Mock Drafts Begin Predicting Direction Bears Will Head In

With the NFL playoffs now halfway over and all but four teams eliminated, the attention of some NFL fans is shifting to the draft, and the Chicago Bears are going to be one of the more intriguing teams in this year’s selection process.

The Bears, who currently own the eighth overall pick in the draft, have all sorts of different directions they can go, and several mock drafts highlight that wide variety of needs.

ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. has pegged the Bears to take Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley with the eighth overall pick in the draft.

Ridley, who had 63 catches for 967 yards and five touchdowns this season for the Crimson Tide, is the highest-rated receiver on Kiper’s draft board, and the only one taken in the first 25 picks of his first mock draft.

Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller has the Bears going in a different direction, as he has them taking Texas offensive tackle Connor Williams with the eighth pick.

While wide receiver is the team’s biggest need in the draft according to Miller, they also need serious help on their offensive line, and Williams is an ideal candidate to slide into the left tackle spot, with Charles Leno Jr. likely moving to the right tackle spot after signing an extension with the Bears.

Here are where some other mock drafts have the Bears going: