In less than a week, the Bears will enter the NFL draft holding the No. 8 overall pick. Here’s how the Sun-Times’ Bears experts have evaluated the draft’s top prospects, position by position:
OFFENSE
QB: General manager Ryan Pace once said he’d like to add a college quarterback each year. The safe bet is that he won’t this year.
RB: Even if the Bears have promised Jordan Howard they won’t trade him, how could they say no to Penn State star Saquon Barkley if, inexplicably, becomes available?
WR: With Cam Meredith off to the Saints, the Bears are in the market for a receiver.
TE: The Bears have already made their major investment at the position.
OL: Former Bears center Olin Kreutz thinks Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson could be a Hall of Famer. But will he be there at No. 8?
DEFENSE
DL: The Bears are set at two of their three defensive line spots — perhaps for years to come — but could add another end in the later rounds to play opposite Akiem Hicks.
ILB: Which first-rounder fits the Bears best: Virginia Tech’s Tremaine Edmunds or Georgia’s Roquan Smith?
OLB: Ryan Pace has traded up in the first round in each of the last two years. Would he do it again for outside linebacker Bradley Chubb?
CB: The Bears brought back Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara this offseason, but they could still be intrigued by two top cornerback targets.
S: Are the Bears satisfied with Eddie Jackson and Adrian Amos at safety? If not, Florida State’s Derwin James and Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick loom in the first round.
