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Last month, Mel Kiper, Jr. released his first mock draft of the season, as did Bucky Brooks and Daniel Jeremiah, and Florida State DT Timmy Jernigan (6'2, 298) was the guy drafted to the Chicago Bears. We discussed that HERE.
Back in December, before the final draft order had been determined, Todd McShay released his first mock for 2014, and he picked Dominique Easley, DT from Florida for Chicago.
Fast-forward to February, and Kiper and McShay have both released their second mocks of 2014, and both have chosen Jernigan for the Chicago Bears.
Here is what each of them had to say:
Kiper: "Another pick I'm sticking with because of the hand-to-glove fit of talent and need. I'm a bigger fan of Jernigan in a 4-3 look, where he's using his power to go through a blocker and not trying to beat people off the snap and use quickness. He's not a blow-by rusher, but has the strength and quick feet to eat up a running play before it goes anywhere. The Bears were a mess on the inside of the D-line last season due to injuries."
McShay: "The Bears have a lot of uncertainty along their defensive line: defensive tackles Henry Melton and Nate Collins were both placed on the injured reserve last season and are free agents this offseason; DT Jay Ratliff and DE Corey Wootton are also scheduled to become free agents; and DT Stephen Paea's contract expires after the 2014 season. Enter Jernigan, who won't wow anybody with his physique at the combine and doesn't always look pretty out on the field, but is a stout, quick and powerful football player who would be a great fit in the Bears' one-gap scheme."
Roster breakdown: The DT's are currently an issue
Currently, the Chicago Bears have one defensive tackle under contract for 2014: Stephen Paea.
Henry Melton, Nate Collins, Jeremiah Ratliff, and Landon Cohen are all set to be free agents, and if I had to wager a guess, I would think that only Collins and Ratliff will be re-signed for 2014. Melton will likely command more money than the Bears are willing to commit on a player that blew out his ACL last September and then got arrested for assault and public intoxication in December. He is expected to make a full recovery from his injury, and anything is possible, but I just don't see him returning in 2014.
That leaves the window wide open for Chicago to target a DT early in the draft if they want, and Jernigan is a guy that they very well may target. He has some work to do to get ready for the NFL, but has all the potential in the world to be an elite defensive tackle.
On the flip-side, SB Nation's Dan Kadar has Jernigan sliding all the way into the 2nd round...
