Chicago Bears draft plans remain a huge mystery. It’s become a sort of running joke at how much effort GM Ryan Pace puts into masking his real intentions. His maneuver to get Mitch Trubisky last year was considered a masterstroke of draft espionage by two Hall of Fame GMs. Suffice to say there’s just no telling what Pace is going to do.
He’s traded up in each of the past two drafts. Could he do it again? Or what about a trade down? The Bears don’t have a third round pick this year. It would make sense to try to recoup it. Then again Pace himself has said he doesn’t like to pass up opportunities to get a serious difference-maker for his team. A trade down would do that.
Conventional wisdom says the Bears stay at #8. If that’s the case, who could they possibly have in mind for that pick? Odds are they have a short list of names in mind. Perhaps as many as five or six. However, they likely have a couple favorites.
MMQB tags two names as prime Chicago Bears draft targets at #8
Albert Breer of the MMQB sat down in his latest podcast to talk about what he’s hearing with the top 10 teams in the draft and who they’re targeting. Once he got to the Bears there was no surprise, at least at first.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
“Number eight, the Chicago Bears, the names I’ve heard connected to them? Quenton Nelson. That makes a lot of sense because Harry Hiestand, the former Notre Dame offensive line coach is now the Bears offensive line coach. He coached Nelson over the last four years.
Nelson would make a lot of sense for the Bears at number eight. If Denzel Ward, the corner from Ohio State is there and Nelson is not? I think Ward would be a strong consideration to be that pick.”
Nelson is the hot name among Bears fans. For good reason too. Many draft experts consider him the best overall prospect in the class. He’s a hulking, athletic guard with a nasty streak who rarely makes mistakes in his blocking. He’d plug in at next to Cody Whitehair right away and likely be a Pro Bowler for the next decade.
Ward, on the other hand, is a mild surprise. At 5’10” he doesn’t exhibit the desired size defensive coordinator Vic Fangio seems to covet. Then again there’s no denying in terms of pure talent that Ward has special qualities. He ran a 4.32 in the 40-yard dash and jumped 39 inches in the vertical. He’s a rare athlete who showed at Ohio State that he can match up against anybody in man coverage and shut them down. Still, he struggles against bigger receivers both in pass and run situations.
He would be a tremendous addition alongside Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara, but it’s little wonder that Nelson is the preferred target. Taking an undersized corner that high carries risks.
