The Chicago Bears are a team on the radar of many experts in the first round of the NFL Draft, with the team potentially looking to move up from the 20th overall selection Thursday.
The Bears have been linked to several teams as a potential candidate to move up for a quarterback in the first round, and have been linked to several high-profile trade candidates in the offseason, including Seattle's Russell Wilson and Houston's Deshaun Watson.
Assuming the Bears don't acquire one of those players, and assuming they don't move up in the order, here is where NFL experts currently look for the team to go in Round 1:
Patrik Walker, CBS Sports:
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CB Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech
CBS has Farley ranked as the best cornerback in the draft, but after he suffered a back injury, Walker says that drafting him here is a risk that could “either pay off wonderfully or not so much.”
The Bears are woefully thin at cornerback after releasing Kyle Fuller this offseason, with Jaylon Johnson and Desmond Trufant likely penciled in as starters.
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Mel Kiper, ESPN.com:
OT Teven Jenkins, Oklahoma State
“He’s got that aggressiveness to blow you off the ball in the run game,” Kiper said of Jenkens on Thursday. “He did a great job against some highly-skilled pass rushers at that right tackle spot. He could also maybe be a left tackle.”
Rhett Lewis, NFL.com:
OT Christian Darrisaw, Virginia Tech
The Bears are in need of a youth infusion on their offensive line, with Germain Ifedi and Charles Leno Jr. both serving as solid, although not exactly upside-heavy, tackles on the line.
NBC’s Pro Football Talk:
WR Rashod Bateman, Minnesota
Another player that has popped up on the Bears’ radar in this slot is Bateman, who has been compared to Cowboys WR Michael Gallup by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein.
“Intriguing outside target with combination of size and build-up speed,” Zierlein said. “Bateman plays with pro-ready hands and the upper-body agility needed to adjust in air and bring the ball in.”
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News:
OT Teven Jenkins, Oklahoma State
The Sporting News has the Bears going for offensive tackle as well, with wide receiver also mentioned as a very real possibility in this spot.
Iyer praises Jenkins as a “prototypical” right tackle who can help both in the run game, where David Montgomery thrived last year, and in the passing game.
Walter Football
QB Mac Jones, Alabama
Prevailing wisdom on when Jones will go in the draft has been anything but prevailing, with some mocks having him go as high as third to the San Francisco 49ers.
If Jones, or Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, are available in the 20th spot, the Bears could easily make the argument that drafting one of the two would be smart, with Andy Dalton and Nick Foles currently in the fold as quarterbacks for 2021.
