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As the picks continue to roll in on our mock draft, we have finally come to the first NFC North team in the draft. The Chicago Bears hold the seventh pick in this year's draft and are in the midst of a significant transition period; with new faces at GM, head coach, and both coordinator positions, the team will have a very different identity than the Marc Trestman-led teams of the past few years.
One of the biggest changes will be on defense, where Vic Fangio takes over as coordinator. The Bears are moving to a 3-4 defense, Fangio's preferred scheme, and as such they will need to revamp some of their personnel in order to fit that alignment.
One area in particular that is a question mark is the pass rush - can Willie Young and Jared Allen transition to a two-point stance, or will new blood be needed? We project that the Bears will indeed add one of this year's elite edge rusher prospects with the seventh selection:
The Chicago Bears select Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 246 pounds
Combine 40 time: 4.53 seconds
Here's our Aron Yohannes with the pick:
Vic Fangio is getting himself another weak-side rusher here (similar to how he had Aldon Smith in San Francisco) and powerful athlete who's versatile enough for the Bears to drop in coverage, too.
Beasley has the best first-step among rushers in the class and had a stellar NFL Combine (he put on 11 pounds, and registered the best number in the 40, vertical and bench among his group), that should up his stock into the top-10. Chicago’s still revamping their defense, but adding an effective guy who can come off the edge or rush off the line in a division filled with quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Matt Stafford and Teddy Bridgewater can greatly improve their building process.
Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
1 | TB | Jameis Winston | QB | Florida State |
2 | TEN | Leonard Williams | DT | USC |
3 | JAX | Amari Cooper | WR | Alabama |
4 | OAK | Randy Gregory | OLB/DE | Nebraska |
5 | WAS | Dante Fowler, Jr. | OLB | Florida |
6 | NYJ | Marcus Mariota | QB | Oregon |
7 | CHI | Vic Beasley | OLB | Clemson |
8 | ATL |