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Chicago Bears: Mel Kiper Jr. tabs Calvin Ridley at #8 in first mock draft

By Khari Thompson

(Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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Mel Kiper Jr. has the Chicago Bears taking Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley with their eighth-overall pick. Is that too high for the explosive Crimson Tide product?

Well, guys, Mel Kiper Jr.’s first mock draft of the year has officially hit the internet. That, among other things, pretty much means that it’s 2018 NFL Draft time at last,

And if you don’t feel like going through the paywall to find out who he had the Chicago Bears taking, let’s just go ahead and spoil it here.

According to Kiper, Roger Goodell could say something along the lines of: “With the eighth pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select…Calvin Ridley, wide receiver, Alabama.

Yep. A wide receiver at #8.

On one hand, I know quite a few Chicago Bears fans who really like Ridley—myself included—and would love to draft him if possible. He’s a quick-twitch home run threat that can blow the top off of defenses, runs great routes and is a nightmare after the catch.

And in Kiper’s estimation, wide receiver represents one of the biggest needs the Chicago Bears have. That’s quite correct, of course. Arguably no position group on this team so desperately needs an upgrade as receiver does.

But if we’re being honest, I just don’t see Ridley being the eighth-best player in this draft. And though he’s most likely going to be the first receiver taken, I think #8 is too high for Ridley.

Think about what happens if Kiper’s vision for the top 10 comes true in reality.

Specifically, he has three quarterbacks going in the first ten picks. First, Josh Allen goes #1 overall to the Cleveland Browns (I hate that pick, but that’s neither here nor there). Then, Josh Rosen goes second overall to the New York Giants, and Sam Darnold heads to Denver (fifth-overall pick).

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If three quarterbacks go in the top 10, that means there’s more opportunity to grab a Minkah Fitzpatrick, a top offensive lineman (Quenton Nelson, Connor Williams), top corner Denzel Ward (who has going ninth) or Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith, who is a complete monster.

Any of those players, in my mind, would be better than Ridley at eighth overall.

As we all know, it’s not all about need. It’s about value. While I really like Ridley, I find myself wary of taking a smaller receiver that high unless he’s absolutely incredible. And I don’t think we can say that about him. If the Chicago Bears traded down into the 10-20 range, I think Ridley becomes a much better value.

And truthfully, he doesn’t strike me as the kind of receiver or player Pace takes risks on at that point in the draft either. He likes high-upside guys who, while having some unknown qualities, could develop into stars.

Ridley, on the other hand, is more of a finished product already and doesn’t have as high a ceiling as a Courtland Sutton might. I’m not at all saying Sutton will be a better player than Ridley. I’m just reading into Pace’s pattern.

Next: Who Bears could draft a wide receiver

In the end, it’s just the first of these mock drafts that Kiper, Todd McShay and others will put out. And ultimately, who really knows what the Chicago Bears will do? After all, not many people predicted a trade up to #2 last year to take Mitch Trubisky. And we know how Ryan Pace likes to keep things close to the vest.

If someone takes Bradley Chubb before #8, I still hold to the Bears looking for another edge rusher or offensive lineman. Or Roquan Smith. Hey, best player available, right?

Either way, I feel pretty confident that the Chicago Bears will not be taking Calvin Ridley with the eighth-overall pick. Not that Pace asked me what I thought, of course. And even if they don’t take a receiver in the first round, they could easily look at later options as well.

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