Bear Digest

Finding Bears Needed Offensive Help

The 3.0 version of the BearDigest mock draft made one key trade for an extra Round 3 pick and provided Justin Fields with more help on offense in multiple ways.

Gene Chamberlain

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Getting Justin Fields help remains the underlying theme to this draft for the Bears even as their defense also requires bolstering.

Some of their defensive holes might go unaddressed in the draft unless they're able to manufacture extra picks with more trades down. This much has become apparent now through this mock and two earlier ones.

The cornerback supply is fine but the quality is limited in numbers and taking receivers and offensive lineman will prevent the Bears from coming up with a way to adequately solve a real issue from last year, their atrocious pass coverage.

Still, the main directive remains making Fields better and offensive line help as well as receiver help are critical  here. Losing the chance to nab restricted free agent Ryan Bates hurt in this regard. One of the two receiver signings so far, Equanimeous St. Brown, arrives without much fanfare at all and with a minimum contract for one year. How much can be expected from him?

With that in mind, mock draft 3.0 began and the hope was acquiring another pick or two for Day 2 or in the fourth round to cover a big gap in the draft  between pick No. 71 and No. 148, in addition to getting offensive help.

Without a first-round pick still, the Bears miss out on the best wide receivers and tackles as expected, and a team in need of more players isn't trading up to target one player.

Round 2, No. 39

WR Skyy Moore, Western Michigan

Chosen with a bit of trepidation because last year's big Western Michigan phenom at receiver, D'Wayne Eskridge, struggled to 10 rookie receptions, Moore was the pick here because the Bears can use an explosive slot receiver besides an X-receiver. Moore is 5-foot-10, 195 and very good gaining yards after the catch, something the Bears struggled with for four years under Matt Nagy and were particularly bad at last year when they finished 30th in team yards gained after the catch. Moore ran a 4.41-second 40 so he is a breakaway threat. He is one of those names surging on the draft boards in early April. For this mock at least, he had a grade for early second or late first round.

Round 2, No. 62

LB Brian Asamoah, Oklahoma

The goal is still getting more picks and best available. The Bears here made a trade down quite a ways but stayed in Round 2 using No. 48, the pick they obtained for Khalil Mack. The trade is realistic because they went to Kansas City to make it, Ryan Poles' old team. The Chiefs are loaded with picks this year, eight of them in the top 135. Look for Poles to make calls to them as he tries to trade down for extra help. In this case, trading down but staying in Round 2 supplied an extra third-round pick at No. 94.

Asamoah wasn't necessarily the desired position for a player here but the better X-receivers had been taken and the only tackle available was Washington State's Abraham Lucas, who is a good pass blocker but not a fit for an outside zone running scheme at all. The Bears lack answers at linebacker even though they tout Nicholas Morrow as a steal. Morrow isn't even 220 pounds, has a one-year contract and is good for pass defense but no real help defending the run. Asamoah is a more traditional inside or middle linebacker, someone who could be on the field in passing situations with Roquan Smith, or could be on strong side covering tight ends when Morrow is covering the middle of the zone in passing situations. Smith, of course, will be the Will. Asamoah's grade here was far higher than No. 62 and he helps bolster their atrocious interior run defense (23rd in the NFL). There were no cornerbacks worthy of going in the top three rounds left here. The same thing has happened in all three mock drafts  conducted by BearDigest. The better cornerbacks are going in those first two rounds or by very early third round at the latest, so the Bears will need to come committed to that position or be prepared for disapointment.

Round 3, No. 71

G Dylan Parham, Memphis

Early talk about Parham being an undersized 290-pound lineman was doused when he weighed in at 311 at the combine. He already was regarded as possibly the most mobile interior blocker in the draft by some scouting services. Parham is both a center and guard. Either spot fits. He also fits the M.O. for the Bears at this position by being versatile. Losing Bates didn't help this rebuild but Parham will help them recover.

Round 3, No. 94

WR Romeo Doubs, Nevada

An X-receiver type with real deep threat ability, Doubs disappointed some at the combine by not running a 40 due to what was said to be a minor injury. He has done nothing but produce as a downfield threat throughout his college career and fits in here after players like George Pickens, Christian Watson and Alec Pierce had long since been taken.

Round 5, No. 148

T Chris Paul, Tulsa

This is the right tackle the Bears can be happy with in this offense as he ran a 4.89-second 40-yard dash and is highly mobile for a wide zone scheme. He also is well known for having a snarly attitude and going to the whistle's echo. At 6-4, 323 he is probably not a left tackle and has played left guard, right guard and right tackle. This gives the Bears a choice at right tackle between Larry Borom and Paul. And Paul really does have the capability to fill in at guard if necessary. This pick would leave Teven Jenkins at left tackle, and he should be able to handle it after he missed all of training camp and most of the season before being thrown on the field with about four or five contact practices for his rookie year.

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Round 5, No. 150

CB Cordale Flott, LSU

Graded much higher than this spot, the reason he fell was obvious. He is at 175 pounds after gaining about 10 pounds. Someone get this guy a sandwich. At 6-foot-1, he could play outside but the quickness he has makes some believe he could be a slot cornerback. Either way, he'd have a chance to play for the Bears while competing against their underperforming duo of Kindle Vildor and Duke Shelley. Having played against great SEC competition doesn't hurt.

Round 6, No. 186

WR Kevin Austin, Notre Dame

The obvious direction for this last pick was safety but the supply left something to be desired. Sterling Weatherford had fallen but this Miami player is 221 pounds and really is more of a box safety or linebacker and not suitable as a cover-2 safety. J.T. Woods of Baylor was available but missed last year on far too many tackles. The Bears secondary already has plenty of that going around. The other option was Tycen Anderson, who is a good tackler but probably needs to be better in coverage and lacks top end speed. Sticking out like a sore thumb was Austin, a 6-2, 215-pound classic X-receiver size-wise who was graded far higher and averaged 18.5 yards per reception against good competition. If Doubs doesn't get it done or winds up as a Z-receiver, Austin could be the X. They've got this position covered now.

Getting Fields three wide receivers and two offensive lineman in this draft should consititute providing help. 

The mock simulator graded this as an "A" draft with the lowest grade coming for Asamoah at a "B" even though he had a grade at the time far higher than the selection spot. The only regret with this mock is lack of a interior defensive lineman and failure to find a safety. 

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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