The 2019 NFL draft is less than 10 days away, and while the Chicago Bears won’t begin draft weekend with a first- or second-round pick, there will still be a big opportunity for general manager Ryan Pace to upgrade the roster at several positions of need.
The general consensus is the Bears will target a running back with their first selection, No. 87 overall. And while it certainly would make sense for Chicago to add prospect who can complement Tarik Cohen’s explosiveness and provide insurance for the oft-injured Mike Davis, the reality is quality running backs will slip to Day 3.
As a result, I don’t expect Pace to select running back in the third round. The only way he will is if a player like Penn State’s Miles Sanders or Iowa State’s David Montgomery suffers a Day-2 slide. But don’t expect that to happen.
Assuming the Bears don’t go with a running back in the third round, here’s a look at what a realistic draft haul could look like by the time Day 3 concludes.
Round 3, pick 87: Isaiah Johnson, CB, Houston
The Chicago Bears are going to make a heavy investment in the secondary in this year’s draft. Gone is Bryce Callahan and Adrian Amos, two critical starters at cornerback and safety who will be replaced by veteran free agents Buster Skrine and HaHa Clinton-Dix. Sure, Skrine and Clinton-Dix are solid players, and could eventually prove to upgrade the defense, but neither is guaranteed to be around for the long term.
Enter Isaiah Johnson, who at 6-2, 208 pounds with 4.40 speed, is oozing with potential as a physical press corner. His inconsistent tape will push him down the draft board a bit, but the Bears can take a chance on his upside while he learns behind their established starters in 2019. This would be a fantastic selection.
Round 4, Pick 126: Marquise Blair, Safety, Utah
The Bears will stick to the secondary in the fourth round with the selection of Utah’s Marquise Blair. He’s an aggressive defender who fits the mold of a guy like Adrian Amos as a run defender. He isn’t the biggest player at his position (6-1, 195 pounds), and undersized (slim) safeties are always injury risks. But in the fourth round and with Chicago needing more youth at safety, Blair would fit the bill nicely.
Round 5, Pick 162: Michael Jordan, iOL, Ohio State
Another Michael Jordan in Chicago? This pick just feels like destiny. It also makes sense for a Bears team that has to continue adding young offensive linemen with a lot of starting experience.
Jordan has 41 career starts for Ohio State, including all 13 games during his freshman season. He’s the first Buckeye lineman to start his freshman season since Orlando Pace back in 1994. If he can be even 5% of what Pace was as a pro, he’s worth a fifth-round pick.
Jordan would serve as a solid backup behind Kyle Long and James Daniels along the interior of the line, and he has experience playing center which will make him a great option to carry as a sixth lineman on gameday.
Round 7, Pick 222: Jordan Scarlett, RB, Florida
We finally have a running back! And he comes via the seventh round from the University of Florida.
Jordan Scarlett is a very, very interesting player in this year’s draft. He has good speed (4.47) and a physical makeup that falls between Tarik Cohen and Mike Davis; Scarlett is 5-11, 208 pounds. Seems like an ideal third back on Sundays.
But for as good as Scarlett looks on the field, he’s had a checkered past off of it. Arrests in 2016 and 2017 caused him to miss significant time (he was suspended for all of 2017) and will raise questions about whether he can be trusted once he gets to the NFL.
As a pure running back, he’s enticing. He averaged 5.9 yards per carry in 2018 and possesses the kind of power and foot-speed combination that usually equates to success as a pro. At this point in the draft, he’s probably worth the risk.
Round 7, Pick 238: Deshaun Davis, LB, Auburn
With the secondary, interior offensive line and running back already addressed in this mock draft, it’s time to focus on the best player available who offers some potential starting upside this late in the draft.
The Bears don’t have an overwhelming need at linebacker, but a prospect like Auburn’s Deshaun Davis offers immediate help on special teams while biding his time for an opportunity for reps on defense.
Davis isn’t the most athletic linebacker in the class, but he likes to hit. And that kind of mentality would go over well with Bears fans.
