Ideal 1st-Round Fits for Chicago Bears in 2017 NFL Draft

It's hard for a team like the Chicago Bears to go wrong in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft—even as high as No. 3.

Hindsight will judge a pick through a different lens, obviously, but the inability to make a major mistake is both a good and bad thing. On the good side of things, general manager Ryan Pace will get a high-value pick and rebuilding block; on the bad side, an inability to go wrong speaks to the quagmire the organization has found itself in for years.

As we've noted recently, the Bears still have the same list of needs as before free agency opened. Pace has attacked his identified problem areas in a smart manner, yet done so in a way that doesn't handicap the franchise for years.

With the door open for almost any position in the first round, the ideal fits are many. Below, let's look at the top names to know.

Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson

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"You want to look for a player who has lifted his program for the most part," Pace said, per Matt Eurich of 247 Sports. "That's something that's there. Quarterbacks we've been around, I think Drew Brees, for example, when he was at Purdue, he lifted that program. That's one of the things we look for. That's definitely a factor added into about 30 other things you factor into that position."

The above is a quote from Pace pertaining to the quarterback position this year—does this sound like anyone in the 2017 draft class?

Some may debate it, but this quote sounds like Deshaun Watson, who put Clemson on his back for years and even conquered Alabama.

Granted, winning and elevating a program around him isn't the defining trait of a quarterback. But Watson has it all—he's 6'2" and 221 pounds with excellent athleticism to move in the pocket and create plays with his feet. NFL coaches will want to work on his decisions at times, but he makes multi-read plays consistently on tape.

There's a reason NFL.com's Lance Zierlein compares Watson to Marcus Mariota—a guy Pace wanted, by the way.

Pro comparisons aren't everything either, but readers are starting to get the picture—add it all up, and Watson looks like the perfect pick for the Bears at No. 3. He can start as a rookie if necessary, though that's clearly not the plan with Mike Glennon in town.

Solomon Thomas, EDGE, Stanford

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Presuming Myles Garrett comes off the board within the first two picks (one of the easiest predictions of the last few years), the Bears are left with Solomon Thomas when it comes to defensive building blocks—and he isn't anything close to a consolation prize.

Thomas is 6'3" and 273 pounds with pass-rushing skills he's built up over the years and a scheme-independent versatility the Bears will love. He can play on an end and even kick inside on passing downs regardless of his weight.

A conclusion by CBSSports.com's Rob Rang described what a talent like Thomas says about coaches:

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Knock Thomas' lack of ideal length or speed all you'd like, he was as disruptive or more than any defender in the entire country in 2016, bar none. Sure, there will be questions as to where he fits best in the NFL but, frankly, if Thomas doesn't fit an NFL team's scheme, it might be the coaches that need to adjust rather than the other way around.

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Chicago defensive coordinator Vic Fangio won't have any problems with Thomas. His ends don't always come in very heavy anyway, and the versatility is a welcome addition to a hybrid front that pairs well with consistent stand-up rushers like Leonard Floyd.

If the Bears are content with Glennon for a year, Thomas is a perfect pick.

Jamal Adams, S, LSU

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Should the Bears want to shore up safety next to Quintin Demps, it doesn't get better than LSU's Jamal Adams.

Adams, 6'0" and 214 pounds, is one of the best players to enter the pros at his position in a long time. An interchangeable safety who can patrol the line or drop into coverage, he won't last long on draft day.

Pro Football Focus compared Adams to Eric Weddle and wrote the following, which says it all:

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Weddle has shown over his career that you don't need to have the rare range on an Earl Thomas or Ed Reed to make a huge impact at safety. An equally well-rounded prospect, there's no reason Adams can't have a career as long as impressive as Weddle while making an impact near the line of scrimmage, in the slot, or on the back end in coverage.

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Chicago's defense needs an identity. Some might call it a silly thing to even write about, but Adams was a great leader at LSU and assumed the role without pause.

Letting him run free in Chicago and shoring up one of the league's worst positions is an easy call, even if paying a rookie safety salary in the top five isn't the most ideal thing in the world.

An instant-impact defender next to an instant-impact free agent eliminates the biggest need on Chicago's roster, in much the same way as Pace has attacked linebackers for the past few years.

Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State

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Remember the comment about range on a safety? Ohio State's Malik Hooker has it in droves, reminding some of a young Ed Reed.

The problem with Hooker is simply experience. He's still a work in progress, yet what he's accomplished so far speaks to a potential upside the position hasn't trotted out in a long time.

Hooker simply being on the field can flip it. He has supreme instincts and ball skills to go with the range, meaning he's a threat to take the ball away deep down the field or even intermediate if a quarterback goes his way. He's raw and struggles with tackling at times, but further game experience can address the area.

NFL.com's Bucky Brooks threw out a Reed comparison when determining Hooker made a great decision to go pro this year:

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It's hard to find a pure centerfielder with speed, athleticism, ball skills and tackling ability in the college game. That's why Hooker is a hot commodity in the scouting circles as an Ed Reed-like safety with a penchant for delivering big plays between the hashes. He finished the regular season with seven interceptions, including three pick-sixes, while exhibiting terrific range and anticipation as a deep middle defender.

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Unlike Adams, Hooker will have his problems as a rookie, maybe even as a sophomore.

But the upside here—and the assurances Fangio will get the most out of it—are too hard to ignore. Finding a player with Hooker's skill set is next to impossible, so his coming off the board at three isn't anything close to a bad selection.

DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame

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Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer has come under some unnecessary heat lately.

While he didn't have the best showing at the combine during drills, teams weren't going to draft Kizer as a potential start-now rookie like Watson—he's always been viewed as a bit of a project.

A project with arguably more upside than any quarterback in the class.

There's a reason the Bears want a private workout with Kizer, according to the Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs. There's also a reason Zierlein compared him to Steve McNair: "The comparison to Steve McNair could raise eyebrows, but that is based primarily on size, mobility and arm strength."

Kizer didn't lift Notre Dame around him, but he's 6'4" and 233 pounds with the ability to negotiate messy pockets and lower his shoulder and bulldoze defenders when he decides to take off.

There's obviously work to do with Kizer. But coaches can help him along with making reads and keeping his eyes downfield. NFL teams come calling for the physical traits and booming arm they can't teach.

As a project who can learn while Glennon starts for a year, Kizer could easily turn out to be well worth the wait. The draft process right now seems to want to knock him down a peg, but his coming off the board at No. 3 should thrill Bears fans based on his long-term potential.

Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina

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North Carolina's Mitchell Trubisky is somewhere between Watson and Kizer.

Trubisky put the Tar Heels on his back at times and looked like an NFL-ready passer. Other times he crumbled under pressure and looked like a player slotted more into "project" status.

At 6'2" and 222 pounds with a crisp motion, arm and ability to move around a pocket, he easily falls into the old cliche of "looking the part."

But the balance between those traits and his performance under pressure is something consistently highlighted on tape and by scouts, as one AFC scout told Zierlein:

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There are times he looks like another Carson Wentz and then there are times he looks like Blaine Gabbert. He has starting qualities and he'll go early, but he better get better at seeing blitzes and throwing hot or he'll get eaten alive by the exotic packages they are throwing at quarterbacks these days.

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Whether offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains can coach up a prospect who struggles under pressure is a conversation worth having. The Bears do, though, have one of the best interior lines in football and ways to improve on the edges in the coming years.

Like Kizer, Trubisky at three based on his strengths isn't a bad move, as his success will also stem from coaching and the talent around him.

Trade-Down Fits

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Disclaimer—a trade down is ridiculously unlikely. They simply don't happen often, cost too much for teams wanting to move up and this class is so deep there isn't any one player who will entice teams to surrender assets so they can jump up.

With that out of the way, here are a few more guys who don't necessarily present good value at No. 3, but do further down the board if the Bears can swing a deal.

Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan: While a smaller-school prospect, Corey Davis could function as a smooth Alshon Jeffery replacement.

Derek Barnett, EDGE, Tennessee: A powerful edge presence, Derek Barnett could play every down right away for Fangio and add to a budding front seven.

Jonathan Allen, EDGE, Alabama: Injuries and production along a loaded Alabama front aside, Jonathan Allen is a heck of a consolation prize outside of the top 15.

Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State: Chicago has an odd mix of talent at corner right now, though adding a blue-chip prospect like Marshon Lattimore would identify a true top corner.

Fabian Morea, CB, UCLA: Same story for Fabian Morea, who fits perhaps better than any first-round corner in Chicago's defense.

Budda Baker, S, Washington: If the Bears want a blue-chip safety after trading down, Budda Baker isn't a reach in the first given his elite coverage skills.

Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech: Some might argue Patrick Mahomes is worth a top-three pick. Hindsight will work its magic there, but transitioning from Texas Tech's offense makes him a project the Bears wouldn't mind adding outside the top 10.

O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama: Tight end isn't the biggest need in Chicago, but adding a pro-ready player who never has to come off the field, otherwise known as O.J. Howard, would give the offense a surefire building block for years.

Haason Reddick, LB, Temple: If a stand-up rusher looks like the best route for Chicago, it's hard to argue against pairing Haason Reddick with Leonard Floyd.

All contract information courtesy of Spotrac unless otherwise specified. Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.