Mock draft 2015

[emperorjones]

Normally I would expect a team in this position (bad with few difference makers) to trade down. However, given the fact that we just traded our biggest playmaker and our most reliable offensive threat (Forte) is on the last year of his contract AND we don't have a receiver to line up opposite Alshon - I see us going for Cooper or White (whichever is on the board). If neither is there, I then see a trade down in the first round and grabbing an NT or CB.

[heir_jordan22]

If all those guys are really equal as far as BPA goes, then I think they will take a pass rusher. I have a feeling they want to bring back a dominant defense in Chicago.

IMO, I think they should take the best pass rusher on the board. The kind of guy that demands a double team to really open things up for his teammates.

Overall, I don't know a lot about college football to really say what player they should target.

I hope that they don't actually target a particular player. I want them to just stack their board and pick the best. Or maybe pick the close second or third based on what should be available in the next rounds. That's why ideally we trade down and grab one of those tackles. There is so much depth at those other positions later on that even if those guys at the top are slightly better than Flowers and Scherff, we can get waaayyy better receivers, corners, pass rushers and linebackers later on than we can get tackles.

[heir_jordan22]

I think at 7 the only players guaranteed not to be there are Winston, Mariota, and Williams. That leaves these guys as the next best players on the board and you can pretty much sort them by preference.

Pass rushers: Fowler, Gregory, Ray, Beasley
Receivers: Cooper, White
O Tackles: Scherff, Flowers
Cornerback: Waynes

I think all those guy are pretty much on the same level. Everyone else left on the board is at least a notch lower.

My questions to the board:
Of all those players who do you see the Bears drafting at 7?
Which of those players would you like the Bears to draft at 7?
Do you want them to target one of those positions in particular? If so, which one?
Do you see or want to see the Bears trade down? And if so, for whom?

Let's get the conversation going.

I feel White has the potential to be the best player in this year's draft. I see Dez Bryant and Julio Jones physical abilities with Alshon's hands. Unfortunately he seems a lot like Dez Bryant on the sidelines... either way if you're drafting BPA I'd rank those available players

1. White
2. Cooper
3. Beasley
4. Waynes
5. Flowers Jr.
6. Flowers
7. Ray
8. Gregory
9. Scherff


I wouldn't forget about Dupree. I actually like the fact Dupree has an all around game, he isn't just a pass rusher like Ray or Gregory. Personally I rank Dupree 2nd OLB to Beasley.

To answer your questions I see the Bears drafting White or Cooper at 7. If the Bears stay at 7 I'd like to see White, Beasley, or Cooper taken with the pick. Targeting WR or OLB at 7 makes the most sense. NT and S are options if they trade down in 10-19.

I'm torn on trading down. For starters i feel really good about White, Beasley, and Cooper. Passing on them is risky since there is no guarantee a targeted player will be around come time to use the traded down pick. At 7, there is no doubt your team is still picking from the top tier at multiple positions. At say 12 or 19, that's not the case. With that said I like your idea of trading down and grabbing an additional pick. What if the Bears used #7 & #39 to get #12 & #19?

12. NT Danny Shelton
19. S Landon Collins
71. CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu
103. RT Corey Robinson
134. NT Ellis McCarthy
167. DE Shaquille Riddick

I would agree with how you ranked those 9 guys. And if you include the top 3, that makes up the first 12 picks. I think Dupree is the 13th nest player but he might slide a couple spots. I'd be comfortable with drafting him as well.

Overall I don't like the idea of trading our first and second for 12 and 19. I think we need to add more picks overall because we need to add depth. We have 3 receivers, no NTs, 3 corners, 3 safeties, a backup running back that maybe our front office doesn't like, and a whole bunch of linebackers that I have no idea if the new regime wants to keep at all. Young, Allen, McClellin, Greene all have a high chance of being gone. Then who knows if Bostic and Jones are deemed worthy of starting. We need depth.

Plus I don't like the idea of trading down to 12 and not drafting one of the top 12 players. I think at best Shelton is the 14th best player in this draft. And there are plenty of options at his position in free agency and a few very good options at his position later in the draft. I don't like drafting Collins in the first either. I think he is terrible in pass coverage and we play in an Uber - pass heavy division.

Trade down, grab extra picks to build depth, and draft the best player on the board. If we trade down further than 13 or 14 and Shelton is the best player on the board then we should take him. But at 12 or 13 there should be a pass rusher, receiver, corner or o tackle that's better than him and all of those fill needs for us as well.

[heir_jordan22]

Normally I would expect a team in this position (bad with few difference makers) to trade down. However, given the fact that we just traded our biggest playmaker and our most reliable offensive threat (Forte) is on the last year of his contract AND we don't have a receiver to line up opposite Alshon - I see us going for Cooper or White (whichever is on the board). If neither is there, I then see a trade down in the first round and grabbing an NT or CB.

At 7 my hope would be either White or Beasley. Who I'd like to see us draft if we trade down just depends how far down and who is still in the board.

[emperorjones]

The more I look at our roster on defense, the more I think there's no way we are drafting either an OLB or ILB in the first 3 rounds.
Outside we have money tied up in Pernell McPhee, Houston, Young, Allen and we also have Bass. Inside we have Bostic, Christian Jones, Shea & Greene. It looks like we are trying to sign mason from the Bucs as another ILB.

Looking at the DL - we don't have a NT really - Ratliff can go there but I think he and Ego would be more suited to play DE in a rotation with Sutton?

At CB we have a rising star in Fuller but need help on the other side - but maybe not first round help.

Offensively, I'm wondering if you go WR at #7 to make that position dominant?

So now I'm thinking - we stay at #7 and grab White or Cooper if they are there and then go NT in round 2 and CB in round 3. If neither White nor Cooper is there, we grab Danny Shelton and then a WR in round 2.

I could still see a trade down into the middle of round 1 to pick up an extra 3rd round pick.

[heir_jordan22]

The more I look at our roster on defense, the more I think there's no way we are drafting either an OLB or ILB in the first 3 rounds.
Outside we have money tied up in Pernell McPhee, Houston, Young, Allen and we also have Bass. Inside we have Bostic, Christian Jones, Shea & Greene. It looks like we are trying to sign mason from the Bucs as another ILB.

Looking at the DL - we don't have a NT really - Ratliff can go there but I think he and Ego would be more suited to play DE in a rotation with Sutton?

At CB we have a rising star in Fuller but need help on the other side - but maybe not first round help.

Offensively, I'm wondering if you go WR at #7 to make that position dominant?

So now I'm thinking - we stay at #7 and grab White or Cooper if they are there and then go NT in round 2 and CB in round 3. If neither White nor Cooper is there, we grab Danny Shelton and then a WR in round 2.

I could still see a trade down into the middle of round 1 to pick up an extra 3rd round pick.

The problem is that outside of McPhee and Bostic there's really not anyone on the roster who's a sure starter at linebacker.

First of all I think Houston will start at DE since that's where he made his money, as a really really good and developing 3-4 DE. I know they said he will be a OLB but it's either a smokescreen or they will switch him once football activities start and they see him in action.

Young is coming off a terrible injury (as is Houston for that matter). Allen is coming off a down year and has publicly stated several times that he wants to stay at DE - he could be a candidate to get cut with that big contract. So none of our three best pass rushers from last year are guaranteed to start at OLB, play that position or even be on the roster.

Bass could have a good year but I doubt there's enough good tape of him for the staff to decide not to draft an elite OLB at 7.

All the guys you listed as inside linebackers have flexibility to play OLB and will probably be given a chance to win that spot if the can't win the ILB next to Bostic.

If we do get Mason then we possibly have 3 out of 4 LB spots locked with McPhee, Bostic and Mason. But even if we do then we have a bunch of depth guys fighting for a starting spot in a KEY position in a 3-4 defense (the ROLB is the primary pass rusher). And all the guys in that fight are switching positions, were brought in by the previous regime and in some cases coming off major injury or aging and overpaid (Allen is due $12M, second behind Cutler).

There is no way I'd rule out drafting a pass rusher at 7 or 39. The best player on the board will likely be a WR or pass rusher so it'll be one of those two. And in round two there are also a bunch of good pass rushers, so if we don't take one with 7 there is a really high chance we do in the 2nd imo.

[Balance-a-Bull]

The more I look at our roster on defense, the more I think there's no way we are drafting either an OLB or ILB in the first 3 rounds.
Outside we have money tied up in Pernell McPhee, Houston, Young, Allen and we also have Bass. Inside we have Bostic, Christian Jones, Shea & Greene. It looks like we are trying to sign mason from the Bucs as another ILB.

Looking at the DL - we don't have a NT really - Ratliff can go there but I think he and Ego would be more suited to play DE in a rotation with Sutton?

At CB we have a rising star in Fuller but need help on the other side - but maybe not first round help.

Offensively, I'm wondering if you go WR at #7 to make that position dominant?

So now I'm thinking - we stay at #7 and grab White or Cooper if they are there and then go NT in round 2 and CB in round 3. If neither White nor Cooper is there, we grab Danny Shelton and then a WR in round 2.

I could still see a trade down into the middle of round 1 to pick up an extra 3rd round pick.

I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of the direction we should go with regarding the #7 selection. Has Jeffrey shown enough to prove that he is a number 1 WR?

Royal, a 2/mainly 3, is a great pick-up, and Wilson is still an unknown commodity. For our offense to be productive and effective, it is essentially vital that we seek to address obtaining potential #1 WR in the first round.

The draft has very good wr depth, but Cooper (#1 NFL ready skills) and White are the best options to address filling the hole Marshall left.

[heir_jordan22]

The more I look at our roster on defense, the more I think there's no way we are drafting either an OLB or ILB in the first 3 rounds.
Outside we have money tied up in Pernell McPhee, Houston, Young, Allen and we also have Bass. Inside we have Bostic, Christian Jones, Shea & Greene. It looks like we are trying to sign mason from the Bucs as another ILB.

Looking at the DL - we don't have a NT really - Ratliff can go there but I think he and Ego would be more suited to play DE in a rotation with Sutton?

At CB we have a rising star in Fuller but need help on the other side - but maybe not first round help.

Offensively, I'm wondering if you go WR at #7 to make that position dominant?

So now I'm thinking - we stay at #7 and grab White or Cooper if they are there and then go NT in round 2 and CB in round 3. If neither White nor Cooper is there, we grab Danny Shelton and then a WR in round 2.

I could still see a trade down into the middle of round 1 to pick up an extra 3rd round pick.

I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of the direction we should go with regarding the #7 selection. Has Jeffrey shown enough to prove that he is a number 1 WR?

Royal, a 2/mainly 3, is a great pick-up, and Wilson is still an unknown commodity. For our offense to be productive and effective, it is essentially vital that we seek to address obtaining potential #1 WR in the first round.

The draft has very good wr depth, but Cooper (#1 NFL ready skills) and White are the best options to address filling the hole Marshall left.

We have 2 WRs, a TE and a RB that have all proven they can put up great numbers.

We have 0 guys that have proven they can be above average in a 3-4 or in any defense for that matter.

[emperorjones]

Ratliff and McPhee have bothe proven to be above average - and Houston was above average against the run in Oakland (although I really don't like him). But to your point, the defense is really lacking. I don't think anyone could be mad if we went defense in the 1st 3 rounds - NT, CB, S or even a rush OLB.

[City of Trees]

My updated mock for the Bears, not including trades

1. WR Amari Cooper
2. LB Paul Dawson
3. S Cody Prewitt
4. CB/FS Ifo Ekpre-Olomu
5. NT Ellis McCarthy
6. T Austin Shepherd

[RedBulls23]

I think they should adress the oline at some point as well.

Got to.keep adding depth.

[emperorjones]

I think they should adress the oline at some point as well.

Got to.keep adding depth.

I'm still hoping that we land raiders Cneter Stefen Wisniewski. I read he was asking for $4m per year but the Bears weren't willing to go that high. He's only 26 and a solid C.

[heir_jordan22]

I think they should adress the oline at some point as well.

Got to.keep adding depth.

I'm still hoping that we land raiders Cneter Stefen Wisniewski. I read he was asking for $4m per year but the Bears weren't willing to go that high. He's only 26 and a solid C.

It would be nice if we could sign him to like a 4 year $13M.

Then we could slide Long to RT and let Garza, Ola, Ducasse and Mills all battle for the RG job and the remaining three will make a pretty good backup lineup.

[heir_jordan22]

http://www.chicagobears.com/news/articl ... 28c05fb789

Pace gives a lot of information in this piece. Key points to take away:
1. wants to add a rookie QB every year. Says he thinks Mariota is more than a system QB and is comfortable with him.
2. This is a deep WR class and he is confident a good one will be available at some point.
3. Pass rushers are key (references Seahawks) and specifically says that if the right one is there in the first round they will draft him.

[emperorjones]

Well it certainly would be interesting if they took an OLB in the first round. There would be one heck of a log jam - unless they plan to play McPhee more at DE in the 3-4

[heir_jordan22]

I read somewhere that Houston and McPhee will be used at DE in certain formations

[Kelly Slater]

Is there any truth to Cutler going to Tennessee for the number 2 pick so we can draft Mariota?

[RedBulls23]

Only rumors I would think. I saw Cutler and the 7th for the 2nd, with the Bears eating some of his contract.

I would pass, because I'm not sure how Mariota will be that good.

[City of Trees]

Only rumors I would think. I saw Cutler and the 7th for the 2nd, with the Bears eating some of his contract.

I would pass, because I'm not sure how Mariota will be that good.

I don't think the titans go for it.

[RedBulls23]

Only rumors I would think. I saw Cutler and the 7th for the 2nd, with the Bears eating some of his contract.

I would pass, because I'm not sure how Mariota will be that good.

I don't think the titans go for it.

It would depend on how much of the contract the Bears would be willing to eat I think.

No matter what Cutler rep may be around Chicago, he's still a **** ton better than anything the Titans have trotted out there in recent years.