ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. finally rolled out his first official mock draft of the off-season. It was and remains one of the most highly-anticipated releases each year. It’s heavy on intrigue for the Chicago Bears since they hold the #8 overall pick in the draft. So it is undoubtedly worth hearing where Kiper might think they go with what will be their fourth-straight top 10 selection barring an unexpected move.
The draft itself started out as expected. There was an early run on quarterbacks. Perhaps the biggest surprise was Wyoming standout Josh Allen going first overall to Cleveland. This despite serious concerns about Allen in terms of his accuracy and decision-making. Regardless the rest of the picks before Chicago played out relatively as expected.
Kiper then did what he does best. He made the obvious choice.
*Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama
“Chicago has to add weapons for Mitchell Trubisky, and Ridley is the best receiver in this class by a mile. If the Bears can get a pass-catcher here — and don’t upgrade in free agency — Ridley makes the most sense. If he had played in a better passing offense, he could have been a Biletnikoff winner. He’s extremely talented.”
Mel Kiper selection of Calvin Ridley is logical but ignores big problem
It makes perfect sense that the Bears would target a wide receiver early in this draft. One could argue they had the worst receiving corps in the NFL in 2017. Their leading pass catcher was Kendall Wright with 614 yards. The last time Chicago had a 1,000-yard receiver was 2014. It’s plainly obvious they need better weapons.
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Ridley though might not be an option at #8. Why? Kiper is ignoring one critical factor that may turn teams in the top 10 off from drafting him. Ridley will turn 24-years old in 2018. That’s old for an NFL rookie. Teams prefer not to invest such valuable picks in players who might have a shorter career, regardless of their talent or readiness to play.
Perhaps that changes in the pre-draft process but as things stand it’s hard to imagine the Bears going that direction. Factor in free agency there’s a strong chance their glaring need for a wide receiver won’t be as pressing by the time the draft begins. Given the strengths of the edge rusher and offensive line groups, it feels like those directions are far more likely.
We’ll see if Kiper starts to reach that same conclusion in the months to come.
