WAB Bears Mock V2

[wab]

Couple changes.

Outside of the first couple of rounds, I really don't like the secondary talent in this draft, so I dropped DB thinking the Bears will restructure Prince or give Toliver a chance at a full time gig.

Once the final order is set, I'll work up a full two or three rounder.

In the meantime... here you go.

R2: Brycen Hopkins, TE, Purdue - 6'5" 245 lbs

Hopkins is on of my favorite players in the draft, and he happens to play a position of great need (uncertainty?) for the Bears. He's fluid and athletic and is probably the most advanced route runner in the draft. He's super inconsistent though. He'll make wicked catches one minute and then will clap at balls the next. Rankings may vary, but Round 2 seems like it's going to be the right spot for the TE's to start coming off of the board.

R2: Hakeem Adeniji, OL, Kansas - 6'5" 310 lbs

I can only assume that the Bears will employ more of a stretch zone approach, and Adeniji is a perfect fit. He understands angles and positioning and plays with tremendous leverage. He's definitely more of a technician than a pure pass protector or mauler. Four year starter, primarily at left tackle, but does offer positional flexibility.

R4 (Comp): Cole Van Lanen, OL, Wisconsin - 6'5" 312 lbs

This dude is a load in the running game, and it wouldn't surprise me if he came off the board earlier in the draft. Plenty of natural power, and looks to bury opponents in the ground. Technique is a bit of a mess though. He played left tackle at Wisconsin but projects to a RT or guard in the NFL due to lack of foot speed for the blind side. Kind of a poor man's Quenton Nelson, but smaller.

R5: Bryce Perkins, QB, Virginia - 6'3" 215 lbs

Good size with a pretty live arm and has an incredible ability to extend plays. Sees the field well, but isn't asked to work through progressions much. Not very accurate on the move. Has some really exciting tools, but needs some mechanical refinement.

R5: Patrick Jones, EDGE, Pittsburgh - 6'5" 260 lbs

Incredible ability to convert speed to power. High motor guy who uses his length and hands well and has a wide array of moves and gets consistent pressure. Unfortunately that pressure doesn’t always translate to sack production. He’s a little stiff and doesn’t have much experience in dropping back in coverage. Would play the Aaron Lynch role and would give the Bears some versatility in sub packages.

R5: Tyrie Cleveland, WR, Florida - 6'2" 205 lbs

Cleveland is a fun player to watch but needs a lot of work. He’s currently a one trick pony - strictly a vertical deep threat with limited experience running a full route tree. But if he gets a corner on a 9 route, it’s over. Would come in as a package player who would need some time and patience, but could be a steal.

R6: Justin Strnad, LB, Wake Forest - 6'3" 235 lbs

3 or the Bears top 4 LB's are pending free agents. I expect Kwit to be back, but KPL may have played him self into a decent contract on the open market. Strnad is an excellent tackler with a nose for the ball. Extremely athletic player in the middle with good football intelligence. Shoulder injury knocks him down the board a little, but he should be ready to go.

R7: Ty Chandler, RB, Tennessee - 5'11" 205 lbs

Similar to Cleveland, he’s a situational player at this point. Good hands, good burst, and ok vision. He’s got some toughness to him and is willing to initiate contact but isn’t particularly built for inside running. He’d be a solid hedge against Cohen leaving after next season.

[G08]

I like Hopkins a lot and could even see him being groomed this year to take over Burton's job in 2021.

[UOK]

Hopkins looks like Adam Shaheen, except he can play football.

Hakeem Adeniji intrigues me, but Kevin White also never was injured in college. Because he's seemingly overlooked, I wonder if he'd be there in a later round?

Cole Van Lanen seems like a big mean son of a bitch, which is nice, and necessary too considering Long's absence. Team could use a firebrand.

I've given my thoughts on Perkins elsewhere. I'd love the pick. Guy is a total wild card, but the position needs some electricity if Trubisky shits the bed again. He's definitely got some wattage.

Patrick Jones I like, but he's Roquan-like in that his highlights betray his talent because they're not overly flashy. Could be a decent get.

Tyrie Cleveland seems like a poor man's Anthony Miller. Well, considering Miller's shoulders, maybe he's just a regular man's Anthony Miller.

Strnad seems like the right type of player to push Iyiegbuniwe. I like the pick.

Ty Chandler doesn't do much for me. I wouldn't be upset with the pick, but I feel like you could get more out of Nall, Whyte, or a UDFA.

[mmmc_35]

Cole Van Lanen will probably return. As a Badger fan, I think that dude has a big future at RT.

[The Marshall Plan]

I would've switched the slots where QB and TE are picked, but otherwise as usual @wab does an excellent job of writing up and explaining his draft.

Drafting a TE so early just seems like a trap to me especially when the OL is such a disaster.

I'm guessing Van Laren would be the RG(?), but where would you project Adeniji?

[wab]

I would've switched the slots where QB and TE are picked, but otherwise as usual @wab does an excellent job of writing up and explaining his draft.

Drafting a TE so early just seems like a trap to me especially when the OL is such a disaster.

I'm guessing Van Laren would be the RG(?), but where would you project Adeniji?

Thanks man. I pulled these out of the 2 round mock I have been working on, and Hopkins was one of the better players on the board, so that's why I slotted TE in there.

In this scenario (not taking into account any FA moves), Adeniji would start at RG with the potential to move out to LT when Leno is gone. Van Lanen is versatile enough to back up any position on the OL and eventually take over at RG (should Adeniji move to LT) or RT after moving on from Massie.

With the Bears OL being in kind of a weird spot with players locked up for now but a couple of them almost certainly departing after the upcoming season, it was really about taking two players with positional flexibility.

[BR0D1E86]

Ty Chandler doesn't do much for me. I wouldn't be upset with the pick, but I feel like you could get more out of Nall, Whyte, or a UDFA.

Whyte is gone. He got picked up off our practice squad during the season by the Steelers.