Chicago Bears: 7-round mock draft 3.0 (with trades!)

Pick made by Khari Thompson @kdthompson5

Two receivers in one draft? It could happen. And though this could also be a good place for an edge rusher, if the Bears can find one they like, St. Brown could be a hard bargain to pass up if he’s still here.

On one hand, it feels somehow odd to make this pick with the Chicago Bears just letting Cameron Meredith hit the street.

After all, St. Brown projects some similar elements to Meredith’s game, such as his size, route-running ability and catch radius (sometimes).

As such, from just a superficial glance, St. Brown might not look like someone the Bears would take if they reportedly had concerns about Cameron Meredith’s fit with the Bears offense.

But I wouldn’t get too caught up in appearances. There’s a bit more to St. Brown than that.

For one thing, he’s definitely more explosive than Meredith when he gets loose in the open field. And that could make a huge difference for Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy.

St. Brown’s faster and shiftier in the open field than you think he is at a lanky 6-foot-5. And when he gets a chance to unfurl those long legs and get moving, he can leave defensive backs completely in the dust.

Plus, if the Chicago Bears could nab him with their first fourth-round pick, that’s an enormous steal for a guy of his potential.

His route-running savvy and intelligence could help him get on the field immediately as a rookie. Truthfully, he’d show up as possibly the team’s second-best receiver already. And his height and underrated speed could make for some bigger plays than people might expect.

As much as I liked Meredith’s game, St. Brown could be far better given a quarterback who can reliably throw him the football.