Going Deep: Predicting Chicago Bears seven picks in 2018 draft

Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson.
Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson.
The Chicago Bears have seven picks in the NFL Draft, including No. 8 in the first round April 26 in Arlington, Tex. Here is a look at the Bears' five-year draft record with roster tallies reflecting totals as of the end of the 2017 season. Below that are the team's current needs heading into this draft and our projection for all their 2018 picks. BEARS' FIVE-YEAR DRAFT BREAKDOWN 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 TOTAL PICKS 6 8 6 9 5 STARTERS 1 3 3 4 2 BACKUPS 0 0 1 4 3 OTHER TEAMS 3 1 0 0 0 OUT OF LEAGUE 2 4 2 1 0 TOP 3 NEEDS IN 2018 DRAFT 1. Guard: Not only did they part ways with Josh Sitton, but Kyle Long's return to full strength isn't guaranteed. The Earl Watford signing was a move for a swing tackle/guard, not a starter. A possible solution is moving center Cody Whitehair to guard, and playing Hroniss Grasu at center. But Grasu has been a colossal disappointment his first three years and Whitehair has proven better at center than guard. 2. Pass rusher: The Bears had 42 sacks last year, but Leonard Floyd and Aaron Lynch are their only viable outside rushers, with Sam Acho merely a fourth or fifth outside 'backer type. Floyd's career has been one injury for every two or three sacks, so numbers and quality are drastically needed here. 3. Inside linebacker: Starters Danny Trevathan and Nick Kwiatkoski have been injury prone. With backup Christian Jones now in Detroit, and troubled Jerrell Freeman released, all depth has vanished on the inside. Below is a list of all seven of the Bears' picks, with players suggested by NFLDraftScout.com. BEARS 2018 Draft (Seven picks) Rd./overall pick: Player selected 1-8: Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame (6-5, 325, 5.22) 2-39: Kemoko Turay, DE/LB, Rutgers (6-5, 253, 4.65) 4-105: Foley Fatukasi, DT, Connecticut (6-4, 318, 5.16) 4-115: M.J. Stewart, CB, North Carolina (5-11, 200, 4.54) 5-145: Kyzir White, LB/S, West Virginia (6-2, 218, 4.62) 6-181: Jaleel Scott, WR, New Mexico State (6-5, 218, 4.56) 7-224: Tegray Scales, LB, Indiana (6-0, 230, 4.77)

Latest Player Notes

How a Wisconsin legend got his German protégé into Badgers pro day

Mar 15, 2024 Marlon Werthmann put his life on hold for the opportunity in front of him Friday at the McClain Center.Werthmann ...

Why former Wisconsin football running back Braelon Allen didn't run the 40 at pro day

Mar 15, 2024 Braelon Allen’s sweat covered his shirt and dripped off his beard as he approached a group of reporters Friday.The ...

How can UW recruit its best class ever? It starts with these five prospects

By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter Jedd Fisch has lofty recruiting goals at Washington. He didn’t waste any ...

Texas football kicks off spring practice Tuesday. We answer 24 questions for the 2024 team

Things certainly look fresh for the 2024 college football season, especially on the Texas campus.There’s a new conference ...

College Football Playoff: Conferences solve their differences (for now) and agree on general framework for 2026 and beyond

The FBS conferences and Notre Dame agreed on Friday to continue the College Football Playoff beyond the 2025 season, signing ...

Ball security, leadership key as Aztecs look to identify starting quarterback

San Diego State seemingly auditions a new starting quarterback on an annual basis.In the past 12 years, the Aztecs have opened ...

Results and more: A look at what happened at Penn State football’s Pro Day inside Holuba Hall

Most of those at Penn State’s Pro Day Friday were relatively quiet throughout the afternoon’s workouts, but there was one ...

Defense dominates first two weeks of Oregon State spring practice as Beavers ready for 2-week breather

CORVALLIS – Oregon State hit the break of spring practices Saturday, not exactly the midpoint but a good place to assess ...

Dillon Gabriel to have similar input, autonomy as Bo Nix had in Oregon’s offense

Published Mar. 16, 2024, 6:26 p.m.By James CrepeaEUGENE — Dillon Gabriel will have much of the same autonomy as Bo Nix did ...

Two transfers, one underclassman who impressed in Missouri football's spring game

With that, spring camp’s a wrap.Missouri football held its Black & Gold spring game Saturday in front of a healthy crowd ...
See More Player Notes