With the 39 pick of the NFL draft the Chicago Bears select?

There are many different paths the Bears can go. They need a pass rusher, defensive tackle, offensive line, cornerback, safety, and of course wide receiver. The Bears also have the 48, 71,148,150, and 186 pick of the draft. So, in total 6 picks for the draft to fill in all the holes.

If the Bears go wide receiver, they will probably pick Skyy Moore of Western Michigan or Christian Watson of North Dakota State. Watson is 6 feet 4 inches tall with outstanding speed who has long arms and big hands. He flashed route running at the Senior Bowl. Moore is 5 feet 10 inches tall, elusive wide out who is excellent at beating the press coverage. Moore also has the speed to beat the defense deep.

Let’s say they go Cornerback at 39, Kyler Gordon Six feet tall out of Washington should be there. Gordon has quick feet and good ball skills. He does have the tendency to gamble though. He is a decent tackler against the run. Or they could go with Roger McCreary out of Auburn. McCreary is 5 foot 11 inches tall, who can stick 1 on 1 with his quick feet. He is Ideal for defense that puts press on man or a cover three defense. He does need to play more physical on run defense (improve tackling).  I would have said Andrew Booth Jr. out of Clemson earlier but I believe he will be taken by 39. If he falls, he’s a versatile corner. He is a playmaker and attacks the ball like a wide receiver. He is willing to fly up and help on the run.

At Safety the Bears should look hard at Jalen Pitre if he still available there. Pitre can play both safety positions. He has outstanding closing speed in coverage. He jumps routes and plucks the ball away from receivers. He is very good open field tackler who slips the gaps and flies all over the field. Could be a big help to get Eddie Jackson back on his game.

The offensive line needs help. The best available after round one is Bernhard Raimann out of Central Michigan. Raimann is 6-feet 6-inch 300-pound tackle.  He is effective run blocker who plays with a nasty streak. He has great upper body strength and shut down pass rusher. Still needs to improve technique. Another offensive lineman to look at is Abraham Lucas out of Washington State. Lucas is 6-foot 6-inch 315-pound right tackle that he walls off defenders. He is smooth getting to the second level. And has the speed for zone blocking. On the interior Cameron Jurgens, a 6-foot 3-inch center from Nebraska. Jurgens has long arms and excellent range. He will block to the end of the whistle. He needs to work on his zone blocking and his footwork.

What about the defensive line? The Bears traded Khalil Mack to the Chargers, opening a spot for the Bears to need a pass rusher. The Bears already needed a tackle, so they need to rebuild their line. Arnold Ebiketie a 6-foot 2-inch defensive end out of Penn State, who has long arms and keep the offensive line from locking him up. If he does not win the initial battle, he does counter very well. Has trouble against the run but finds ways to stays in pursuit. Another end the Bears should look at is Josh Paschal, a 6-foot 3-inch man that has low center of gravity. He gets off blocks well and locates the ball. He does well attack on the inside of the line. He was Kentucky only 3-time captain in school history. On the tackle side 6-foot 4-inch out of Oklahoma Perrion Winfrey comes to my mind. He is a disruptive in the run. He does struggle at finishing plays but has more impact at rushing the passer than his stats show.  Another tackle to look at is Travis Jones out of UConn. Jones is primarily a nose tackle, so he really does not fit the new bears scheme of a 4-3 defense. Because he has speed and is 6-foot 3-inches tall with 325 pounds it has forced teams to double team him that might get teams to try him in the 4-3 scheme and have like a Roquan Smith come up and make the tackle.

Then there is pick the best player available to your board. David Ojabo linebacker out Michigan could be available but again he belongs in more 3-4 defense, also he tore his Achilles at his pro work out so he could fall.

But this is what I would do if I was Ryan Poles, I would trade down probably with Kansas City Chiefs or the Green Bay Packers and get both of their second-round picks. Or at least one of their second and a third or fourth round picks to this year draft. The Bears need more capital and the way to do that is get more picks. Remember not every pick works out so if you can add more depth to the team. The Bears still have 48, and if you can get Kansas City 5oth and 62, or Green Bays 53^rd or 59^th this would rally help the Bears solidify their options.

Patrick Delaney

Sports the way I See it.