Tight End Brycen Hopkins, Purdue
Projected Round(s): Late 1st, early 2nd
Must trade up if available in early Round 2
Before you know it, we may be talking about the Bears having to trade into the first round to grab Brycen Hopkins. He’s impressed tremendously this week at Senior Bowl practices, and could launch himself into that first round conversation.
My top 5 senior tight ends for the 2020 NFL draft:
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) May 17, 2019
1. Brycen Hopkins*, @BoilerFootball
2. Jacob Breeland, @oregonfootball
3. Jared Pinkney, @VandyFootball
4. Mitchell Wilcox, @USFFootball
5. Jared Rice, @FresnoStateFB
*Father Brad was first-round pick of Oilers in 1993 pic.twitter.com/daYFSfd23B
As you can see, there are many who believe Hopkins is the best tight end in the draft. If that’s the consensus, come draft day, then we’ll be talking solely about the Bears having to move up.
I would be perfectly fine moving up to get a guy like Hopkins, too. Some don’t like that he came in measuring under 6-foot-4, but Hopkins has absolutely everything you want in a tight end, especially in Matt Nagy’s offense.
He’s a physical, yet graceful route runner. He’ll work hard to get open, but his footwork is stellar. Coming out of his breaks, Hopkins’ feet are a thing of beauty.
The reigning Big Ten tight end of the year finished last season with 61 receptions for 830 yards and seven scores.
The Bears have to address the tight end position. They have no choice but to make that a priority. If that included adding Hopkins, Pace would make fans pretty happy.