The Chicago Bears unexpectedly took Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman with the 25th overall pick last night, and having the best player available align with a massive need in the secondary was as perfect an outcome as general manager Ryan Poles could have hoped for.
The first round, in general, has left things pretty good for the Bears as they look forward to the second round. Only two defensive tackles were picked, and only two cornerbacks are off the board. There were six defensive ends drafted, but Mark Schofield’s SB Nation top players still available list includes several EDGE names who would look good in Chicago. There are also some interesting offensive linemen and linebackers still on the board.
As it currently stands, Chicago is up at 57 and then three picks later at 60, with their third-round pick at 89 overall.
Check out the SB Nation big board for the full remaining list in their Top 100, but here are a few positions I think could be in play for the Bears today, along with the overall ranking.
26) Kayden McDonald, Ohio State45) Lee Hunter, Texas Tech51) Christian Miller, Georgia67) Domonique Orange, Iowa State73) Gracen Holton, Oklahoma78) Darrell Jackson Jr., Florida State
Holton fits that penetrating three-tech role perfectly, but McDonald has been unfairly labeled as nothing more than a run-stuffing space-eater. He’s a good athlete, he plays with a high motor, and I think his pass rush can be unlocked with NFL coaching. If he starts slipping to the 40s (which I doubt), I won’t complain about a trade-up.
32) Zion Young, Missouri33) Cashius Howell, Texas A&M43) T.J. Parker, Clemson52) Gabe Jacas, Illinois54) R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma62) Derrick Moore, Michigan72) Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State74) Romello Height, Texas Tech81) Joshua Josephs, Tennessee89) Keyron Crawford, Auburn
Bears fans have been so focused on Young, Parker, and Jacas that they may have overlooked Moore (6’3 7/8″, 255), who had 10 sacks last year for the Wolverines.
Here’s how Jacob Infante mocked the Bears’ draft from round 2 on, and here’s his defensive line value for the remaining players.
Loving the DL value going into Round 2, which should help the #Bears (emoji = ideal scheme fit)• Kayden McDonald• Cashius Howell• T.J. Parker 🐻• Zion Young 🐻• Christen Miller 🐻• Lee Hunter• Gabe Jacas 🐻• Gracen Halton 🐻• R Mason Thomas• Derrick Moore 🐻
14) Jermod McCoy, Tennessee22) Avieon Terrell, Clemson29) Colton Hood, Tennessee46) Brandon Cisse, South Carolina48) Keionte Scott, Miami55) D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana57) Treydan Stukes, Arizona State70) Keith Abney II, Arizona State76) Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State93) Daylen Everette, Georgia94) Devin Moore, Florida98) Julian Neal, Arkansas100) Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina
Some of these corners project to nickel or even safety for some teams, which the Bears could use depth at, but if the Bears wanted a corner to push the room, Igbinosun is an experienced option.
35) Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech65) Connor Lew, C, Auburn71) Gennings Dunker, OT, Iowa80) Sam Hecht, C, Kansas State
But what about the other centers, or linebackers, or tackles? What about receiver or running back? All positions that the Bears could use, and all positions that could be the best players available when they get on the clock.
Give us your prediction for what the Bears will do tonight!