2017 NFL Mock Draft: Bears Make Surprising Defensive Selection
A recent 2017 NFL Mock Draft has the Chicago Bears making a relatively surprising selection at number three.
In his latest 2017 NFL Mock Draft for Yahoo Sports, Eric Edholm goes two complete rounds in a fun practice for draft fans. However, after their 3-13 2016 season, it does not take long to see the Chicago Bears making a pick. The selection that was made, is a bit surprising to me.
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With the third overall selection in this 2017 NFL Mock Draft, Edholm has the Bears taking LSU safety Jamal Adams. First, let’s see his reasoning for the selection:
"Too high? Sorry, we can’t agree with you. And while a quarterback certainly could be in play here, as the Bears don’t have a certain starter for 2017, the need does not meet the talent. The Bears are in a tough spot but can go with one of the best safety prospects seen in recent years. He can do everything, really. Adams could be an ideal addition to a crummy secondary."
With Myles Garrett and Jonathan Allen off the board at one and two, taking Adams at number three is an interesting idea. He is an extremely gifted player who fills an obvious position of need.
Jamal Adams is undoubtedly a talented player who is going to be a fantastic play-maker at the next level. He is a physical in-the-box safety who shows elite run defense qualities and is a strong man-to-man defender.
Adams shows incredible range at the safety position, consistently making plays all over the field. He is not a deep coverage safety, but Adams can do it all as a player who lines up closer to the line of scrimmage.
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While the Bears have enormous needs in the secondary and Adams is undoubtedly a talented player, I am not sure that this is an ideal fit at number three. Personally, I am a massive Deshuan Watson fan and would like to see the Bears land their franchise quarterback if Garrett and Allen are gone.
I can get behind a selection of Adams. He is undoubtedly a major play-maker who would immediately help the Bears defense. That being said, if they do not want Watson, I would rather see the Bears try to trade down a few spots.
If they move down a few spots to the five through nine range, the Bears would pick up extra draft capital and still be in a great position to land an impact player in the secondary. Adams may be gone, but incredible coverage safety Malik Hooker or a shut-down corner prospect like Marlon Humphrey or Quincy Wilson would still be there.
Adams is an incredible player with massive upside at the next level. I am not saying that drafting him is a mistake, I just think the Bears can be more creative and do better.
In this two-round 2017 NFL Mock Draft, Edholm has the Bears selecting quarterback Brad Kaaya in the second-round. While I do not mind the Adams’ pick, taking Kaaya is not something that I can get behind.
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Kaaya simply does not have any specific traits that stand out on the field. He is a decent player, but his upside is undoubtedly limited. Even against college competition, Kaaya looked completely ordinary to me.
I can get behind the selection of Adams, but drafting Kaaya would be a massive mistake.