The Bears’ only shot at landing a top quarterback prospect in the NFL Draft would have been to trade up, likely to No. 3, but that’s off the table now.
The 49ers beat them to it Friday by trading with the Dolphins. They swapped picks this year, and San Francisco also sent two future first-rounders and a third-rounder. It’s expensive, but it’s worth it if the 49ers land a franchise quarterback.
So where does that leave the Bears? Probably staying at No. 20 to draft an offensive lineman and sifting through developmental quarterbacks, possibly Florida quarterback Kyle Trask, later.
Here’s the Chicago Sun-Times’ Mock Draft 2.0:
1. Jaguars — Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence. Between new coach Urban Meyer and the assumption that Lawrence will be an immediate starter, there’s excitement in Jacksonville for the first time in years. This pick puts them on a path toward the playoffs — in 2022.
2. Jets — BYU QB Zach Wilson. Much like Joe Burrow last year, Wilson’s stock has skyrocketed after a mediocre start to his college career.
3. 49ers (from Dolphins) — Ohio State QB Justin Fields. The 49ers are ready to move on from Jimmy Garoppolo as soon as their next quarterback is ready. It shouldn’t take long. Fields threw 63 touchdown passes, had a 68.4 completion percentage and rushed for 39.4 yards per game in college.
4. Falcons — North Dakota State QB Trey Lance. No draft has ever opened with four straight quarterbacks being selected — the 1971 and ’99 drafts started with three in a row — but this one has a chance. The Jaguars, Jets, 49ers and Falcons have clear needs.
5. Bengals — LSU WR Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals did not have a 1,000-yard receiver last season and badly need to supply Burrow with weapons. Chase dominated in 2019 before opting out of the 2020 season.
6. Dolphins (from Eagles) — Florida TE Kyle Pitts. Pitts is the consensus No. 1 tight end in his class and is rated higher than anyone from the 2020 class, too. The Dolphins can’t turn down a top-shelf playmaker.
7. Lions — Penn State LB Micah Parsons. Parsons’ versatility and uncommon speed are reminiscent of Bears star linebacker Roquan Smith.
8. Panthers — Oregon OT Penei Sewell. He’s good enough to go much higher than this, and ESPN ranks him the No. 3 overall player in this draft class, but Sewell will slide a few spots as teams prioritize other needs.
9. Broncos — Alabama CB Patrick Surtain II. — His father is a former all-pro and made three Pro Bowls in his 11-year career. If the son matches that, this is a great pick.
10. Cowboys — Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley. Farley had four interceptions and 12 pass breakups in 2019 before opting out of the 2020 season.
11. Giants — Alabama WR DeVonta Smith. The Heisman Trophy winner will pair nicely with free agent acquisition Kenny Golladay as the Giants try to upgrade the NFL’s worst passing offense.
12. Eagles (from Dolphins) — South Carolina CB Jaycee Horn. Lockdown cornerbacks are always in high demand, and Horn isn’t far off from Surtain and Farley’s talent.
13. Chargers — Northwestern OT Rashawn Slater. Slater is an instant starter and will be Northwestern’s highest draft pick since 1983.
14. Vikings — Alabama QB Mac Jones. This seems like a reach for Jones, but the Vikings know they’re never going to win big with Kirk Cousins.
15. Patriots — Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle. Waddle is small, but explosive. He could be the Patriots’ version of Tyreek Hill.
16. Cardinals — Miami DE Gregory Rousseau. The rest of the ACC exhaled when Rousseau announced he was opting out of the 2020 season after 15.5 sacks in 2019.
17. Raiders — Miami DE Jaelen Phillips. With Rousseau out, Phillips stepped up for Miami with 15.5 tackles for loss (eight sacks) in 10 games.
18. Dolphins — Florida WR Kadarius Toney. Toney is definitely someone to watch for the Bears if he slips a couple spots. He had 1,145 yards from scrimmage and 11 total touchdowns last season.
19. Washington — Virginia Tech OT Christian Darrisaw. Another player who could help the Bears somewhere in the range of where they’re currently slated to pick. He was an exceptional left tackle the last two seasons.
20. Bears — Michigan OT Jalen Mayfield. The Bears need an answer at both tackle positions. Mayfield could step in now at right tackle and replace Charles Leno at left tackle in 2022.
21. Colts — Michigan DL Kwity Paye. Despite injury trouble, ESPN’s Mel Kiper has him going No. 11 overall. He’s great value this late.
22. Titans — Oklahoma DE Ronnie Perkins. Perkins was extremely disruptive for the Sooners with 32 tackles for loss in 32 games.
23. Jets (from Seahawks) — Northwestern CB Greg Newsome II. Northwestern has had just eight first-round picks and now could have two in the same draft for the first time.
24. Steelers — Alabama RB Najee Harris. Running back seems to be low on almost every team’s list of priorities, but Harris is good enough to be a game-changer in any offense.
25. Jaguars (from Rams) — Oklahoma State OT Teven Jenkins. It’s a great draft for the Jaguars if they come out of it with a starting quarterback and offensive tackle.
26. Browns — Kentucky LB Jamin Davis. After 102 tackles and three interceptions as a junior, the opinions on Davis are all over the place. Some analysts have him in the middle of the first round, while others have him in the second.
27. Ravens — Washington OLB Joe Tryon. There’s going to be some hesitation about many players who opted out of last season, but Tryon checks in as one of the best pass rushers in the draft. He had 12.5 tackles for loss in 13 games in 2019.
28. Saints — Alabama DT Christian Barmore. Barmore is 6-foot-5, 310 pounds — similar in size to Ndamukong Suh — and NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein likened him to former all-pro Marcell Dareus, another Alabama product.
29. Packers — USC G Alijah Vera-Tucker. Green Bay urgently needs some reinforcement on the offensive line, and Vera-Tucker is one of the top interior linemen available.
30. Bills — Alabama C Landon Dickerson. The last few spots in the first round are always up for grabs. These teams usually take the best player they can get, regardless of position, and Dickerson could likely help the Bills at guard if needed.
31. Chiefs — Georgia OLB Azeez Ojulari. Ojulari got better every year in college, topping out at 9.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in 10 games last season.
32. Buccaneers — Notre Dame LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Owusu-Koramoah is a steal with the last pick of the first round.
