WC Mock Draft April 21st

[WindyCity]

I am trying to wrap my head around the Bears drafting Courtney Upshaw so I thought I would try out a mock draft.

*Trade* The Bears trade 1[19] to the Broncos for 1[25] and 3[87].

I think the Bears may be in a nice spot to move down as the elite DT talent like Brockers and Poe may be drying up by the time 19 arrives. A team like Denver who needs an impact DT may need to move up.

1[25] DE Courtney Upshaw [Alabama] 6'2" 272lbs.

I know the criticisms about Upshaw and he has not tested well in the offseason and some people have criticized his interviews. But Upshaw is a football player and can come in and play the LE spot for the Bears. Upshaw is a pit bull on the field and is big, violent and nasty on the field. He has a solid burst and very strong hands to power his way to the QB and while he may not get 15 sacks a season he should be an 8-10 sack guy who plays the run well and wears down on an offense.



2[50] DT Brandon Thompson [Clemson] 6'2" 315lbs.

The Bears have lost 2 key contributors at DT and need to add someone to the rotation that can allow them to play at a high level against the Packers and the Lions. Thompson is a nice player because he has the size and power to play NT and he has enough burst and showed enough pass rush at the Senior Bowl to play the DT spot as well. In a division with Rodgers and Stafford you can never have enough DL talent.



3[79] OT Mitchell Schwartz [Cal] 6'5" 317lbs.

The Bears seem set to move into the season with the OL as is, but they need depth and competition at OT. Schwartz is a great pick because he play a number of positions along the line and protects the Bears against injuries [Carimi and Williams] or incompetence [Webb].



3[87] WR Marvin McNutt [Iowa] 6'2" 216lbs.

The Bears need depth at WR and they need more size. McNutt is big and smooth and while he may never dominate like Marshall he adds size to the WR core and should be the 3rd WR early on.



4. CB DeQuan Menzie [Alabama] 5'11" 195lbs.

With the signings if Hayden and Wilhite the Bears may not need as much depth at CB, but they need youth. Menzie is an Alabama DB, which means he can play zone and he can tackle.



5. LB Travis Lewis [OU] 6'1" 242lbs.

The Bears need to develop LBs of the future and while Lewis has fallen in the rankings when he is a little lighter he has the speed and coverage ability that the Bears need.



6. TE Evan Rodriguez [Temple] 6'2" 242lbs.

The TE position of the Bears is untested and unknown, but they could use an infusion of speed. Rodriguez may not be able to line up and block anyone, but he can run routes and has the speed to be a threat in the passing attack.



7. S Jerrell Young [South Florida] 6'1" 207lbs.

The Bears will draft a safety because Lovie has to and Young has the physical tools to contribute on special teams.



Depth Chart

QB: Cutler, Campbell, McCown
RB: Forte, Bush, Bell, Clutts
WR: Marshall, Bennett, McNutt, Hester, Weems, Thomas, Knox [PUP]
TE: Davis, Spaeth, Rodriguez
LT: Webb, Schwartz
LG: C. Williams, E. Williams
C: Garza
RG: Louis, Spencer
RT: Carimi

RE: Peppers, Wootton
DT: Melton, Thompson
NT: Paea, Toenia
LE: Upshaw, Idonije
SLB: Roach, Hayes
MLB: Urlacher, Lewis, Dicico
WLB: Briggs, Trahan
CB: Tillman, Jennings, D.J Moore, Hayden, Menzie
FS: Conte, Walter, Young
SS: Wright, Steltz
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Thanks to chisox

[ChicagoAl]

[pigsooie5]

I like this draft a lot. But I really don't see Roach beating out Hayes for the starting SLB possition..
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BEARS------BULLS------DODGERS------KINGS

[Ballennonstop]

Great Mock. Subtract Menzie and add Heyward who is a more pure corner and I'd be thrilled with this draft

[Bowler1215]

Isnt Upshaw more of a 3-4 guy? I can kinda see us going 2 D-linemen in the first 2 rounds, but I think WR and possibly CB will also be possibilities.
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Adopt a Bear:
Devin Hester

[Madmike90]

I would be a little disappointed with this draft to be honest…there is nothing at all wrong with it…but there just isn’t a player here who I feel is a true impact player…Upshaw is always going to be a solid player but his ceiling IMO is as a LE in our scheme who is only going to get his sacks because of others creating matchup problems…Thompson again is always going to be a solid player who will do will against the run at the next level…but again I don’t see him as much of an impact player…Schwartz is a player I like but I’m not sure he has a natural fit for us…he won’t play RT unless of injury and he will have to learn how to play LG…McNutt is another solid guy who doesn’t really stand out in any one area for me…Menzie is another guy I like but I’m not sure where his ceiling lies…Lewis would be quality value at that spot…I think the last two guys would struggle to make the team.