Chicago Bears Mock Draft: Pre-Combine Edition

“With the eighth pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select…”

This pick is a complete dart throw. But while I say that, I didn’t randomly select Edmunds.

The free agent quarterback class makes this selection tricky. Kirk Cousins, AJ McCarron, Case Keenum and several others can eliminate the need for teams to take a quarterback early. This makes it more likely for Bradley Chubb or Minkah Fitzpatrick to come off the board before the Bears pick.

In turn, guys like Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen could slip to eighth. If that happens, there’s no chance Ryan Pace will sit on his hands.

A team like Arizona (15th) or Buffalo (21st & 22nd) that has a need at quarterback may not be able to get one of the top signal-callers. This sets up intriguing trade opportunities. Depending on how free agency and the first few picks play out, this could be a different scenario for Chicago.

Since this mock draft has zero trades, we won’t go down that road. Instead, the Bears take a swing on Edmunds. Jeff Dickerson of ESPN Chicago pointed out several weeks ago that the Bears are searching for a running mate to pair with Leonard Floyd.

It’s possible that he doesn’t even fall to eighth if he ticks off the right boxes at the Combine.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com writes:

"Edmunds combines elite size, speed and explosiveness into a productive, versatile linebacker package that will have evaluators salivating. Edmunds has posted high-impact production over the last two seasons and he still has room to get bigger and better. He will make mental mistakes and his instincts are subpar, but he has an ability to mitigate those issues with his athletic ability. Edmunds can play in any alignment at any linebacker spot and has All-Pro potential no matter where he lands."

Not sure if Pace could pass up adding a guy with All-Pro potential next to Leonard Floyd. It would certainly give the front seven more speed and youth (Edmunds is just 19!).