The regular season may not have started yet, but it is never too early for a mock draft for the 2027 NFL Draft. ESPN's Jordan Reid has already put together his first round mock draft with the Chicago Bears picking at No. 16 and selecting offensive tackle Jordan Seaton out of LSU.
Turning first to where the Bears are projected to pick in the draft, there is not a projected trade. So, Reid is saying he does not believe Chicago will make the playoffs because in order to be in the playoffs, they would have to pick at No. 18 at the earliest. Both the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions are projected to have a pick past No. 20, although the Packers do not own their pick because of the Micah Parsons trade. Therefore, the Bears are projected to finish
third in the NFC North according to this mock draft.
That seems like a bold prediction given the Bears won the division last year and beat the Packers twice - once in the regular season and again in the postseason. Chicago’s defense is obviously a concern between the injuries and how they performed last season. However, the defense is not worrisome enough for the Bears to miss the playoffs entirely.
Turning now to who Reid is projecting the Bears to draft, offensive tackle Jordan Seaton. Here is what Reid had to say about why Chicago would draft Seaton:
“Ozzy Trapilo has recovered remarkably quickly from a torn patellar tendon, but there will still be questions about how long that injury will linger and his overall upside at left tackle. Until we know how well Trapilo will play, left tackle should be viewed as a huge question mark in Chicago. Seaton is an easy-moving pass protector who plays with excellent balance. He still needs to work on his hand placement, but his raw tools could eventually make him the top offensive tackle in next year's class if he performs well against an SEC schedule.”
First, this reasoning seems flawed. Chicago’s greatest concern right now is on defense and there are plenty of elite defensive linemen on the board at No. 16 including the player projected to be drafted at No. 17, defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington out of Oregon. The Bears went with defense in the first round last year and at this point, it appears they will again in the 2027 draft.
Furthermore, the concerns regarding Trapilo seem unwarranted. To this point, Trapilo has made remarkable progress in his recovery. Prior to his injury, he had a good season as a rookie. If he had not been injured, there would have not been a competition for the starting left tackle during training camp because he showed last season he can be a good starter at the left tackle position in the NFL.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: ESPN's 2027 mock draft has Bears making surprise decision
