Who Are the Experts Predicting to Bears in the 1st Round of the NFL Draft?
Published by Andrew Dannehy on March 25, 2013
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
As the opening weeks of free agency have come to a close and the Bears‘ roster begins to take shape, it’s time to start focusing on the 2013 NFL draft.
While they’re further down in the draft at No. 20, the Bears are in an enviable position, since they don’t have many dire needs thanks to free agency.
They entered the offseason with holes at tackle and tight end, but they filled those on the first day of free agency with Jermon Bushrod and Martellus Bennett.
As those holes filled, more opened as linebacker Nick Roach signed with the Raiders and the team announced they would not be bringing back Brian Urlacher, the former face of the franchise. They acted quickly to put bodies in those two holes as well, signing D.J. Williams from the Broncos and James Anderson from the Panthers. Although they may not change their plans in the draft, both have plenty of starting experience, meaning the Bears won’t be desperate for a starting linebacker.
The result of their productivity early in this offseason means the Bears will have flexibility in the draft. They can draft the best player available regardless of their needs or trade back and get depth at key positions.
When looking at mock drafts, it’s hard to tell if people are picking who the Bears should take or who they will take. Linebacker has been a popular pick for the Bears amongst the experts. Eight different people have them using the 20th pick on that position. Most have them taking either Arthur Brown of Kansas State or Alec Olgetree of Georgia.
One even predicts that Jarvis Jones—thought of as a top pick by some—will drop to them. There are, of course, the predictions that Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o will be a Bear next season.
While some people may be great scouts, there really is no way of knowing what someone else will do or what they think of a certain player. Last season Bears general manager Phil Emery surprised many by selecting Shea McClellin. Could he have another trick up his sleeve this season? Or is he in line with many of the experts?
Only time will tell, but we all do our best guessing. Here are what some of the experts think Emery will or should do.
