The first wave of free agency is over. The Bears didn’t land the big fish, Russell Wilson, and instead settled on Andy Dalton as QB1. I’m actually okay with this, so long as they find a taker for Nick Foles. A quarterback room of Dalton/Foles makes no sense to me, and moving Foles would free up some much needed cap space. I also think it is vital for Ryan Pace to select a QB in this draft, not necessarily in the first round, where it will likely take a costly trade up to land one, but more than a late round flier. A Day Two prospect with upside would be ideal, and I’ve had one in mind for awhile, as you’ll see.

Allen Robinson has signed his franchise tag, meaning the Bears have their best offensive player back for one more year at least, unless they package him in a trade. Regardless, his future in the Windy City is uncertain at best. Rumors have been flying about the Bears shopping Anthony Miller and neither Javon Wims nor Riley Ridley have shown enough to warrant an increased role in the passing game. WR isn’t the Bears biggest need, but it is a need and one that should be addressed fairly early. It’s a deep and talented class of receivers, even a late round flier could have a potential impact.

The Bears precarious cap situation precipitated some painful moves, none more painful than the release of CB Kyle Fuller. Pace did sign Desmond Trufant to replace him, but CB should be addressed in the draft too. Another safety to pair with Eddie Jackson wouldn’t be out of line, either, though there is a chance Tashaun Gipson returns, if the price is right.

It’s my opinion that, outside of QB, the Bears most pressing need is offensive tackle. Bobby Massie has already been released, German Ifredi has returned on a team friendly deal but neither he nor left tackle Charles Leno are more than decent, capable starters. The tackle class is fairly deep, compared to years past, so Chicago should certainly select one no later than Day Two.

Now, I present my second Chicago Bears full seven round mock draft (with trades):

FIRST ROUND, Pick #22- Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota: Five QBs are off the board already, I would have taken Bateman, who reminds me a lot of Allen Robinson, at #20, but Tennessee came knocking with an offer. Moving down two spots, adding another third rounder and getting my guy is a win.

SECOND ROUND, Pick #52- Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Florida State: I was monitoring the QB situation, but none have gone off the board in the second round. I would have considered another trade down or adding a tackle here, but Samuel was too good to pass up. A corner with a great pedigree to pair with last year’s second rounder, Jaylon Johnson, could give Chicago their best corner tandem since the heyday of Tillman/Jennings.

THIRD ROUND, Pick #83- Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame: Still monitoring the QBs and comfortable enough with the extra third round pick I added earlier, I’m thrilled to find Eichenberg still on the board. He’ll start on day one at right tackle and could eventually replace Leno on the left side.

THIRD ROUND, Pick #87- Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M: What I was watching for happened, Davis Mills went with the 86th pick, so I called Denver, which held the 87th (which they had acquired from Pittsburgh in an earlier deal). It cost the 100th pick and next year’s third rounder, but I landed a QB I really like. Mond has good size, a strong arm and great athleticism. I think with good coaching he could develop into a quality starter. I would have pulled the trigger in round two if I needed to, but luckily I landed him in the third.

ROUND FIVE, Pick #164- Shaka Toney, EDGE, Penn State: At this point, I’m pretty pleased with my draft. I’ve addressed our four biggest needs without reaching or selling the farm, so I didn’t feel the need to try to acquire a fourth round pick. Edge rusher isn’t one of the Bears biggest needs, we do have Khalil Mack and you have to think Robert Quinn has to be better this season. Toney represents an intriguing prospect though. He doesn’t possess the measurables or attributes of his more celebrated Nittany Lion teammates, but he has consistently outproduced them. May only be a designated pass rusher, but you can never have enough of those,

ROUND SIX, Pick #204- Jamar Johnson, S, Indiana: I’m in best player available mode at this point in the draft and when it also meets a need, bonus points. Johnson has the potential to become Eddie Jackson’s long term running mate on the back end, at worst he becomes depth and a core special teamer.

ROUND SIX, Pick #208- Tamorrion Terry, WR, Florida State: Pure upside with this pick. Terry has everything you could want in a receiver, size, speed, hands, he just never put it all together at FSU.

ROUND SIX, Pick #221- Dan Moore, OT, Texas A&M: A big and skilled lineman that can play tackle or guard. Not the most athletic player, but a solid depth piece. Bonus, he blocked for our newest QB in college.

ROUND SIX, Pick #228- Isaiah McDuffie, LB, Boston College: With our final pick, I add a tough play making LB, that may have maxed out his potential. Will be a core special teamer and capable of spelling Roquan Smith or Danny Trevathan in a pinch.

Overall, I’m pretty pleased with this mock draft. I think I added three starters with the first three picks, and a possible future starter at QB. My later round picks all offer intriguing potential and scheme fits, I’m most excited about adding Toney and Terry who both have the physical gifts to become late round gems.

Of course, the whole thing depends on Kellen Mond, did we find our future QB or just a career back up? I really like the upside he offers and I think we have the coaching in place to maximize his potential.

Less than a month until Draft weekend, I can’t wait!

As always, thanks for reading.

The first of the draft dominoes has fallen with San Francisco moving up to the number 3 spot, Miami moving down to 12 then back up to number 6 and Philadelphia moving down to 12.

Quarterbacks will, most certainly, go 1-2-3 and likely fourth, as well. The Deshaun Watson wildcard is still out there, but with the allegations against him (and I’m not commenting on the veracity of the allegations just on their effect on his trade market), the likelihood of a Watson trade is diminished.

As many as five teams could be vying to move up into the top five for a QB, but I think it will likely come down to Carolina or Denver. Which one will cough up a package similar to what the 49ers did?

1. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS- Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson: No words necessary.

2. NEW YORK JETS- Zach Wilson, QB, BYU: 95 percent certain this is the pick. Five percent chance the Jets either go with a different QB or trade out of this spot.

3. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS- Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State: The Niners didn’t give up the bounty they did to move up not to take a QB. They also didn’t do this without having a specific QB in mind, all signs point to that QB being Lance.

4. DENVER BRONCOS (from Atlanta)- Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State: First things first, Atlanta should absolutely trade out of this spot. Matt Ryan still has years of quality football ahead and they can demand a king’s ransom from a more QB needy team. Let the bidding war begin.

I think the winner of that bidding war will be the Broncos. Teams like Washington and Chicago are too far down in the draft order and can’t offer as much. New England is not likely to sacrifice assets to move up, leaving only Denver and Carolina. Of the two, Denver is probably more desperate. Drew Lock is not the answer and the new GM will want to make a splash. It’ll be costly, but the Broncos will land their franchise QB.

5. CINCINNATI BENGALS- Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon: There’s a temptation to reunite Joe Burrow with his college teammate Ja’Marr Chase, but protecting the franchise QB should be a higher priority.

6. MIAMI DOLPHINS- Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU: After trading down to number 12, then trading back up to six, Miami has to be targeting a specific player they know won’t be there later. It could be a tackle, but it seems more likely to be the top WR in the class.

7. DETROIT LIONS- Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama: The Lions lost their top two WRs to free agency, so even though their defense needs work, grabbing a dynamic, game breaking WR is the more likely route.

8. CAROLINA PANTHERS- Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida: After striking out in their bid for one of the top 4 QBs, Carolina could explore a trade down, but they’d be better served giving Teddy Bridgewater more weapons. Number 8 is high for a TE, but Pitts is more of a hybrid TE/WR. A match up nightmare.

9. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (from Denver through Atlanta)- Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern: Atlanta trades down a second time, accruing more future assets. The Chargers should be targeting protection for Justin Herbert and they should be wary of Dallas, so they’ll jump ahead of them to secure Slater.

10. DALLAS COWBOYS- Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama: If Slater was still on the board, Dallas might be tempted to upgrade the offensive line, but defense is the better move. Not only is Surtain the best defensive player on the board, he’s the top corner in the draft.

11. ARIZONA CARDINALS (from NY Giants)- Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina: Arizona needs a replacement for Patrick Peterson and there are a couple teams ahead of them that might go cornerback, so the Cardinals make the move up to grab their guy.

12. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES- DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama: The Eagles move down 6 spots and still land the Heisman Trophy winner. Will this satisfy Philly fans?

13. ATLANTA FALCONS (from LA Chargers)- Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State: Through two trade downs, Atlanta has added a war chest of future assets. Now they address their atrocious defense by adding a tone setting linebacker.

14. MINNESOTA VIKINGS- Azeez Ojulari, EDGE, Georgia: Mike Zimmer wants to fix his defense and he starts with what I have as the top edge rusher in the class, at the moment.

15. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS- Mac Jones, QB, Alabama: I mentioned in my introduction that I didn’t think New England would trade up for a QB, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t take one. So long as no team leap frogs them (I honestly don’t think any will) and Jones is there at 15, I like the fit. The Belichick-Saban connection is tight.

16. NEW YORK GIANTS (from Arizona)- Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame: The Giants trade down and take a dynamic defender in hybrid LB/S Owusu-Koramoah.

17. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS- Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech: Jon Gruden wants a ground and pound offense and that starts in the trenches. Darrisaw is the top OL on the board.

18. MIAMI DOLPHINS- Najee Harris, RB, Alabama: Miami added the top WR in the class earlier, now they add the top RB. The Dolphins are giving Tua all the tools to succeed.

19. WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM- Alijah Vera-Tucker, IOL, USC: Tucker proved capable of playing tackle at USC and Washington should try him there, but he may be better suited to play guard. Either way, Washington has upgraded their offensive line.

20. CHICAGO BEARS- Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota: The Bears need a QB, but I think they’re more likely to add one on day two. Tackle might be a higher priority, but the value isn’t there at number 20. Allen Robinson’s future in Chicago is uncertain, so picking an ARob clone to either pair with him or replace him is very enticing.

21. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS- Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State: With Bateman off the board, the WR value isn’t there for the Colts. Defense is a possibility but a road grader at OT seems more likely.

22. TENNESSEE TITANS- Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU: The value isn’t there at WR, so this pick has to be defense. Titans pass up on an edge rusher to bolster their back end with the top safety in the class.

23. NEW YORK JETS- Kwity Paye, EDGE, Michigan: The Jets could go several different directions with this pick. I opted to give them the best edge rusher and best player on the board.

24. PITTSBURGH STEELERS- Jayson Oweh, EDGE, Penn State: Steelers could opt to upgrade their offensive line or take a running back, but with the loss of Bud Dupree in free agency, pairing the athletic freak in Oweh with TJ Watt seems like a perfectly Pittsburgh move.

25. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS- Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas: The Jaguars got their franchise QB, now they need to protect him.

26. CLEVELAND BROWNS- Jaelon Phillips, EDGE, Miami-Fl: Phillips would be a top ten pick on pure talent, injury history pushes him down the board where the Browns eagerly pair him with Myles Garrett to give opposing QBs nightmares.

27. BALTIMORE RAVENS- Joseph Ossai, EDGE, Texas: The Ravens lost both starting edge rushers in free agency and while I have others ranked higher, Ossai seems like he was born to be a Raven.

28. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS- Greg Newsome II, CB, Northwestern: The Saints don’t have any real pressing needs, so they go best player available and pair Newsome with Marshon Lattimore.

29. GREEN BAY PACKERS- Terrace Marshall Jr., WR, LSU: It’s high time the Packers give Aaron Rodgers a reliable second option to Davante Adams.

30. BUFFALO BILLS- Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech: Buffalo is thrilled to see Farley on the board at this point.

31. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS- Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri: The Chiefs addressed their offensive line in free agency, but could still use more. However, the value isn’t there at this point. Instead they address their defense with a aggressive run stuffing LB.

32. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS- Christian Barmore, IDL, Alabama: The defending champions go best player available and address one of their few needs.

More dominoes are likely to fall in the coming weeks. Will any team jump up to number 4 before the draft? Will Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson get trades? How about Sam Darnold or Jimmy Garappalo? I’ll update whenever a major move takes place.

As always, thanks for reading.

The first round of the NFL Draft hinges on Quarterbacks and what teams are desperate enough to make the big move.

There are several teams in the QB market in the first round. Obviously, Jacksonville and the New York Jets are well positioned to grab a franchise QB with the first two picks, but others may need to make a trade to get themselves into position.

As I see it, the teams most likely to trade up for a QB are the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Washington Football Team & the Chicago Bears.

To a lesser extent, teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints and the reigning champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could take a QB if one falls to them or make a minor move to acquire one,

The elephant in the room, of course, is Deshaun Watson. Houston has to realize that Watson is adamant about never playing another down in a Texans’ uniform. They’ll trade him, preferably to a team with a top ten draft pick and they may still need to trade up further to get a replacement. I address this in this mock, as you will see.

All that being said, I present my first post- free agency mock draft of 2021:

1. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS- Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson: Done. This pick is a lock.

2. NEW YORK JETS- Zach Wilson, QB, BYU: Jets could throw the whole draft for a loop if they decide to stick with Sam Darnold. They won’t, the new regime will start fresh with a new franchise QB, and I don’t believe they’re serious players in the Watson sweepstakes.

*TRADE ALERT*

Miami trades the third overall pick to Houston for a package including the eighth overall pick, which Houston acquired from Carolina as part of the package in exchange for Deshaun Watson.

3. HOUSTON TEXANS- Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State: Houston ships Watson to Carolina for a bevy of picks and QB Teddy Bridgewater. With Philly and Atlanta ahead of them, and others jockeying to move into position, the Texans flip some of the picks acquired to Miami and move up to get their new franchise QB. Lance can sit behind Bridgewater for a year to learn the ropes, his upside is HUGE.

*TRADE ALERT*

The Atlanta Falcons trade the fourth overall selection to the Denver Broncos for a package including the ninth overall pick.

4. DENVER BRONCOS- Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State: The phone in Atlanta will be ringing off the hook, ultimately Denver gives Atlanta the best return and grabs their franchise QB. They have to have seen enough from Drew Lock to know he’s a decent back up at best, time to take another shot.

5. CINCINNATI BENGALS- Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon: The run on Quarterbacks allows Cincy’s preferred target to fall to them at #5. They need to protect Joe Burrow, they can find him weapons later in the draft.

6. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES- Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida: Philly could pounce if Justin Fields is still available, but I don’t see them trading up. They’ll stick with Jalen Hurts at QB and bring in a high end back up like Philly hero Nick Foles. The Eagles will likely ship out Zach Ertz on draft night and Pitts would fit in nicely as a hybrid TE/WR and overall match up nightmare.

7. DETROIT LIONS- Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU: The Lions lost their entire receiving corps to free agency, lucky for them they have their pick of a deep and talented class of wide receivers,

8. MIAMI DOLPHINS- Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama: Dolphins trade out of the three spot and add more draft capital, then scoop up Tua Tagoviola’s former Crimson Tide teammate, who may be the most dynamic player in the entire draft.

9. ATLANTA FALCONS- Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama: Atlanta trades down and adds the top corner in the draft to a porous defense.

*TRADE ALERT*

The Dallas Cowboys trade the tenth overall selection to the Los Angeles Chargers for a package including the thirteenth overall selection.

10. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS- Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern: In the first non quarterback related trade, the Chargers target a stud tackle and jump 3 spots to secure him.

11. NEW YORK GIANTS- Devonta Smith, WR, Alabama: The Giants have to give Daniel Jones the weapons to succeed. (As I was writing this, NY signed Kenny Golloday, which may get me to rethink this pick in later mocks)

12. SAN FRANCISCO 49ers- Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech: Niners will explore a trade up for a QB, but ultimately decide the price is too high. Instead, I think they’ll trade a later round pick or two to the Jets and bring in Sam Darnold to compete with Jimmy Garrapolo. With their first round pick, the Niners snag a replacement for Richard Sherman.

13. DALLAS COWBOYS- Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech: The Cowboys should be addressing defense, but rebuilding their offensive line is another priority. Darrisaw is simply too good to pass up here.

14. MINNESOTA VIKINGS- Azeez Ojulari, EDGE, Georgia: The Vikings offensive line needs help, but Mike Zimmer prides himself on defense and Minnesota’s was lacking in 2020.

15. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS- Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State: Parsons is a top ten talent, but character concerns and fit push him down the board. Bill Belichick won’t hesitate to add another piece to his defense.

16. ARIZONA CARDINALS- Najee Harris, RB, Alabama: Cardinals lost Kenyan Drake in free agency, so they nab his replacement here.

17. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS- Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State: Jon Gruden would love to have a ground and pound offense and that starts in the trenches. Jenkins would add a mean streak to the Raiders’ offensive line.

*TRADE ALERT*

The Miami Dolphins trade the eighteenth overall selection to the Chicago Bears for a package including the twentieth overall pick.

18. CHICAGO BEARS- Mac Jones, QB, Alabama: Chicago is picking a QB in this draft. They’ll explore a trade up into the top ten for a shot at Lance/ Fields but ultimately don’t have enough draft capital to outbid Houston or Denver. They may be content to look at second or third round prospects (Trask, Mills, Mond), but when Jones gets within range they pull the trigger to leapfrog Washington and grab their potential franchise QB.

19. WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM- Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame: With Jones off the board, Washington goes best player available and selects an enticing hybrid LB/S to add to an already stellar defense.

20. MIAMI DOLPHINS- Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson: Miami does it again, trades down a couple spots, adding draft capital and then adds another weapon to Tua’s supporting cast. Etienne is a fantastic rusher and accomplished pass catcher, the Dolphins offense could make great strides in 2021.

*TRADE ALERT*

The Indianapolis Colts trade the twenty first overall selection to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for a package including the twenty seventh overall pick.

21. BALTIMORE RAVENS- Kwity Paye, EDGE, Michigan: The Ravens lost 2 edge rushers in free agency, when Paye slips out of the top twenty Baltimore swings the deal to scoop him up.

22. TENNESSEE TITANS- Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina: The Titans had eyes for Paye but get thwarted by Baltimore, instead they add a potential lock down corner.

23. NEW YORK JETS- Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota: Jets could go offensive line here, but Bateman is too good to pass up. They give Zach Wilson a potential number one receiver to grow and learn with.

24. PITTSBURGH STEELERS- Alijah Vera-Tucker, IOL, USC: The Steelers lost Bud Dupree in free agency, but rebuilding their offensive line trumps adding another edge rusher. Vera-Tucker could be a day one starter at guard or tackle.

25. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS- Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas: Have to protect the new franchise QB and Cosmi is the best tackle on the board.

26. CLEVELAND BROWNS- Jaelan Phillips, EDGE, Miami-Fl: The Browns go best player available and pair Phillips with Myles Garrett to form a potentially lethal edge rushing duo.

27. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS- Greg Newsome II, CB, Northwestern: The Colts trade down and add a corner to an already solid defense.

28. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS- Gregory Rousseau, EDGE, Miami-Fl: Drew Brees retired but New Orleans won’t trade up or reach for a QB. They lost Trey Hendrickson in free agency and find his replacement here.

29. GREEN BAY PACKERS- Terrace Marshall Jr., WR, LSU: The Packers could upgrade Aaron Rodgers’ protection but opt to give him another weapon instead.

30. BUFFALO BILLS- Christian Barmore, IDL, Alabama: Best player available scenario for Buffalo and they snag a disruptive force for their defensive line.

31. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS- Jalen Mayfield, OT, Michigan: The Chiefs made some moves in free agency to bolster Patrick Mahomes’ protection, another addition is not out of order.

32. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS- Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU: The Super Bowl champs go best player available and add the best safety in the draft to a stellar defense.

There are still plenty of free agency moves to come, and dominoes to fall in the QB carousel. Also, as pro days progress we should get a better idea of how teams view certain prospects. I’ll do another mock in a few weeks, and probably a seven round mock for some select teams.

Thanks for reading, as always.