The latest mock up from ESPN’s design-tastic duo, Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay, make them spin three rounds while pecking alternately, and they let the Chicago Bears go in an interesting direction.
Not only do they have the Bears ignoring the line of attack and the quarterback, but they also let them double dip in a position on day two, and they let the Bears take a risk at 20 overall with a player coming off the back surgery.
Here’s how they have it for the Bears.
Round 1, pick 20
McShay’s Pick: Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
I don’t see any offensive tackles for Chicago here, even though I would get a little bit, and the Day 1 quarterbacks are off the board. So with Desmond Trufant on a one-year contract, I think Farley – probably the top corner of the class – will be a running mate of Jaylon Johnson for years to come.
Had Farley not had a microdiscectomy last month, he could have been the top corner of the board, but back surgery, however minor, is a concern. It was an outpatient procedure that, according to the Mayo Clinic, is “to remove the damaged portion of a hernia in your spine.”
If he stays healthy, he can work with Jaylon Johnson for years to come, but Johnson has his own concerns about a history of shoulder problems.
My husband at this point in the draft would be Oklahoma State Bitches Jenkins offensive tackle, which Kiper heads to Green Bay at 29, but if it has to be a corner I think the safer choice is Greg Newsome II from Northwestern.
Round 2, pick 52
McShay’s Pick: Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue
If Mel Davis hadn’t taken Mills at number 51, I would have had him written in pencil here. I’m not ready to get to Texas A & M’s Kellen Mond or Florida’s Kyle Trask yet, so I’ll make sure Andy Dalton gets another playmaker. Moore has a rare speed and burst.
I wouldn’t be surprised to go out wide on Day 2, and Moore’s 4.29 forty speed would be a welcome addition to any receiver room. He may be on the small side at 5’7 ”, 181 pounds, but he plays as fast as he tests and is electric with the ball in his hands.
They have offensive linemen Dillon Radunz of North Dakota and Alex Leatherwood of Alabama who turn 54 and 55, respectively.
Round 3, pick 83
Kiper’s Choice: Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, USC
I know McShay gave the Bears Rondale Moore in Round 2, but they need to get Andy Dalton all the help they can. St. Brown had 178 catches in the past three seasons and he knows how to open.
I’d love to see the Bears get St. Brown in the third, but not after getting a wide out earlier. If the Bears had gone with one of those aforementioned offensive linemen on the latter pick, this one would have made more sense to me. I think a wide double dip is a possibility, especially with Anthony Miller on the trading bloc, but not in the second and third.
What would you think of this trio if the Bears headed this way next week?