The Chicago Bears were without a first-round selection for the second straight year — a result of the Khalil Mack trade with the Las Vegas Raiders — but there will be plenty of first-round talent available for them when the second round kicks off.
Chicago has no shortage of roster needs heading into this draft — and not a whole lot of draft capital to work with. The Bears have just two picks in the first four rounds, so it’s possible that they try to trade back to accumulate additional picks. And given the talent still left on the board, there figures to be some teams willing to move up.
But if the Bears decide to stay put with picks 43 and 50 — especially given the crop of prospects still available — there are some opportunities for them to address some important roster needs.
Let’s take a look at five positions that the Bears should consider addressing with their pair of second rounders:
1. Offensive line
One of the biggest issues with the Bears’ abysmal offense a season ago was the offensive line, who returned five starters off a solid 2018 season. While most of the offensive line will remain intact in 2020 — with left tackle Charles Leno Jr., left guard James Daniels, center Cody Whitehair and right tackle Bobby Massie — the Bears have a starting right guard spot up for grabs following Kyle Long’s retirement.
Heading into Round 2, there has been only one interior offensive lineman taken — Michigan’s Cesar Ruiz. Which leaves players like Louisiana-Lafayette’s Robert Hunt, LSU’s Damien Lewis and Ohio State’s Jonah Jackson for the taking for Chicago on Day 2. While six offensive tackles were taken in the first round, Boise State’s Ezra Cleveland and Houston’s Josh Jones highlight some first-round prospects that have fallen to Day 2.
2. Cornerback
The Bears have a starting right cornerback spot up for grabs following the release of cap-casualty Prince Amukamara. While Chicago has some players in place to compete for the starting spot opposite Pro Bowler Kyle Fuller — among them Kevin Toliver, Tre Roberson and Artie Burns — they should still consider drafting one of the talented corner prospects with one of their second-round picks.
There is still some first-round talent available in the second round in a deep cornerback class, including Alabama’s Trevon Diggs, Utah’s Jaylon Johnson and LSU’s Kristian Fulton. The Bears shouldn’t hesitate to snag a top cornerback prospect in the second round, especially given the hole at right corner.
3. Safety
The Bears are in search of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix’s replacement to line up opposite Pro Bowler Eddie Jackson, who is moving back to centerfield for 2020. There were no safeties taken in the first round of the draft, so the Bears could find Jackson’s partner in crime early in the second round.
The top safety talent remains on the board for Chicago heading into Round 2, with names like Alabama’s Xavier McKinney, LSU’s Grant Delpit and Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield Jr.. While there’s no guarantee that any of those guys will last through the 10 picks before the Bears’ first second-rounder arrives, there should be other talented options such as Southern Illinois’ Jeremy Chinn and Lenoir-Rhyne’s Kyle Dugger still available.
4. Tight end
While tight end should certainly not be at the top of this list for the Bears in the second round, there’s no denying that there is a need at the position. The Bears currently have nine tight ends on the roster following the release of Trey Burton, but there’s not a whole lot of proven ability there. They brought in Jimmy Graham this offseason, but they’d certainly benefit from adding a playmaker in this draft.
If the Bears were going to target a tight end in the second round, there are a few players that would serve to make their roster better. Notre Dame’s Cole Kmet is arguably the most NFL ready tight end, and he’d fill a need as an in-line tight end that’s also a great receiving threat. Purdue’s Brycen Hopkins is another tight end that figures to fit well in Matt Nagy’s offense as a move tight end that could be a playmaker in this offense.
5. Wide receiver
While receiver was far from the biggest problem on offense last season for the Bears, that doesn’t mean it’s not a need for Chicago. Following the release of cap-casualty Taylor Gabriel, the Bears need to find his speedy replacement. And there’s no better time to do that than in this deep class of receivers.
There were six receivers taken in the first round of the NFL Draft, but there is still a ton of talent on the board that could be available for the Bears when pick 43 or 50 rolls around. Clemson’s Tee Higgins, Baylor’s Denzel Mims and Penn State’s KJ Hamler are guys that bring an explosiveness to the receiver position, which is exactly what the Bears are looking for in a running mate for Allen Robinson.
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