I will be posting two mock drafts. One mock draft will be what I think the Bears will do and the other will be my mock draft. Usually, the players drafted in rounds 1-3 are expected to make some sort of impact during their rookie season.
Here are some positions that the Bears will most likely be looking at:
(Positions not listed in order of need) (scroll past the positions to see my picks)
Linebacker- The Bears signed DJ Williams and James Anderson earlier this off season. That does not mean they will be looking somewhere else in the draft. Both of them are solid players but Williams will 31 later this year and Anderson will be 30. They also have Lance Briggs, who is a great player but will be 33 later this year. Brian Urlacher is gone now.
Offensive guard- The Bears signed Matt Slauson and he will most likely start at left guard this season. At the same time,the Bears lost one of their starting guards from the 2012 season, Lance Louis. In addition to that, the Bears lost Chris Spencer. They just need more guards considering they only have Matt Slauson and Eben Britton listed as the only guards on their roster. Edwin Williams is the back up center, Gabe Carimi played some guard but could move back to tackle.
Offensive tackle- The Bears signed Jermon Bushrod so the left tackle position should be set. Right now the Bears have J'Marcus Webb, Gabe Carimi, Jonathan Scott all competing for the starting right tackle position. Webb or Carimi could be cut if the Bears to draft an offensive tackle considering both of them are making over $1,000,000 for this season.
Cornerback- Cornerback was a strong position for the Bears last season but after this season both Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings' contracts expire. Tillman is 32 but has proven he can still play at a high level. Kelvin Hayden signed a one year contract and will also be a free agent after this season. The Bears might want to draft a cornerback and have them play nickelback and eventually move to a starter position in 2014.
Center- Roberto Garza is 34 and will be a free agent after the 2013 season. The Bears also have Edwin Williams as their backup. They might be looking for a center.
Wide out- The Bears have a good wide out group. Brandon Marshall is on of the best wide outs in the NFL. Alshon Jeffery has a lot of potential. Earl Bennett is good and can play in the slot where he has had a lot of success. Devin Hester might just be returning kicks and punts for 2013. I like the Bears wide out group but they are looking for a fast receiver.
Defensive tackle- Henry Melton is coming off of a pro bowl season and the Bears also have Stephen Paea who was a second round pick in 2011. Melton has the franchise tag and could become a free agent after this season and Paea does not have a lot of playing time as a starter.
Defensive end- Shea McClellin was the Bears 2012 first round pick so one side of the defensive line could be set for the future. At the same time, as great as Julius Peppers is, he is 33 years old. Corey Wootton's contract will expire after this season and only has one season as a starter in his injury riddled career.
Quarterback- As much as I like Jay Cutler, the only thing that matters is if Phil Emery and Marc Trestman like him. Cutler's contract will expire after this season so they might look at this as the time to draft a quarterback to sit on the bench and learn this season and then start next season.
Also, the Bears only have Jay Cutler and Josh McCown on their roster and Matt Blanchard was on the practice squad last season. Even if the Bears extend Jay Cutler, it wouldn't hurt for them to try and find a quarterback that they think will be a reliable backup.
My Mock Draft:
*The Bears their 1st round pick (20th overall) for a late 1st round pick and a 3rd round pick (teams that might trade up are: Falcons, Texans)*
1. Arthur Brown - LB - Kansas State
I do not think that either Jonathan Cooper or Chance Warmack will be available at the Bears pick even if they do not trade down and draft at 20.
DJ Williams and James Anderson both signed one year deals. Lance Briggs is in his thirties and Brian Urlacher is now gone. Adding a linebacker would help. Even though the strongside linebacker is usually a two down position, Brown could get some good playing time in before he is moved to middle or weakside linebacker in the future.
2. Larry Warford- OG - Kentucky
Matt Slauson signed a one year deal with the Bears and he is the only for sure guard that will start for the Bears at the moment. Warford could come in and start at right guard this season and then move to left guard for the 2014 season
3. Ryan Swope - WR - Texas A&M
The Bears receiving group is good but the Bears need a speed element if Devin Hester will only be used on special teams.
4. Khaled Holmes - C - USC
Robert Garza is in his thirties and his contract expires after this season. A lot of teams find their starting centers in the later rounds. Holmes could be one of those players.
5. Zac Dysert - QB - Miami Ohio
The Bears need another quarterback on their roster. Dysert should be available at this pick and he is a mobile quarterback. The Bears will be fine at quarterback if they bring back Jay Cutler and if Dysert ends up being a reliable backup.
6. Cory Grissom - DT - USF
Usually 1-3 picks are expected to make some sort of impact during their rookie season and picks 4-7 are usually depth picks. Henry Melton loses the franchise tag after this season and Stephen Paea and Nate Collins do not have much starting time
What I think the Bears will do:
1. Arthur Brown - LB - Kansas State
The Bears brought Brown in for a visit. They need a linebacker for the future. Brown is also an athletic linebacker, which the Bears happen to like as well.
Other options: Arthur Brown - LB - Kansas State, Manti Te'o - LB - Notre Dame, Robert Woods - WR - USC, Tavon Austin - WR - West Virginia, Keenan Allen - WR - California, Cordarrelle Patterson - WR - Tennessee DJ Fluker - OT - Alabama, Desmond Trufant - CB - Washington, Jamar Taylor - CB - Boise State, Datone Jones - DE - UCLA, Sheldon Richardson - DT - Missouri, Kevin Minter, LB - LSU, Tyler Eifert - TE - Notre Dame
2. Ryan Swope - WR - Texas A&M
The Bears brought Swope in for a visit. Phil Emery also said adding a speed receiver would be one of the teams goals this off season.
Other options: Travis Frederick - C - Wisconsin, Larry Warford - OG - Kentucky, Kyle Long - OG - Oregon, Damontre Moore - DE - Texas A&M, Alex Okafor - DE - Texas, Kawann Short - DT - Purdue, David Amerson - CB - NC State. Johnathan Franklin - RB - UCLA, Montee Ball - RB - Wisconsin, Justin Hunter - WR - Tennessee, Terrance Williams - WR - Baylor, EJ Manuel - QB - Florida State, Brian Schwenke - C - California,
4. Brandon McGee - CB - Miami
The Bears brought McGee in for a private workout. In fact, if I remember correctly he was one of the first players the Bears were interested in (workouts/interviews/visits.) He may have been the first player that the Bears were interested in. Even if he is someone that doesn't start, the Bears could use depth for the future considering Tillman, Jennings, Hayden all have expiring contracts after this season.
Other options: BW Webb - CB - William & Mary, John Simon - DE - Ohio State, Lavar Edwards - DE - LSU, Akeem Spence - DT - Illinois, Zaviar Gooden - LB - Missouri, AJ Klein - LB - Iowa State, Vinston Painter - OT - Virginia Tech, Landry Jones - QB - Oklahoma, Ace Sanders - WR - South Carolina, Stepfan Taylor - RB - Stanford, Kenny Stills - WR - Oklahoma
5. Reid Fragel - OT - Ohio State
The Bears brought Fragel in for a private workout. Depending on whether or not Gabe Carimi can be moved to guard, the Bears might want to add a backup tackle to either Bushrod or Webb.
Other Options: Sanders Commings - CB - Georgia, Michael Buchanan - DE - Illinois, Jordan Hill - DT - Penn State, Nick Williams - DT - Samford, Nico Johnson - LB - Alabama, Jeff Baca - OG - UCLA, Lerentee McCray - LB - Florida, Gerald Hodges -LB - Penn State, Oday Aboushi - OT - Virginia Tech, Ricky Wagner - OT - Wisconsin, Xaviar Nixon - OT - Florida, Zach Dysert - QB - Miami Ohio, Kenjon Barner - RB - Oregon, Josh Boyce - WR - TCU
6. Robert Lester - S Alabama
Looking at the list of players that the Bears have either interview/worked out/brought in for a visit, Lester could simply just be the best player available out of the players on the Bears list.
Other Options: Braxston Cave - C - Notre Dame, Nickell Robey - CB - USC, Steve Williams - CB - California, Johnny Adams - CB - Michigan State, Devin Taylor - DE - South Carolina, Corey Grissom - DT - USF, Lawrence Okoye, Brandon Magee - LB - Arizona State, Garrett Gilkey - OT - Chadron State, Jordan Mills - OT - Louisiana Tech, Dennis Johnson - RB - Arkansas, Denard Robinson - WR/QB - Michigan
Undrafted Free Agents:
Ray Graham - RB - Pittsburgh
Stefphon Jefferson - RB - Nevada
TJ Moe - WR - Missouri (Fast receiver, also a return specialist)
Collin Klein - QB - Kansas State (2012 Heisman Candidate)
Thanks to these links:
