2012 NFL Mock Draft: Will Chicago Bears Take WR or OT in First Round?

A general consensus is beginning to building around what the Chicago Bears will do with their first round pick in the 2012 NFL draft, and the targeted positions are blatantly obvious: Offensive tackle and wide receiver.

It's fairly easy to formulate reasons why both are first-round needs this April.

The Bears haven't had a true No. 1 receiver since the days of Marty Booker and Marcus Robinson, and in this day of NFL passing offenses, having a top level receiver is almost a requirement.

2011 free agent pickup Roy Williams was mostly a bust, catching 37 passes for 507 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games. Williams hasn't had a 1,000-yard season since 2006 with the Detroit Lions, and no one is expecting him to change that fact in coming seasons. He's a free agent again this offseason.

Also, Johhny Knox is returning from a terrible back injury and can't be counted on moving forward.

But while receiver is an obvious need, so is offensive tackle.

The Bears took Wisconsin's Gabe Carimi in the first round of the 2011 draft, and he should be considered a starter at right tackle for the foreseeable future. Left tackle is far from settled, however.

Former seventh-round pick J'Marcus Webb has been the starter there for two seasons. The results have been mixed. According to Pro Football Focus, Webb allowed 12 sacks and committed 14 penalties in 2011—numbers that rank him near the bottom of offensive tackles. His overall grade put him at No. 67 out of 76 eligible offensive tackles last season.   

The Bears also promoted Mike Tice to offensive coordinator, so there may be a heightened value on building the offensive line early in the draft.

Either way, you'd be hard pressed to say the Bears could go wrong with taking an offensive tackle or receiver at No. 19 overall. There will be value options at both, too. 

Players such as Michael Floyd, Kendall Wright and Mohamed Sanu should all be available at receiver, and Mike Adams and Cordy Glenn could be options at offensive tackle.

In our latest mock draft, we switched the Bears from Floyd to Adams, as Ohio State's monster tackle is a harder player to find than an impact receiver. Simply put, the amount of high caliber receivers that could be available in the second round far outweigh what will be there at offensive tackle. 

2012 NFL Mock Draft    

1.  Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

2.  Washington Redskins – Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor (Via trade with St. Louis Rams)  

3.  Minnesota Vikings – Matt Kalil, OT, USC

4.  Cleveland Browns – Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

5.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

6.  St. Louis Rams – Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford (Via trade with Washington Redskins)

7.  Jacksonville Jaguars – Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina

8.  Carolina Panthers – Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

9.  Miami Dolphins – Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

10.  Buffalo Bills – Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama

11.  Kansas City Chiefs – Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

12.  Seattle Seahawks – Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

13.  Arizona Cardinals – Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB, South Carolina

14.  Dallas Cowboys – Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

15.  Philadelphia Eagles – Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College

16.  New York Jets – Nick Perry, OLB, USC

17.  Cincinnati Bengals – Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama

18.  San Diego Chargers – David DeCastro, OG, Stanford

19.  Chicago Bears – Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State

20.  Tennessee Titans – Zach Brown, OLB, UNC

21.  Cincinnati Bengals – Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

22.  Cleveland Browns – Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

23.  Detroit Lions – Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska

24.  Pittsburgh Steelers – Cordy Glenn, OL, Georgia

25.  Denver Broncos – Devon Still, DL, Penn State

26.  Houston Texans – Dontari Poe, NT, Memphis

27.  New England Patriots – Mark Barron, S, Alabama

28.  Green Bay Packers – Whitney Mercilus, DE/OLB, Illinois

29.  Baltimore Ravens – Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State

30.  San Francisco 49ers – Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers

31.  New England Patriots – Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

32.  New York Giants – Dont'a Hightower, LB, Alabama