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Over at CBSSports.com they have three mock drafters that all dropped brand new first round mocks yesterday. I find it very interesting that all three had the Chicago Bears going in a different direction with the 14th pick. Rob Rang and Pete Prisco have the Bears addressing their secondary, while Dane Brugler has them going with a defensive lineman.
Check out their three picks at 14, then let us know what you think.
Mock 1) With the 14th pick in Rob Rang's mock draft, the Chicago Bears select, Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State, and here's his take on the pick.
Given the Bears' toothless defense a season ago and the highly explosive offenses of the NFC North, Chicago is almost certain to select a defender with their first pick of the 2014 draft. Dennard plays with the physicality and instincts of a young Charles Tillman, who is reportedly planning to explore possibilities outside of Chicago in free agency.
Dennard is listed at 5'11" and 197 pounds, and the other two mocks have him going at 10 to the Detroit Lions. Dennard elected to skip the Senior Bowl after initially deciding to play. He and his agent felt that since he would have the highest rated corner at the game, there was no point in playing.
His physicality isn't a question as most scouts highlight that aspect of his game. The question that he'll have to answer at the NFL Combine is his speed. If he has a good showing in the 40 and the agility drills, it should cement his 1st round status.
Mock 2) With the 14th selection in Dane Brugler's mock draft, the Chicago Bears take, Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida State. We've discussed Jernigan here at WCG quite a bit, but here's what Brugler has top say.
The Bears need to add depth in the secondary and the interior defensive line in the offseason. When Jernigan is explosive off the ball and uses his combination of athleticism and natural strength, he's a tough player to block in the middle.
The 6'2" 298 pound Jernigan had 63 total tackles from his defensive tackle spot including 11 for loss. He also added 4.5 sacks last year, as a Junior.
The other two mocks both have him going at 17 to the Dallas Cowboys, which makes sense, because the Cowboys are also a 4-3 1 gap defense. Jernigan has the type of athleticism that teams want in a three technique DT.
Mock 3) With the 14th pick in Pete Prisco's mock draft, the Chicago Bears select, Hasean Clinton-Dix, FS, Alabama, and here's his snippet on that pick.
Their secondary was bad in 2013. They need help on the back end.
That is some riveting analysis.
You may know Clinton-Dix by his other moniker, Ha Ha. The 6'1" 208 pound free safety is a center field type player and the other two mocks also have him going in round 1. His ball skills are ahead of his physicality at this point, but he doesn't shy away from contact.
If I was drafting at 14 for the Bears I would stay away from the secondary in round one. There are just too many highly rated defensive linemen available at that spot that would fill the Bears biggest need. In my opinion you build your team up from the trenches, and the Bears d-line is pretty bad right now. The Bears could go free agency to build up their line, but even if they do re-sign or bring in a player, I'd still like to see them draft a big fella for up front.
Now I've got two questions for you, one pretty easy, but the other will require a little homework.
1) Of these three mock drafts which one do you like best at #14 for the Bears?
2) If the actual NFL Draft fell like these three mock drafts, who would you pick at #14 for the Bears?
