Pre-Gamin’: Day 3 of the 2021 NFL Draft (11 AM CT): Bears Picks, Needs, Broadcast Info, Draft Thread, More

Had you told me the Bears would address needs at quarterback and offensive tackle with their first two picks in the 2021 NFL Draft by selecting players who were top-5 at their respective positions, I’d have been ecstatic.

And guess what? I’m over the moon. Seeing Chicago trade up to choose Justin Fields in Round 1, then do it again in Round 2 to take Teven Jenkins makes me feel some type of why. And, sure, not having that second Day 2 pick stings a bit. But getting a premier prospect at a position of need who has a first-round grade has a price. Should Jenkins play as well as projections suggest, then it will have been a price worth paying. If he exceeds those expectations, we’ll laugh at the cost of doing business.

With that being said, the Bears still have work to go. Go get ’em, Ryan Pace!

Draft Info

Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Dates and rounds: May 1 (Rounds 4-7)

Round 4 start time: 11 a.m. CT

How to watch/stream: ESPN, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes, NFL.com/watch

Bears Picks

•  Round 1, Pick 11 – Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
•  Round 2, Pick 39 – Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State
•  Round 3, Pick 83 – Traded to the Panthers in the Teven Jenkins deal
•  Round 5, Pick 164 – Traded to the Giants in the Justin Fields deal
•  Round 5, Pick 151
•  Round 6, Pick 204 – Traded to the Panthers in the Teven Jenkins deal
•  Round 6, Pick 208
•  Round 6, Pick 221
•  Round 6, Pick 228

As a reminder, the Bears do not have a fourth-round pick, as it was sent to the Vikings in the trade that allowed the Beas to draft Trevis Gipson last year. Their seventh-round pick in this draft was sent to the Raiders in 2019 in exchange for place-kicker Eddie Piñeiro.

Four Bears Needs

•  Quarterback
•  Offensive tackle
•  Wide receiver
•  Cornerback
•  Safety
•  Offensive line depth

ESPN’s 10 Best Players at Bears Positions of Need (Overall Ranking)

(1)  WR Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State (75th)
(2)  CB Tay Gowan, UCF (85th)
(3)  OL James Hudson, Cincinnati (88th)
(4)  WR Shi Smith, South Carolina (89th)
(5)  CB Shakur Brown, Michigan State (90th)
(6)  S Jamar Johnson, Indiana (91st)
(7)  WR Cade Johnson, South Dakota State (94th)
(8)  S Richard LeCount, Georgia (96th)
(9)  OL Trey Smith, Tennessee (100th)
(10)  CB Shaun Wade, Ohio State (101st)

My 10 Favorite Prospects (ESPN Overall Ranking)

(1)  EDGE Chris Rumph II, Duke (69th)
(2)  RB Michael Carter, North Carolina (83rd)
(3)  DT Daviyon Nixon, Iowa (103rd)
(4)  WR Sage Surratt, Wake Forest (105th)
(5)  S Trill Williams, Syracuse (125th)
(6)  OL Deonte Brown, Alabama (128th)
(7)  OL D’Ante Smith, East Carolina (162nd)
(8)  DL Tarron Jackson, Coastal Carolina (185th)
(9)  WR Jaelon Darden, North Texas (314th)
(10)  WR Josh Imatorbhebhe, Illinois (349th)

Draft Thread

Your draft thread is down in the comments, so let’s have some good, clean (safe-for-work) fun on the final day. Hopefully, the Bears can finish strong!

written by

Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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