It was a wild free agency period for the Chicago Bears. After a disappointing 2019 season, the Bears made a splash by trading for Nick Foles. The team will have itself a battle at quarterback between Foles and Mitchell Trubisky. Additionally, they signed Jimmy Graham to a contract in an attempt to shore up the tight end spot. After letting Leonard Floyd walk, they added more pass-rushing help by bringing in Robert Quinn.
However, the Bears did lose pieces like Prince Amukamara and HaHa Clinton-Dix in the secondary, meaning cornerback and safety are now both needs as well. So, where do the Bears fit now in the NFC North after free agency? This updated Chicago Bears 7-round mock draft will help them see their way into the playoffs again.
Team Needs
Things have changed here since the first time I did this mock draft. There is no doubt that two of the most significant needs that have emerged are now the second cornerback spot opposite of Kyle Fuller, and Eddie Jackson needs a new running mate as well. Those are the two things that stick out like a sore thumb when looking over the roster as it is currently constructed.
Guard is another need that this team needs and would round out my top three needs for this team. They have to address the offensive line. Germain Ifedi helps tackle depth, but they certainly could use a tackle as well. The team feels like it could use another home run hitter in the skill positions as well. A receiver is far more likely than a running back, and it is only a moderate need, but it is something to look at here. The last thing I would bring up is a pass rusher, still. They have a great duo, but they could use some more depth here.
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Round 2, Pick 43: Noah Igbinoghene, CB, Auburn
Heading into this mock draft, I wanted to make sure in these first two second-round picks that I shored up the secondary. The other needs are very valid, but without a pick until Round 5, I have to focus on filling cornerback and safety. Noah Igbinoghene slides next to Kyle Fuller and immediately becomes a day one starter for the Bears.
Igbinoghene is a bit raw, but he has a wonderful upside to his game and is scheme diverse. While he has to learn how to stay disciplined and use his length better in press coverage, Igbinoghene’s fluidity and athleticism allow him to mirror and match receivers with his ease. He has shown significant growth as he has continued to learn the position more and more.
Igbinoghene’s feel in zone coverage is pretty solid. He feels routes and has excellent closing speed to make plays at the catch point. Igbinoghene is going to be a high upside guy that gives you a fiery demeanor and solid play right out of the gate. In addition, he has kick return upside to boot.
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Round 2, Pick 50: Jeremy Chinn, S, Southern Illinois
Chinn has wicked athleticism and is a perfect counterpart to Eddie Jackson. With Jackson on the deep end, it will allow Chinn to free flow underneath and use his click and close to fly around the box and make plays. There are going to be headaches and moments of growth for Chinn, and he may not be the starter right away as the season kicks off. Still, once he gets comfortable with what he sees in front of him, Chinn can fill the role that Adrian Amos once filled in Chicago alongside Eddie Jackson.
Chinn has significant upside and can work in as a linebacker in sub-package sets if the Bears want to mix Deon Bush, for example, in a three safety set. It will be Chinn’s athleticism and physical tools that show themselves right away on the field, but he has the skillset to be a versatile piece on this Bears defense and an impact defender from day one.
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Round 5, Pick 163: Derrek Tuszka, EDGE, North Dakota State
I mentioned that there was no doubt the Bears could use more pass-rushing depth, and Tuszka brings that to the table. He is a ton of fun to watch on film. There are obvious athletic gifts with a springy first step and hot motor. Tuszka gets into the backfield often due to that twitched-up first step. Even more so, Tuszka has excellent hand usage and pass-rush plan. If he were lengthier and showed sufficient counters on his tape, Tuszka would be a much higher rated prospect.
That does not mean he will not have an impact from day one, though. He will make the Bears roster on special teams alone. I think Tuszka can ascend the depth chart rather fast with his polished game that still has upside if he can work in more counters and process plays better with his eyes. For a fifth-round pick, this is big-time value.
Round 6, Pick 196: Michael Onwenu, IOL, Michigan
The Bears need the interior offensive line help, and although this is late in the draft, Onwenu is a solid prospect who can be a starter in this league. He was a Shrine Game standout, and his movement skills were apparent. Onwenu can move exceptionally well laterally and pull with flexibility in his hips or climb to the second level with ease. The functional athleticism is tremendous, and for a guy going this late, really nice to see.
Onwenu will pancake guys with ease due to his strength and power. He does a great job of generating power through his legs and into his hips to drive guys back and out of their gaps. That also carries over into pass protection, where he has a great anchor and functional balance as well. Onwenu has to work on grip strength and hand placement as his two main things. His pad level could also use a fair share bit of work. However, Onwenu is reliable and can help the Bears out down the road.
Round 6, Pick 200: Quez Watkins, WR, Southern Mississippi
The home run threat the Bears get late in this draft is Quez Watkins. He ran a blazing 4.35 40 yard dash at the combine, and if there is one thing the Bears receiving corps could use a little injection of, it is speed. That is precisely what Watkins will give the Bears as he is a vertical threat who can still rise up, fight through physicality, and make those contested catches if needed.
Watkins is not an incredibly nuanced player, but he is a playmaker who can do good things when given manufactured touches in space where his speed and quickness can shine. This is a guy who brings special teams value and can also return punts and kicks. Add that in with a vertical threat this late in the draft, and the Bears get good value here.
Round 7, Pick 226: Bravvion Roy, IDL, Baylor
The most infamous combine snub of the process, Roy is the exact type of defensive lineman who can find his way onto and team and be in the league for multiple years. He is a massive body who can clog up lines in run defense due to a suitable anchor and functional strength at the point of attack to feign off stronger blockers that want to get him off his spot.
However, Roy also brings a very good first step to the table and has a good bull rush in his game. The pass rush plan and pad level need to improve for him to capitalize on a lot of the pass-rushing opportunities he has, but there is pass rushing upside here for Roy. If he has to work with that on the practice squad, then so be it, but Roy is good value here with upside.
Round 7, Pick 233: David Woodward, ILB, Utah State
The Bears do need some inside linebacker depth after losing Nick Kwiatkowski and Kevin Pierre-Louis in free agency, so taking a flier late on David Woodward, who was a tackling machine for Utah State, is not a bad investment. Woodward has good instincts and average athletic ability, but a very hot motor as well.
There have been flashes of coverage ability coming from Woodward, and he has the instincts to make plays in zone coverage and create some havoc underneath. A sure tackler, Woodward is another guy with special teams value that could slip his way onto the roster due to it. He has upside as well to be a good depth piece and spot starter if needed for the Bears.