Chicago Bears Mock Draft: Picking Every Round for Need Only

Yesterday we took a look a look at how the Green Bay Packers draft might go. Today we'll move to the next team on the list, the Chicago Bears.

The other thing I did yesterday was set up a Bears Big Board. While there is still some debate as to how good a board it is amongst the commenters, I'm going to use it to form the basis of many of the picks here.

As I only ranked 50 players, some of the guys at the end of this mock will be off the end of that list.

To recap, here are the team needs that are most pressing for the Bears.

The offensive line is the single most important weakness the team needs to work on. They laid off in free agency, so they have to look for OL help early and often in the Draft. As I said yesterday, it does the Bears no good to have Jay Cutler if he spends the whole game on his back counting cloud animals. Nobody has been hit more over the course of his career than Cutler.

It's also important for the ground game. Matt Forte is able to do a lot without a ton of help but making life easier for him and Michael Bush should be a priority as well.

Not far behind this is the secondary. The Bears were ranked 28th against the pass in 2011, allowing 4,065 yards through the air, good for fifth worst in the league.

This is really a combination of issues within the secondary and on the defensive line, but nobody at cornerback or safety is fantastic, and at least on the line Julius Peppers and Isreal Idonije bring some pressure.

So the secondary gets priority.

After that, I'd say the Bears could use some combination of a defensive end, linebacker, wide receiver and quarterback (the last three for depth).

The team has exactly seven picks this year, having been awarded no compensatory picks but not having trading any away either.

Here's where they fall:

"

1st round, No. 19  overall
2nd round, No. 50 
3rd round, No. 79  
4th round, No. 111
5th round, No. 150
6th round, No. 184
7th round, No. 220

"

The team should have a pretty good selection to choose from at 19 and the biggest question to me is whether Stanford guard/tackle David DeCastro will be there.

Most important is maximizing value with each pick. They need to make sure they are filling needs early, then shift towards a Best Player Available philosophy in later rounds.

Let's see how it shakes out.

1st round, No. 19 - David DeCastro, OG/OT, Stanford

As I said a paragraph or two ago, DeCastro might not be here at 19 but I feel there is a good chance he will. If he is, the Bears shouldn't look in any further. DeCastro was excellent in keeping Andrew Luck upright at Stanford and can work at either guard spot or tackle.

In short order, DeCastro will become one of the top linemen in the league and his presence will help turn the fortunes of the offensive line around. If he's not there, the team can head to Alabama and either grab safety Mark Barron or cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, one of whom certainly will be.

In that case, they would need to try and grab a good guard or tackle in the second and third.

2nd round, No. 50 - Brandon Boykin, CB, Georgia

While not as well known as guys like Janoris Jenkins or hot-off-the-combine Stephon Gilmore, Boykin would be a great grab in the mid second round. Here's a guy who plays bigger than he looks, plays very physically and reads the quarterback's eyes well. He still needs to sand off the rough edges to his game, but overall Boykin is a very good corner who could contribute early on.

3rd round, No. 79  - Cam Johnson, DE, Virginia

Some people may think third or fourth round is too late for a defensive line pick (and it all depends on how the board falls) but again, secondary and offensive line are the priorities. I could see another secondary pick here or even another player for the offensive line, but if Johnson is available, he'd be a great pick. He's got tremendous explosion and a fierce bull rush. He'll need to develop some more pass rushing techniques, but he would have time to learn behind Peppers and Idonije. 

4th round, No. 111 - Marvin Jones, WR, California

Here's your first Best Player Available guy. Jones didn't produce a lot in 2011 as the Cal offense shifted away from him. All that means is teams might overlook a tremendous athlete with a large chip on his shoulder. Yes, the Bears got Brandon Marshall but the rest of that wide receiver corps is average even if Johnny Knox returns. Jones could be an absolute steal at this spot and have an immediate impact in the pass attack.

5th round, No. 150 - Travis Lewis, OLB, Oklahoma

Lewis is a hard working, lead by example kind of guy who was a four year starter for one of the top programs in the nation. He has incredible instincts and can read a screen pass and destroy it every time. Better against the run than the pass overall, Lewis would need to improve that aspect of his game and develop more moves to get to the passer.

6th round, No. 184 - BJ Coleman, QB, Chattanooga

It's not a great quarterback class. Teams that don't take the plunge early won't end up with more than a project—and frankly, I hesitate to call many of the early round guys something other than a project anyway.

That said, Coleman is a project I can get behind in the sixth round and he'd have time to develop behind Cutler and Jason Campbell. He's an incredibly coachable kid, which would mean he has a good chance to correct the mechanical and footwork issues which hurt his value.

This is a guy with the raw tools and mentality to make the most of them with some coaching. A great pick in the sixth round.

7th round, No. 220 - Quinton Richardson, FS, Washington

Richardson had a great junior year followed by a mediocre senior campaign. He has speed and has shown a physical style of play as well as good instincts, but has to be consistent. More than likely he'd start as a special teams player and earn his way onto the field from there, but there is certainly room in the secondary.