft to overcome their obstacles.
3. Bears Still Don't Select a DB in the Early Rounds
The Bears need to beef up their secondary around Eddie Jackson; they finished 2019 ranked 12th in the NFL by PFF. The front of their defense is powerful, and rounding out the coverage guys could make them very formidable. However, Ryan Pace has never drafted a defensive back before the fourth round in his tenure with Chicago. This time around, many people expect that to change, with Pace using a second-rounder on LSU safety Grant Delpit. We don't believe it -- he stays with his proven strategy, instead.
2. They Trade at Least One of Their Second-Round Picks
The Bears' two second-round picks in the top 50 are certainly attractive to a team that has struggled. However, they don't have a single pick in the third or fourth rounds. Mid-round guys can be extremely valuable, and if they want boost the quantity of their draft picks to fill their numerous holes and add depth to their roster, they'll have to get rid of at least one of their early picks. Many mock drafts predict they'll select a DT in the second round, but they could just as easily move back and snag Ohio State's Davon Hamilton, while adding extra capital. The Bears just have too many needs to address for the number of picks they have. If they want to fix all their problems, they'll either have to trade down or find solutions outside of the draft.
1. Bears Won't Draft a New Quarterback
The Mitchell Trubisky experiment just hasn't worked out so far, and many fans are ready to jump ship and find a new quarterback. Guys like Jake Fromm should be available by the time their second-round picks are up, but the Bears will pass. The organization took a huge risk in drafting Trubisky, and it was big enough to handcuff Pace and Nagy, regardless of Pace's recent QB comments. Even if it means going down with the ship, this team has stayed loyal to Trubisky thus far, giving him an earnest chance, and only benching him as a last resort. The signing of Nick Foles doesn't help the possibility of picking a young guy to play third fiddle. It's a two-man competition. Shut the door.