Chicago Bears Mock Draft and Big Board: Updated Day 3 Predictions

The Chicago Bears were very active on Friday night. The team was set to select 41st overall, but the Bears traded back to the 49th overall pick with the Buffalo Bills and acquired the 117th overall selection from the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round.

Later in the second round, Chicago traded back again with the Seattle Seahawks to No. 56 and acquired another fourth-round pick (No. 124 overall). 

When the Bears finally made their selection, they used their second-round pick to select Kansas State offensive lineman Cody Whitehair. A four-year starter for the Wildcats, Whitehair played both guard and tackle in Manhattan, but he believes he is better suited playing on the inside.

"I'm probably a better fit for guard," Whitehair told the media on Friday night, per Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

With Whitehair now in place, the Bears have an abundance of guards on the roster in Kyle Long, Matt Slauson, Ted Larsen and Manny Ramirez. 

Chicago then addressed its need at defensive end in the third round by selecting Florida's Jonathan Bullard with the 72nd overall pick. Bullard recorded 63 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks last season, and he will have a chance to earn the starting defensive end spot opposite of veteran Akiem Hicks in training camp.

After making three selections in the top 72 picks, the Bears hold three selections in the fourth round, one in the fifth, two in the sixth round and one in the seventh round.

Just ahead, we take a look at Chicago's updated top-100 big board, as well as make our predictions for the team's remaining seven picks. 

Top-100 Big Board

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Baylor's Andrew Billings was billed by some as a Day 1 prospect, but he currently sits atop the top-100 big board heading into Day 3.

Following the conclusion of the third round, 98 players are now currently off the board. Even though nearly 100 prospects are no longer available, there are still plenty of players left who can make an impact in their rookie seasons.

Here is our final top-100 big board for the 2016 draft.

Chicago Bears Big Board

Rank	Player	Position	School
1	Andrew Billings	DL	Baylor
2	Kenneth Dixon	RB	Louisiana Tech
3	Christian Westerman	G	Arizona State
4	Jordan Howard	RB	Indiana
5	Charone Peake	WR	Clemson
6	Paul Perkins	RB	UCLA
7	Willie Henry	DL	Michigan
8	Zack Sanchez	CB	Oklahoma
9	Jeremy Cash	S	Duke
10	Hassan Ridgeway	DL	Texas
11	Pharoh Cooper	WR	South Carolina
12	Harlan Miller	CB	Southeastern Louisiana
13	Jerald Hawkins	T	LSU
14	Miles Killebrew	S	Southern Utah
15	Jalen Mills	S	LSU
16	Alex Collins	RB	Arkansas
17	Sheldon Day	DL	Notre Dame
18	Connor Cook	QB	Michigan State
19	Devontae Booker	RB	Utah
20	Dak Prescott	QB	Mississippi State
21	Jayron Kearse	S	Clemson
22	Kentrell Brothers	LB	Missouri
23	Joe Haeg	T	North Dakota State
24	Jerell Adams	TE	South Carolina
25	Joe Dahl	G	Washington State
26	Joshua Perry	LB	Ohio State
27	Hunter Sharp	WR	Utah State
28	Jonathan Williams	RB	Arkansas
29	Eric Murray	CB	Minnesota
30	Charles Tapper	DL	Oklahoma
31	Caleb Benenoch	T	UCLA
32	Kenny Lawler	WR	California
33	Landon Turner	G	North Carolina
34	Kelvin Taylor	RB	Florida
35	Willie Beavers	T	Western Michigan
36	Ronald Blair	DL	Appalachian State
37	James Cowser	OLB/DE	Southern Utah
38	Kyle Murphy	T	Stanford
39	Matt Ioannidis	DT	Temple
40	Matt Judon	OLB/DE	Grand Valley State
41	Cardale Jones	QB	Ohio State
42	Demarcus Robinson	WR	Florida
43	Parker Ehinger	G	Cincinnati
44	Jalin Marshall	WR	Ohio State
45	Aaron Wallace	OLB/DE	UCLA
46	Rashard Higgins	WR	Colorado State
47	Jatavis Brown	S	Akron
48	Deiondre Hall	S	Northern Iowa
49	Evan Boehm	C	Missouri
50	Keith Marshall	RB	Georgia
51	Daniel Braverman	WR	Western Michigan
52	D.J. White	CB	Georgia Tech
53	Victor Ochi	OLB/DE	Stony Brook
54	Justin Burris	CB	North Carolina State
55	Nick Kwiatkoski	LB	West Virginia
56	Aaron Burbridge	WR	Michigan State
57	Devon Cajuste	TE	Stanford
58	Brandon Allen	QB	Arkansas
59	Thomas Duarte	TE	UCLA
60	Maurice Canady	CB	Virginia
61	Tyvis Powell	S	Ohio State
62	Jack Allen	C	Michigan State
63	Dominique Alexander	LB	Oklahoma
64	Beau Sandland	TE	Montana State
65	Kevin Hogan	QB	Stanford
66	DeVondre Campbell	LB	Minnesota
67	Beniquez Brown	LB	Mississippi State
68	DeAndre Washington	RB	Texas Tech
69	Antonio Morrison	LB	Florida
70	Spencer Drango	T	Baylor
71	Michael Jordan	CB	Missouri Western
72	Chris Moore	WR	Cincinnati
73	Jason Fanaika	DL	Utah
74	Jordan Lucas	S	Penn State
75	Josh Ferguson	RB	Illinois
76	Dominique Robertson	T	West Georgia
77	Terrance Smith	LB	Florida State
78	Anthony Brown	CB	Purdue
79	Jonathan Jones	CB	Auburn
80	Roger Lewis	WR	Bowling Green
81	Joe Schobert	LB	Wisconsin
82	Morgan Burns	CB	Kansas State
83	Alex McCallister	OLB/DE	Florida
84	Nate Sudfeld	QB	Indiana
85	Jake McGee	TE	Florida
86	Jeff Driskel	QB	Louisiana Tech
87	Vadal Alexander	G	LSU
88	Alex Lewis	T	Nebraska
89	Cleveland Wallace	CB	San Jose State
90	Josh Forrest	LB	Kentucky
91	Henry Krieger-Coble	TE	Iowa
92	Deon Bush	S	Miami
93	Jake Coker	QB	Alabama
94	Scooby Wright III	LB	Arizona
95	Ron Thompson	OLB/DE	Syracuse
96	Blake Martinez	LB	Stanford
97	B.J. Goodson	LB	Clemson
98	Anthony Zettel	DL	Penn State
99	Byron Marshall	WR	Oregon
100	K.J. Dillon	S	West Virginia

Round 4

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Round 4, Pick 117: Jordan Howard, RB, Indiana

The Bears received this pick from the Bills, and although they have Jeremy Langford and Ka'Deem Carey on the roster, Indiana running back Jordan Howard could be in the mix in the fourth round.

After spending the 2013 and 2014 seasons at Alabama-Birmingham, Howard transferred to Indiana for the 2015 season. Last year, he rushed for 1,213 yards on 196 carries with nine touchdowns in nine games.

Howard has great vision and knows how to be patient with the football in his hands. He has quick feet and knows how to work his way through tight spaces. He is at his best between the tackles, but he also has the ability to pick up yards on runs to the outside. 

The young running back missed four games with injuries last season, and he will need to learn to lower his pad level as he tends to run tall.

One AFC running backs coach thinks Howard is the best pure runner in this year's draft.

"He's the best pure running back in this draft. I've coached some good ones and he's what you look for," the coach told NFL.com's Lance Zierlein. "His injuries will knock him back a round or so, and he's not as well-rounded as Ezekiel Elliott is, but I think this kid is the best runner in this year's draft."

He will need to improve in pass protection, but Howard is talented enough to push Langford for the starting job in his rookie season.

Round 4, Pick 124: Miles Killebrew, S, Southern Utah

Chicago acquired the 124th overall pick from the Seahawks, and Southern Utah's Miles Killebrew could be the answer to the team's woes at the strong safety position.

2015 fifth-round pick Adrian Amos will once again be Chicago's starter at free safety in 2016, but following a disappointing year from veteran Antrel Rolle last season, the team could be looking for competition at strong safety.

Killebrew is a bruising force against the run, and at 6'2" and 217 pounds, he is a physically imposing strong safety. He is one of the best tacklers in this draft and is not afraid to put a hit on either a running back or a wide receiver. He plays well up in the box against the run, and he is athletic enough to drop in coverage.

He ran a disappointing 4.65 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine in February but appears quicker on film. There are some questions about his ability to read a quarterback's eyes and make plays on the football in the air, but there is no doubt about his ability against the run.

Round 4, Pick No. 127: Jerell Adams, TE, South Carolina

The Bears have a glaring need at the tight end position, and South Carolina's Jerell Adams could be a steal in the fourth round.

At 6'5" and 247 pounds, Adams would be an immediate red-zone target in the passing game for quarterback Jay Cutler. Adams is long and lanky, but he runs crisp routes and has the ability to go up and grab the football out of the air.

Last year, he caught a career-high 28 passes for 421 yards with three touchdowns. While he lacks eye-popping numbers, Adams does have a lot of upside and potential. Despite his thin frame, he gives max effort as a blocker and could give Chicago a boost in the running game.

Adams will not take reps away from Zach Miller, but he will be able to push backup Rob Housler for the No. 2 job. 

Round 5

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Round 5, Pick No. 150: Cardale Jones, QB, Ohio State

One of the biggest unknowns in this year's draft is Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones. 

Thrust into the starting lineup in 2014 because of injuries to Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett, Jones threw for 860 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions and helped lead the Buckeyes to a national championship.

He beat out Barrett last summer for the starting job but struggled with his consistency and was later benched. He finished last year with 1,459 passing yards on 175 attempts with eight touchdowns and five interceptions.

Jones' numbers do not jump off the page, but he was electric at times under center at Ohio State. He has great size (6'5", 253 lbs), a strong arm and shows good touch on deep throws down the field. He is not afraid to get outside of the pocket and pick up yards with his legs, but he is at his best when he has a clean pocket and is able to step through his throws.

He needs to do a better job of using his eyes to hold off safeties and will have to push himself in the classroom to be able to understand the nuances of NFL defenses. 

Jones is a raw but talented quarterback with a lot of upside. His size, strength and big arm will make teams believe they can develop him into a starting quarterback, but his struggles with turnovers in 2015 could push him down draft boards.

Luckily for the Bears, Cutler is still under contract through the 2020 season. If Chicago is committed to grooming a quarterback behind Cutler, Jones would be a nice project for offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains and quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone. 

Round 6

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Round 6, Pick No. 185: Maurice Canady, CB, Virginia

Maurice Canady held down this spot in my previous mock draft, and he could still be a solid value for the Bears in the sixth round.

After hauling in three interceptions in 2014, Canady finished his senior season without an interception. He was still able to get his hands on six passes in 2015, but his play regressed in his senior season. At 6'1" and 193 pounds, he has the size to match up with big receivers on the outside and is quick enough to play with smaller receivers out of the slot.

Canady is not a polished product, but if he can prove himself on special teams, he could make the roster out of training camp and eventually fight for playing time in 2017.

Round 6, Pick No. 206: Scooby Wright III, LB, Arizona

Inside linebacker is no longer Chicago's biggest need following the additions of Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman in free agency, but the team would be foolish to pass on Scooby Wright if he is available late in the sixth round.

A tackling machine during his time with the Wildcats, Wright played just three games last year due to a knee injury, and that could force him down many draft boards. Before his injury, Wright recorded 164 tackles, 31 tackles for loss and 15 sacks in 2014. 

Wright is an instinctive linebacker who has a nose for finding the ball-carrier. He reads and reacts well to plays in front of him and proved in 2014 he can apply pressure to opposing quarterbacks up the middle of the field.

While teams will drop him down their boards because of his knee injury, there are also concerns about his body type. He possesses a strong upper body but has a relatively thin lower half. 

Wright was not asked to drop in coverage very often at Arizona, and he will need to prove he can make plays in both man and zone coverage. 

Trevathan and Freeman are locks to be starters on the inside this year, but Wright is talented enough to push Christian Jones, Jonathan Anderson and John Timu for a spot on the roster.

Round 7

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Round 7, Pick No. 230: D.J. Reader, NT, Clemson

Adding Bullard will help stabilize Chicago's defensive line in 2016, but the team still has a need on the inside at nose tackle.

Eddie Goldman will be the starter at the 0-technique, but the Bears lack depth at the position. 

Clemson's D.J. Reader, who measured in at the combine at 6'3" and 327 pounds, has the ability to plug up gaps at the nose tackle position against the run. He has a quick first step and is strong enough to take on two blockers. 

Reader lacks the motor to be an effective pass-rusher, but he does open up lanes for his linebackers to get after the quarterback. 

At worst, Reader would give the Bears a reliable run-stopper who could rotate in and out of the lineup in obvious running situations. If he can improve his hand usage and develop a countermove, he could become an average pass-rusher on the inside.

All stats and combine information courtesy of NFL.com and Sports-Reference.com.

Matt Eurich is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

Follow @MattEurich.