Chicago Bears 2017 mock draft: Seven round mock

Jake Elliott, Memphis, Kicker (5-foot-9, 166 pounds)

The Chicago Bears felt that Robbie Gould’s best days were behind him and that he made too much money. They ended up cutting him and replacing him with Connor Barth. Looking at the stats, both players ended up with similar stats, so either way, the Bears needed another choice.

Elliott is a four-time all-conference kicker. He became Memphis’ all-time leading scorer. He also set the school record for field goals beyond 50 yards. What is more impressive is the fact that the school had a certain All-Pro named Stephen Gostkowski.

For his career, he made 100 percent of his extra point attempts, and made 78 percent of his field goals. His 81 field goals rank 8th all-time in the NCAA.

I found it interesting that coach Fox tried to ice Elliott before halftime in the Senior Bowl. Elliott showed that it didn’t affect him, hitting the 37-yard field goal. Perhaps Fox and the Bears have their eye on Elliott?

Elliott is from the Chicago area (Lyons Township). He didn’t even play football until his junior year in high shool. “I was a big tennis player in high school. I was one of those kids that played every sport growing up and messed around playing football with my friends but never actually played organized [football],” Elliott said following Senior Bowl practice this week. “One of my buddies on the football team mentioned to the coach a couple weeks before my junior season started that I could kick. They were looking for a kicker and grabbed me off the tennis courts one day.”

Next: Chicago Bears 2017 free agency profiles: Wide receivers

Watching Robbie Gould and getting tips from Gostkowski certainly helps Eliott. I’d look for the Chicago Bears to draft him and have the hometown kid kick the ball through the uprights.