The Chicago Bears draft season appeared to conclude back in late April with the selection of Stephen Denmark in the 7th round. All told the team appears happy with their 2019 class. It’s headlined by three players they’re particularly excited about in running back David Montgomery, wide receiver Riley Ridley, and cornerback Duke Shelley. All of whom they feel have the long-term capability to become quality NFL starters.
Thus far signs out of practice would seem to reinforce that belief. One would think GM Ryan Pace can take a breath and relax for the next month or so. His draft work is done, right? Well, maybe. July 10th will provide an answer to that question. It will be the day the NFL holds its annual Supplemental draft. An event where players who weren’t eligible to make it in April have a chance to apply for entry to the league.
Normally the circumstances for this are based around either academic issues or some sort of NCAA rules violation. Nobody can call it a prime avenue for finding premier players but every once in a while, teams have found quality talent worth investing in. Josh Gordon, Terrelle Pryor, and Ahmad Brooks are some of the most recent examples. So is there anybody worth noting that the Bears may have interest in?
Chicago Bears draft plans will center around two players
The way things stand, it appears the consensus is two players in the supplemental class are worth the attention of teams. One is West Virginia wide receiver Marcus Simms and the other is Washington State safety Jalen Thompson. Simms had a rather bland three years for the Mountaineers, posting 663 and 699 yards over his final two seasons there. His big draw is an athletic upside. He has good size at 6’0 and has been clocked in the 40-yard dash as low as 4.40. So he has speed too.
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However, after making several additions to the receiver position this offseason it’s unlikely the Bears would consider Simms.
If they were to make a move, it would likely be for Thompson. The young safety has a nice blend of skills. He’s both aggressive as a tackler and run defender and has the instinct and quickness to react in coverage. He finished with six interceptions in his final two seasons with an additional 10 passes defended and 8.5 tackles for a loss. A key reason the Bears would be interested is the state of their safety position.
No fewer than three of its current members in Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Deon Bush, and DeAndre Houston-Carson will be free agents in 2020. Added a young player like Thompson would give them some flexibility at that position next offseason. It will come down to whether the Bears are willing to spend one of their 2020 draft picks in order to get him.
