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ESPN has two bigwig NFL Draft Gurus, the O.G. Mel Kiper and the young buck Todd McShay. Kiper has been doing his thing for seemingly forever, while McShay has been a draft "expert" for about 10 years. Both provide solid commentary on the college prospects, and their frequent mock drafts bring up plenty of reasons for debate.
In McShay's latest mock I'm not as befuddled by his pick at 11 for the Chicago Bears as I am his reasoning behind it. He dropped his Mock 4.0 earlier this morning and it was a 2 rounder. Since it's behind a pay wall we won't bring you the entire thing, but we will spotlight his selections for the Bears.
There really aren't any surprises in his first 10, and with Bears' general manager Ryan Pace a proponent for taking the best player available, it's entirely possible McShay's two picks for the Bears come true. Here's how he has the Bears going at 11,
11. Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State
Inside linebacker is much less of a need after the Bears picked up Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman in free agency. But even after signing offensive tackle Bobby Massie, Chicago could still look to spend a first-rounder on another OT. Conklin is a plug-and-play starter on either the left or right side of the line, with the long arms (35 inches) and agility to protect the QB. This move would also allow Kyle Long to bump back inside to his natural position at guard and solidify the entire O-line.
I think Conklin is a fine prospect, I just don't understand McShay's reasoning that drafting Conklin allows the Bears to move Kyle Long inside to guard. Long has already been moved back to guard thanks to the Massie signing that he references in his second sentence.
Conklin's only chance to start as a rookie would be to beat out Charles Leno for the right tackle spot, and he would have a chance to do so. I'm just not sure the Bears would go OT at 11 with the way they've been praising Leno all offseason.
Here's his pick in the 2nd,
41. Chicago Bears: Kendall Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech
Fuller is an instinctive playmaker in coverage, he's tough against the run and he makes an impact on special teams. If he returns from his ACL injury at full strength, he'd be a steal here.
If that name sounds familiar, that's because Kendall is Kyle Fuller's little brother. If he returned to school for his senior season, and managed to stay healthy, he would have a good shot at the 1st round in the 2017 draft. Fuller may be a better fit in a zone scheme, but he is a good athlete.
The very next pick in this mock is defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah from Oklahoma State, who I would probably like over Fuller. Especially since McShay went OT in the first.
What are your thoughts on these two picks?