First-year head coach Matt Nagy led a revitalized Bears team back to the playoffs in 2018, but can Chicago navigate having little draft capital to contend again next season? Despite a heartbreaking way to end their season in 2018, the Chicago Bears engineered one of the league’s most impressive turnarounds and look to be a team to reckon with in 2019 and beyond. One drawback to the Bears’ sudden success is that it cost a good deal of draft capital to get it done, particularly from the trade for superstar Khalil Mack. In fact, the Bears head into the 2019 NFL Draft with the least draft capital of any team in the league. Not only that, but the Bears must content with the fact that they’ll enter free agency with just around $13 million in cap space, per Over The Cap. These are challenges that GM Ryan Pace must successfully navigate in order to keep the Bears in contention next year. The team has already addressed one potential need with the contract extension of right tackle Bobby Massie, but likely will lose two valuable pieces in their secondary in Bryce Callahan and Adrian Amos. So while it may be a relatively quiet offseason for the Bears, here is how the team could approach the 2019 NFL Draft: 3rd Round 88 Jalen Jelks EDGE, Oregon In a draft loaded with talented EDGE prospects but no selections until the third round, the Bears are in a bit of a tough wait-and-see position when it comes to drafting to improve their pass rush. One name who could be enticing for Chicago in the middle rounds is Oregon’s Jalen Jelks, a player with whom they’ve already met with during the draft process at the Senior Bowl. Jelks (6-foot-5, 256 pounds) has length for days (34 5/8-inch arms) and while he isn’t one of the more explosive players in the class, he could be a valuable weapon for the Bears from the outside in pass rush situations. While he isn’t the most powerful guy in the world and probably won’t be of much help in the run game, he possesses enough bend and quick-twitch traits to believe in your ability to develop him as a pass rusher. Jelks had a bit of a disappointing senior season in 2018 for the Ducks after a stellar junior campaign in which he racked up 15.5 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks. If the Bears think they can coach that junior campaign out of him at the NFL level, he could be an excellent third-round pick with most of the elite EDGE prospects already off the board.<doc-sep>Even though the usual buzz around the NFL Draft is missing for some Chicago Bears’ fans, that doesn’t change the importance from the team’s standpoint. Ryan Pace and his scouting staff will be working as hard as ever to make sure they maximize their five selections this year. The Bears don’t have many pressing needs that they HAVE to hit on in the draft, so we could see Pace stick to a best player available strategy and just get good solid football players to bolster the depth on his roster. Or we could see him go the other way for a change, and roll the dice on high upside types. Either way, the draft is sure to be interesting. We’ll also likely see Pace trade around the board, which could add to the excitement, and don’t be surprised to see him use some future picks to do so. For my first Bears’ mock draft this offseason I used a new simulator to the game and I thought it provided a good peek at the process. The Draft Network rolled out their sim this offseaosn and it’s been receiving a lot of play on social media. A quick reminder about mock drafts; they are all wrong. All of them. Even this one. Simulating or guessing exactly how a board will fall is an impossible task. I may hit on a few picks, but for the most part these are exercises to learn about some prospects the Bears could be interested in. For this specific mock I picked with the assumption that the Bears are likely to trade running back Jordan Howard. Since I can’t make that deal on The Draft Network’s sim to pick up an extra selection, you’ll just have to use your imagination to determine what could be the return for Howard. I also stuck fairly close to the board that I used as the players fell. I dropped down a few times when the top positions available came at a spot the Bears should have no need for. To see my full draft board you can click here, and to see how I picked keep on reading. Round 3 - Pick 87: Miles Sanders, RB, Penn State The Bears will be looking for some more versatility at the running back position, and Sanders could provide that. After being kept behind Saquon Barkley early in his college career, Sanders was finally given the keys to the car in 2018 and he ran for 1,274 yards with a 5.8 average. He also caught 24 passes last year, but more importantly he looked like a natural receiver out of the backfield. Penn State even lined him up out wide on occasion. At 5’ 11” and 211 pounds, he’s not simply an undersized third down specialist, plus the low mileage could be beneficial to his long term career. Round 4 - Pick 126: Marquise Blair, S, Utah Whether or not Adrian Amos is resigned, safety depth is always a need. Blair looks more like a free safety (6’1”, 195), but he plays with an aggressive (sometimes too aggressive) streak. “Blair plays the game with an aggressive field demeanor that fuels his passion to race into the action, ready to strike on sight’” writes NFL.com’s Lance Zierleine. “However, his lack of discipline hurt his team with targeting penalties and by over-running responsibilities against the run and pass.” Round 5 - Pick 162: Myles Gaskin, RB, Washington It wasn’t my intention to double down at the position, but Gaskin (5’8”, 205) was high on the board when I was picking and he fit the “prototype” for what the Bears could use. If my third round pick of Sanders is replacing Howard, then Gaskin would replace Taquan Mizzell. I have a feeling that head coach Matt Nagy would prefer a running back by committee, so getting two fresh faces to pair with Tarik Cohen makes sense. Round 7 - Pick 222: Jordan Brailford, EDGE, Oklahoma State You can never have enough pass rushers and Brailford had 10 sacks in 2018. From an athletic standpoint, he was top ten at the combine among edge defenders in the forty, the broad jump, bench press and vertical jump. Those explosive traits will need honing at the next level, but he has some workable tools. Round 7 - Pick 238: Mark Fields, CB, Clemson Fields had the second fastest forty (4.37) and the second most reps on the bench (18) among corners at the NFL Combine. With his quickness and size (5’10”) his NFL home will likely be as a nickleback. He may need some time to work on his technique after only playing in 12 games the last two years, but as the saying goes, you can’t teach speed. I'm told many NFL scouts believe Clemson's Mark Fields is the best cover corner in the southeast. He's played well during 1v1's, got beat deep twice but recovered both times to break up the pass pic.twitter.com/nGDUczxB3y — Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) January 22, 2019 Check out how my mock board fell at The Draft Network and let me know who you would have taken.<doc-sep>Mock drafts are flying around fast and furious, but most projections you’ll find only go one round, and they often steer clear of predicting any draft-day trades. But the NFL draft is about far more than the first 32 selections, as teams continue to find impact players far beyond the first round. And if you’re a fan of the New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys or Chicago Bears, one-round mock drafts don’t give you much to talk about. It’s also unfathomable to have a first round without some big trades, so it only makes sense to project some deals that could potentially go down on in the early going of draft weekend. With those things in mind, here’s an updated look at how the first four rounds of the 2019 NFL draft could shake out: 1. Arizona Cardinals | Quinnen Williams | DL | Alabama If the Cardinals aren’t able to sell this pick for a king’s ransom, they’ll be picking between two elite defenders. So, what breaks the tie? How about the fact that Arizona already has one of the league’s best edge rushers in Chandler Jones, who would benefit even further from a dominant interior presence like Williams. 2. San Francisco 49ers | Nick Bosa | EDGE | Ohio State Any scenario that leaves Bosa on the board for the 49ers would be a dream scenario for general manager John Lynch and his crew. Getting the top overall prospect in the draft any later than the No. 1 overall pick is a steal, and it just happens to fill San Francisco’s biggest need. 3. New York Jets | Josh Allen | EDGE | Kentucky The Jets either need to get someone to get after the quarterback with this pick, or someone to protect their own. In this scenario, the better value is on defense, where new coach Adam Gase lands a versatile, productive edge defender in Allen. 4. Jacksonville Jaguars (from OAK)* | Dwayne Haskins | QB | Ohio State The Blake Bortles experiment is over, and the Jags desperately need to make a bold move to secure a new franchise quarterback. They’re likely to find a willing trade partner in the Raiders, who keep adding premium picks by getting at least a second-round pick and a third-round pick from Jacksonville in this deal. 5. Denver Broncos (from TB)* | Drew Lock | QB | Missouri Sorry, but I’m not buying the addition of a 34-year-old Joe Flacco as evidence the Broncos won’t be targeting a quarterback of the future early in this draft. Lock has all the physical tools to be a franchise passer, and John Elway knows he needs a long-term solution at the game’s most important position. In return for his picks in the second and third rounds this year, and likely another Day 2 pick next year, Elway gets his man. 6. Miami Dolphins (from NYG)* | Kyler Murray | QB | Oklahoma If you want a top quarterback prospect, you’re gonna have to trade up to get him. After a pair of teams do just that in this scenario, the Dolphins can’t afford to wait any longer, pulling the trigger and landing arguably the most dynamic talent in this entire class. Giving up at least their Day 2 picks will be worth it if Murray can replicate the success that won him the Heisman Trophy. 7. Oakland Raiders (from JAX)* | Devin White | LB | LSU After moving back a few spots and adding even more picks, Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden still land a player that could have gotten strong consideration at their original slot. White is exactly the kind of difference-maker the Raiders desperately need at the heart of their defense. 8. Detroit Lions | Greedy Williams | CB | LSU There are needs at every level for this defense, but finding a stud corner to line up opposite Darius Slay should be high on the list. While Williams is still learning how to maximize his physical skills, he has the height, length and athleticism to be a star at the next level. 9. Atlanta Falcons (from BUF)* | Ed Oliver | DL | Houston Trading into the top 10 for an interior defensive lineman isn’t common, but neither is Oliver. A versatile playmaker with rare explosiveness and athleticism for his size, Oliver was once projected as a lock to be this year’s top overall pick. In this scenario, the Falcons deal their second-round pick and fourth-round pick to make sure the division-rival Bucs can’t land him at No. 10. 10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from DEN)* | Jonah Williams | OT | Alabama After moving back and adding additional picks, the Bucs barely miss out on Oliver, but end up with another talented prospect at a bigger position of need. Williams would be an immediate upgrade over right tackle Demar Dotson, who isn’t getting any younger and has struggled to stay healthy. Williams could also be the long-term solution at left tackle if Donovan Smith doesn’t get an extension.<doc-sep>The 2019 NFL combine is in the books. And while several prospects pushed their draft stock into the first round, others saw their once-promising valuation slide into Day 2 and beyond. The Bears won’t be in the mix for any of this year’s premier players because of last year’s trades for Khalil Mack and Anthony Miller, but that doesn’t mean they can’t add a few valuable prospects from the third round on. Let’s take a swing at what a complete Bears draft haul could look like now that the scouting combine is over.<doc-sep>
With one of the most notable events in the NFL Draft process having wrapped up, it’s time for an updated Chicago Bears 2019 NFL Mock Draft. This year, the NFL scouting combine was different for the Chicago Bears. For the first time in the Ryan Pace era, the Bears are not going to have a first or second-round pick meaning it’s hard to predict what the team will do when they are finally on the clock in April. However, there are many things that we know about the Bears as their quest to add talent through the NFL Draft continues. First, the Bears are likely going to draft a running back. General Manager Ryan Pace reported that the team has met with multiple running backs. With multiple trade rumors swirling around Jordan Howard and one report even saying that the Bears received a third-round pick for Howard in October, it seems as if the team is getting ready to move on from Howard and add another running back. Second, the Bears could also look to bolster the offensive line, considering they met with a few offensive linemen. We already know who the Bears starters are going to be on the offensive line in 2019, but the team could look to add some depth. And third, the team is going to put heavy emphasis into finding a kicker. It’s clear that the Bears Wild Card Loss to the Eagles is still fresh on the minds of Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy. With the team announcing last week that they are set to move on from Cody Parkey after just one season, the team could use the draft to find their next kicker. Overall, the goal of this NFL Draft for the Bears is to add talent to a roster that has relatively few needs. Pace and Nagy will do whatever it takes if it means the Bears have a chance at playing in Super Bowl LIV. With the 2019 NFL Draft just over a month away, below is a Chicago Bears post combine NFL Mock Draft.