NEWSLETTER
After trading back in the second round each of the last two years, the Chicago Bears stayed put and landed a talented offensive lineman:
https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/990011209255739392
The Bears finally beefed up the interior of their offensive line, but didn’t take a guard. Iowa center James Daniels was the pick for Chicago with the seventh pick in the second round. Daniels was considered to be one of the top center prospects in the draft and a possible first-round selection leading up to draft weekend.
Conventional wisdom suggests drafting Daniels will immediately kick center Cody Whitehair out to left guard – the position he was originally slated to play when he was drafted a few years ago. But it’s worth noting that Daniels is one of the draft’s highest-regarded offensive line prospect because of his versatility. Daniels played every game as a true freshman for Iowa in 2015, even making some starts at left guard. He then moved to center as a sophomore and was named third-team All-Big Ten in 2016.
So if a bond has been formed between Whitehair and quarterback Mitch Trubisky, Daniels could move out to left guard. At minimum, drafting Daniels gives the Bears some options.
Pro Football Focus listed Daniels as the site’s second-highest-rated center prospect in the draft. Daniels played for a solid Big Ten coach in Kirk Ferentz who runs an NFL-style program and a pro style offense, so he should be well-prepared to handle whatever position coach Harry Hiestand and head coach Matt Nagy throw in his direction.
