NEWSLETTER
It’s never too early to start sorting through mock drafts, is it?
Over at CBS Sports, Chris Trapasso is getting a leg up on the rest of the prognosticators by handicapping the 2018 NFL Draft order. Using an updated projected win totals number from SportsLine, Trapasso has lined up the Bears to pick third in the next draft.
While this order is bound to change several times between now and the end of the season, it’s worth noting there are two teams with two first-round picks – the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills. If you’ll recall, the Texans are sending their 2018 first-round selection to the Browns as part of the deal that allowed them to draft quarterback Deshaun Watson. Further, the Chiefs packaged their 2018 first-rounder in a deal with the Bills for the right to draft quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
These two deals could potentially impact what the Bears do in 2018, especially if the team lands another high pick and is willing to leverage it in order to acquire more draft choices. Teams with multiple first-round selections are the ideal targets, especially if those teams are in search of long-term quarterback solutions and the top prospects decide to forgo their final years of college eligibility.
Of course, there’s a lengthy bridge to cross before we get to that point. But it’s worth highlighting and storing in a spot in your brain for a later time and place.
As for a player who could be on the Bears’ radar in 2018, Trapasso conducted a mock draft in which he sends Clemson wide receiver Deon Cain to the Bears with the fifth overall pick. Here is what Trapasso has to say about Cain and why he would be a fit for the Bears with the fifth selection:
“What will likely be three years of top-end production at a powerhouse program from a top-end athlete is reason enough for Cain to land in the top five. No, he’s not the contested-catch phenom Mike Williams was a year ago. In fact, he’s quite the opposite. Cain flourishes down the field and after the catch. The Bears need to bolster their wideout group after the unfortunate injuries to Kevin White.”
If you thought the Bears’ receiving corps was filled with questions, just wait until next year when Cameron Meredith will be building his way back from a season-ending knee injury, Markus Wheaton will be in a contract year, Kendall Wright might be gone (remember, he’s on just a one-year deal), and White’s status will – once again – be up-in-the-air.
As for Cain, he caught 38 passes for 728 yards as a sophomore in 2016, while hauling in nine touchdown receptions. He is listed at 6-1, 190, and is averaging 18.5 yards per reception during his college career – which is the third best among active ACC receivers. You can check out some highlights of this highly touted receiver prospect here:
After passing on drafting a receiver last year and declining the option to bring back Alshon Jeffery for another year via the franchise tag, the Bears desperately need to re-make their receivers room – just like they did their quarterbacks room in 2017. And it could start with Cain, who you can get a good look at tonight when No. 3 Clemson takes on No. 14 Louisville at 7 p.m. on ABC.
