Sez MEE: What will the Bears get at April's Christmas party?
It's Christmas time for the NFL fan. It's Christmas because this is when NFL teams choose their presents for the upcoming season. The presents are those draft picks each team receives. And the plucking begins Thursday evening with the first round.
As it stands right now, at 7 p.m., the draft will officially begin and the Carolina Panthers will be looking to make their selection. It is believed that the Panthers will go after a quarterback.
Carolina got the top pick because of a trade with Chicago. The Bears “earned” the top spot originally because of having the worst league record this past season. But General Manager Ryan Poles made a trade, one that I like a lot, that gave the top pick to Carolina for the ninth pick in the first round, some other draft picks this year and next and, and this whatI really like, star receiver DJ Moore.
The Bears really need that top level receiver and it takes one of the question marks off the board. This will narrow the scope of what the Bears should be looking for when it comes time to choose those presents.
Other moves the Bears made in the offseason have also allowed for the field to be narrowed. With David Montgomery leaving, Chicago picked up a couple serviceable running backs on offense. On defense, some linebackers were added, meaning the Bears should be looking to the trenches for their main picks.
I have looked at a lot of scenarios over the past few weeks. The mock drafts online are plentiful, and rather humorous. The question is who is going to be correct.
Now that the time is nearer to reality of the draft, I'm taking greater interest. I see many scenarios still being thrown out there, so we will see what happens.
My belief is that the Bears will go defense first. From the beginning, the talk has been Chicago's need for an edge rusher — someone with speed and proper technique. The best on the board might actually fall to the Bears at No. 9.
Jalen Carter of Georgia is seen as the person that might be the best defensive player in the draft. He ran into some legal and other issues that might cause concern for those in front of the Bears not looking for a quarterback. He was projected as a possible No. 1 pick, but his off-the-field actions have made it seem possible that he could be available when the Bears select.
The other top lineman is Will Anderson Jr. of Alabama, but it is believed he will go quickly.
The talk is if there isn't a top lineman in the desired mold, then Chicago will be looking offense and trying to find that stud tackle. There are a couple out there that should be available when the Bears draft.
That's the thing about where the Bears sit, there seems to be quality players who should be available because of depth at those positions. Many mock drafts show quite a few defensive and offensive linemen going later.
This brings us to the thought of a possible second trade. This idea has been thrown out there but as the draft gets closer, many feel nothing is going to happen.
I disagree. In fact, I think the Bears will trade out of No. 9 and find a lineman on either side of the ball later in the round. As a result, they will gather more presents, er draft picks.
It's been my believe that a trade out of the No. 9 slot won't come until the draft has started. That's when other teams will know who is available and if there is a pressing need to make a deal to insure getting that one specific player. The ninth spot is too deep to know who will be available and what other teams are looking for to make a deal before the draft starts. At least, so I believe.
I won't be sitting glued to the TV to see who the Bears draft. But I will be keeping an eye on the proceedings to see what happens. I'm just hoping that they get a good player who can make an impact immediately and help Chicago become a playoff-caliber team this season.
We will see. Carolina's on the clock and it's ticking. By 8 p.m., we should know what the Bears are going to do.
This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Sez MEE: What will the Bears get at April's Christmas party?
