The Chicago Bears unexpectedly took Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman with the 25th overall pick last night, and having the best player available align with a massive need in the secondary was as perfect an outcome as general manager Ryan Poles could have hoped for.
The first round, in general, has left things pretty good for the Bears as they look forward to the second round. Only two defensive tackles were picked, and only two cornerbacks are off the board. There were six defensive ends drafted, but
Mark Schofield’s SB Nation top players still available list includes several EDGE names who would look good in Chicago. There are also some interesting offensive linemen and linebackers still on the board.
As it currently stands, Chicago is up at 57 and then three picks later at 60, with their third-round pick at 89 overall.
Check out the SB Nation big board for the full remaining list in their Top 100, but here are a few positions I think could be in play for the Bears today, along with the overall ranking.
Defensive Tackle
26) Kayden McDonald, Ohio State
45) Lee Hunter, Texas Tech
51) Christian Miller, Georgia
67) Domonique Orange, Iowa State
73) Gracen Holton, Oklahoma
78) Darrell Jackson Jr., Florida State
Holton fits that penetrating three-tech role perfectly, but McDonald has been unfairly labeled as nothing more than a run-stuffing space-eater. He’s a good athlete, he plays with a high motor, and I think his pass rush can be unlocked with NFL coaching. If he starts slipping to the 40s (which I doubt), I won’t complain about a trade-up.
EDGE
32) Zion Young, Missouri
33) Cashius Howell, Texas A&M
43) T.J. Parker, Clemson
52) Gabe Jacas, Illinois
54) R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma
62) Derrick Moore, Michigan
72) Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State
74) Romello Height, Texas Tech
81) Joshua Josephs, Tennessee
89) Keyron Crawford, Auburn
Bears fans have been so focused on Young, Parker, and Jacas that they may have overlooked Moore (6’3 7/8″, 255), who had 10 sacks last year for the Wolverines.
Here’s how Jacob Infante mocked the Bears’ draft from round 2 on, and here’s his defensive line value for the remaining players.
Cornerback
14) Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
22) Avieon Terrell, Clemson
29) Colton Hood, Tennessee
46) Brandon Cisse, South Carolina
48) Keionte Scott, Miami
55) D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana
57) Treydan Stukes, Arizona State
70) Keith Abney II, Arizona State
76) Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State
93) Daylen Everette, Georgia
94) Devin Moore, Florida
98) Julian Neal, Arkansas
100) Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina
Some of these corners project to nickel or even safety for some teams, which the Bears could use depth at, but if the Bears wanted a corner to push the room, Igbinosun is an experienced option.
A few other players who have caught my eye
35) Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
65) Connor Lew, C, Auburn
71) Gennings Dunker, OT, Iowa
80) Sam Hecht, C, Kansas State
But what about the other centers, or linebackers, or tackles? What about receiver or running back? All positions that the Bears could use, and all positions that could be the best players available when they get on the clock.
Give us your prediction for what the Bears will do tonight!
