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That was a bit unexpected, huh? The first round of the 2017 NFL Draft is over. After a flurry of trades throughout, don’t think anyone forgot about the Chicago Bears’ early trade up to No. 2 overall with the San Francisco for North Carolina quarterback, Mitch Trubisky. The Bears gave up this year’s third-round pick at No. 67, this year’s fourth-rounder at No. 111, next year’s third-rounder, and of course their No. 3 overall to move in on their “guy” at quarterback.
It’s too early to judge general manager Ryan Pace’s work on the entirety of this draft until we can let it play out, but this was quite the shocking move and bold move for the young executive. But if you’re afraid someone such as the Cleveland Browns will snatch up the person you believe can take you to the promised land, there’s no point in finding fault. It effectively ties his career to the quarterback, either positively or negatively. If Trubisky turns out to be a star for the Bears, everyone will forget these draft picks. If he fails, well, we won’t know for a little while.
On that note, some talented players surprisingly slipped to day two and the Bears can potentially take advantage and or even recoup some of their draft selections. It’s a deep class, so attempting to trade down is probably the best move overall for Chicago.
Here’s SB Nation’s continually updated list of best players available. It’s a lengthy one (68 players), but one with a lot of secondary talent and surprising prospects still on the board for the Bears to consider.
- 7. Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State (A change-of-pace back with first-round talent here?)
- 21. Forrest Lamp, OG, Western Kentucky (Reports say Pace wants a lineman early.)
- 23. Malik McDowell, DL, Michigan State (A dominant edge force the Bears would love.)
- 26. Tim Williams, OLB, Alabama
- 27. Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt
- 33. DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
- 34. Sidney Jones, CB, Washington (Could the Bears invest in Jones even while he recovers from an Achilles injury?)
- 35. Obi Melifonwu, S, Connecticut (Between Melifonwu and Baker, the Bears have themselves a dilemma at safety.)
- 37. Carl Lawson, DE, Auburn (Much like McDowell, a steal for the Bears if they can nab Lawson.)
- 38. Budda Baker, S, Washington
- 39. Teez Tabor, CB, Florida
- 40. Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
- 41. Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee
- 43. Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana
- 46. Chris Wormley, DT, Michigan
- 47. Derek Rivers, DE/OLB, Youngstown State
- 48. Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
- 49. Josh Jones, S, North Carolina State (If the Bears pass on Baker or Melifonwu, Jones would be a nice consolation.)
- 50. Curtis Samuel, RB/WR, Ohio State (Snatching Samuel’s explosiveness is perfect for Chicago.)
- 52. Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Colorado (Awuzie would be an excellent third-round target.)
- 53. Ryan Anderson, LB, Alabama
- 54. Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA
- 55. Raekwon McMillan, MLB, Ohio State
- 56. Caleb Brantley, DL, Florida
- 57. Kevin King, CB, Washington (King was a top-five cornerback for me and should be available late day two.)
- 58. Jordan Willis, DE, Kansas State
- 59. Marcus Williams, S, Utah (Williams showcases more of this safety classes’ depth.)
- 60. Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina (I’ll be shocked if Jones lasts past the top 40, but the Bears would be smart to grab him)
- 61. Joe Mixon, RB, Oklahoma
- 62. Desmond King, CB, Iowa
- 63. Pat Elflein, G/C, Ohio State
- 64. Kareem Hunt, RB, Toledo
- 65. Dion Dawkins, OT/G, Temple
- 66. Tarell Basham, DE, Ohio
- 67. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Southern California
- 68. Antonio Garcia, OT, Troy
- 69. Cooper Kupp, WR, Eastern Washington
- 70. Montravius Adams, DT, Auburn
- 71. Adam Shaheen, TE, Ashland
- 72. Tyus Bowser, LB, Houston (A bit of a project edge-rusher who will probably go early.)
- 73. Taylor Moton, OT, Western Michigan
- 74. Chad Hansen, WR, California
- 75. Carlos Watkins, DT, Clemson
- 76. Cordrea Tankersley, CB, Clemson
- 77. Dalvin Tomlinson, DT, Alabama
- 78. ArDarius Stewart, WR, Alabama
- 79. Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan (Excellent nickel cornerback for the Bears’ base defense)
- 80. Dorian Johnson, G, Pittsburgh
- 81. Dawuane Smoot, DE, Illinois
- 82. Bucky Hodges, TE, Virginia Tech (Could Hodges be an early Bears target as the tight end of the future?)
- 83. Larry Ogunjobi, DT, Charlotte
- 84. Davis Webb, QB, California
- 85. Samaje Perine, RB, Oklahoma
- 86. DeMarcus Walker, DE, Florida State
- 87. Roderick Johnson, OT, Florida State
- 88. Eddie Vanderdoes, DT, UCLA
- 89. Adam Bisnowaty, OT, Pittsburgh
- 90. Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE, Villanova
- 91. Rasul Douglas, CB, West Virginia
- 92. Ejuan Price, DE, Pittsburgh
- 93. Jordan Leggett, TE, Clemson
- 94. Corn Elder, CB, Miami
- 95. Gerald Everett, TE, South Alabama
- 96. Ethan Pocic, C, LSU
- 97. Cameron Sutton, CB, Tennessee
- 98. D’Onta Foreman, RB, Texas
- 99. Jaleel Johnson, DT, Iowa
- 100. Dede Westbrook, WR, Oklahoma
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