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.