NEWSLETTER
Finally! It’s here. NFL Draft Week 2020 is upon us. Let’s dive in.
• Matt Miller (Bleacher Report), Dane Brugler (The Athletic), Daniel Jeremiah (NFL Network), and Michael Renner (Pro Football Focus) are among those who’ve released final editions of their pre-draft big boards. If you have the time on your hands, I would encourage you to thumb through each. In the meantime, I’ve plucked one highlight from each.
• There is a difference in opinion on draft-eligible quarterbacks. Miller has six in his top-50. Brugler has four, all of whom are in the top-19. And PFF has just three (all in the top-30). There appears to be an agreement on the top three being Joe Burrow (LSU), Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama), and Justin Herbert (Oregon), but things get dicy after that. Jordan Love is Brugler’s QB4, but 19th-ranked prospect. Meanwhile, PFF has Love as QB6 and the 76th ranked player. Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma) cracks the top-100 on Miller’s big board (50th) and is a top-100 prospect by PFF’s standards (65th), but slides all the way to 100 on Brugler’s 100 best prospects. In short, it’s a roll of the dice after Burrow, Tua, and Herbert get selected.
• And then there is Jeremiah, who has seven quarterbacks among the 70 best prospects on his top-150 big board. There are eight quarterbacks in Jeremiah’s top-150, including one we’ll dive into deeper later today. (That’s what we in the media call a tease.)
• In search of strength inside this draft, turn your eyes to the receivers. PFF has 12 receivers in its top-50 and 17 among the site’s 101 top-ranked prospects. Brugler has 15 receivers in his top-100. Miller’s grading scale has 13 receiver prospects worthy of being taken in the first two rounds. There is so much talent at the position, there will inevitably be tremendous value outside of Round 1. Considering the Bears’ need to replace Taylor Gabriel, the team should be interested in snagging a receiver prospect who might have been a first-rounder in another draft class in Round 2.
• So whom are the Bears going to pick? Well, there is no shortage of options. Let’s explore some.
• The team of JJ Stankevitz, Adam Hoge, and Cam Ellis (NBC Sports Chicago) have a three-way duel mock for the first 50 picks of the 2020 NFL Draft. There’s some love for prospects who played for last year’s national champion with pick No. 43, as offensive lineman Lloyd Cushenberry III (Hoge) and safety Grant Delpit (Ellis) are chosen. Stankevitz also addresses the safety position, but does so while channeling his inner Ryan Pace by snagging Lenoir-Rhyne’s Kyle Dugger. Because nothing feels more like a Pace type of prospect such as a do-it-all safety prospect from a small school.
• With the 50th overall pick, Hoge has the Bears addressing their quarterback depth by selecting Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts. You’ll get no argument from me, someone who believes that Matt Nagy’s quick decision offense fits things Hurts does well. And that he’ll get an opportunity to sit behind (and learn from) Nick Foles is an added bonus. Not only is Hurts probably a better passer than what meets the eye, but he was trusted enough by Nick Saban to start as a freshman for Alabama and capable enough to pick up the complexities of Lincoln Riley’s offense.
• The NBC Sports Chicago crew doesn’t come to a consensus with the 50th selection. Ellis snags Georgia offensive lineman Isaiah Wilson, who could be plugged immediately into a starting role at right guard before transitioning to right tackle at some point down the line. Stankevitz sends Notre Dame receiver Chase Claypool to Chicago. Claypool was believed to be someone who could transition to tight end before blowing up at the NFL Scouting Combine. At 6-4 and 238 pounds, Claypool (who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds) could fit as a receiver (or even as someone who could be strictly pass-catching tight end type of player in the mold of what Jimmy Graham was in New Orleans).
• Over at The Athletic, Kevin Fishbain and Adam Jahns go toe-to-toe once more with a dueling mock of their own:
Starting DBs in Round 2 and QBs on Day 3?
@kfishbain and I are back with our final dueling #Bears mock draft before the draft opens Thursday.
Enjoy! (Great free trial subscription in the link) https://t.co/YBAFusmBRx
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) April 19, 2020
• Whose mock do you like better? Both address needs at offensive line (UConn’s Matt Peart, Ball State’s Danny Pinter, Michigan’s Jon Runyan, Washington’s Trey Adams), cornerback (Clemson’s A.J. Terrell, Oklahoma State’s A.J. Green), safety (Southern Illinois’ Jeremy Chinn, Mississippi State’s Brian Cole II), , tight end (Purdue’s Brycen Hopkins, Western Michigan’s Giovanni Ricci), pass-rusher (Alabama’s Anfernee Jennings, Boise State’s Curtis Weaver), and quarterback (Florida International’s James Morgan, Oregon State’s Jake Luton). Part of me wants to give the edge to Fishbain, who picked one of my favorite receivers (Hamler). But Jahns picked two offensive linemen, a player from my alma mater, and my favorite later-round QB prospect. It’s a coin flip. Where’s Robert Quinn when you need him?
• The NFC North mock conducted by Bucky Brooks and Daniel Jeremiah is a bit off-the-radar from a Bears perspective.
https://twitter.com/nflnetwork/status/1250139006299287552?s=20
• A defensive tackle to the Bears at 43? Ummm, OK …
• Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune shared a mock that sent a hard-nosed offensive lineman (Cesar Ruiz, Michigan) and standout cornerback (Jeff Gladney, TCU). Considering what is left on the board, it’s tough to argue with these choices. But the biggest revelation is there is an expectation that the Bears are going to move down with at least one (if not both) second-round picks. If they can pull it off, the Bears could add some much-needed draft capital.
