2018 NFL Draft: Chicago Bears 7-round mock draft

The Chicago Bears have a new head coach but are back picking inside the top ten of the NFL Draft.

A year ago the Chicago Bears had signed Mike Glennon. They then took to the NFL draft and grabbed Mitchell Trubisky with the second pick. Glennon would go on to start four games before the rookie took the reigns and did not look back. Now Chicago has decided to cut Glennon and ride with Trubisky.

With new coach Matt Nagy on board, Trubisky is prime for a Jared Goff like turn-around in his second season. The Bears will need to utilize free agency and the draft if they want to be this year’s version of the 2017 Rams. This seven-round mock draft would be a great start.

This mock draft was done using Fanspeak’s On the Clock, a fun and informative tool for all NFL draft fans.

Round 1 – Pick 8

Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech

Chicago is in the midst of a roster turnover. Their defense, a strong unit a year ago, will have new faces on every level. Both starting corners are free agents, with only one likely to return. The team also released starting linebacker Jerrell Freeman earlier this month. Joining Freeman on the market is fellow linebacker Pernell McPhee. With a hole at linebacker, taking a talented yet raw player who could fill either player’s shoes is a wise choice.

Tremaine Edmunds of Virginia Tech is one of the more polarizing names in the draft. At only 19 years old, people around the league see a developing player with infinite potential. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound linebacker played middle linebacker for the Hokies. However, it is easy to see him being a versatile defensive weapon given his length and athleticism.

The debate rages between the potential of Edmunds versus the production and experience of Georgia’s Roquon Smith. For the Bears, the former is the better choice. Edmunds will need work as he relies on his freak athleticism, length and speed at his size to make the majority of his plays. In this Chicago defense, he can be used on every down and will not need the protection that a smaller linebacker like Smith will. It is easy to see him developing as a pass rusher just as much as an imposing middle linebacker with his rare traits.

Some fans will call for Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley here. To be fair, that would help Trubisky the most, but the value just is not there for a receiver who, in my eyes, does not have the traits of a number one option in the NFL. In a deep receive class, there is value in day two.