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2017 NFL Draft: Best available players after first round

The Bears have an early pick on day two, but could be looking to trade down for the quality options left.

By Robert Zeglinski
Capitol One Orange Bowl - Florida State v Michigan Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

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.

  1. 7. Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State (A change-of-pace back with first-round talent here?)
  2. 21. Forrest Lamp, OG, Western Kentucky (Reports say Pace wants a lineman early.)
  3. 23. Malik McDowell, DL, Michigan State (A dominant edge force the Bears would love.)
  4. 26. Tim Williams, OLB, Alabama
  5. 27. Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt
  6. 33. DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
  7. 34. Sidney Jones, CB, Washington (Could the Bears invest in Jones even while he recovers from an Achilles injury?)
  8. 35. Obi Melifonwu, S, Connecticut (Between Melifonwu and Baker, the Bears have themselves a dilemma at safety.)
  9. 37. Carl Lawson, DE, Auburn (Much like McDowell, a steal for the Bears if they can nab Lawson.)
  10. 38. Budda Baker, S, Washington
  11. 39. Teez Tabor, CB, Florida
  12. 40. Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
  13. 41. Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee
  14. 43. Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana
  15. 46. Chris Wormley, DT, Michigan
  16. 47. Derek Rivers, DE/OLB, Youngstown State
  17. 48. Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
  18. 49. Josh Jones, S, North Carolina State (If the Bears pass on Baker or Melifonwu, Jones would be a nice consolation.)
  19. 50. Curtis Samuel, RB/WR, Ohio State (Snatching Samuel’s explosiveness is perfect for Chicago.)
  20. 52. Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Colorado (Awuzie would be an excellent third-round target.)
  21. 53. Ryan Anderson, LB, Alabama
  22. 54. Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA
  23. 55. Raekwon McMillan, MLB, Ohio State
  24. 56. Caleb Brantley, DL, Florida
  25. 57. Kevin King, CB, Washington (King was a top-five cornerback for me and should be available late day two.)
  26. 58. Jordan Willis, DE, Kansas State
  27. 59. Marcus Williams, S, Utah (Williams showcases more of this safety classes’ depth.)
  28. 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)
  29. 61. Joe Mixon, RB, Oklahoma
  30. 62. Desmond King, CB, Iowa
  31. 63. Pat Elflein, G/C, Ohio State
  32. 64. Kareem Hunt, RB, Toledo
  33. 65. Dion Dawkins, OT/G, Temple
  34. 66. Tarell Basham, DE, Ohio
  35. 67. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Southern California
  36. 68. Antonio Garcia, OT, Troy
  37. 69. Cooper Kupp, WR, Eastern Washington
  38. 70. Montravius Adams, DT, Auburn
  39. 71. Adam Shaheen, TE, Ashland
  40. 72. Tyus Bowser, LB, Houston (A bit of a project edge-rusher who will probably go early.)
  41. 73. Taylor Moton, OT, Western Michigan
  42. 74. Chad Hansen, WR, California
  43. 75. Carlos Watkins, DT, Clemson
  44. 76. Cordrea Tankersley, CB, Clemson
  45. 77. Dalvin Tomlinson, DT, Alabama
  46. 78. ArDarius Stewart, WR, Alabama
  47. 79. Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan (Excellent nickel cornerback for the Bears’ base defense)
  48. 80. Dorian Johnson, G, Pittsburgh
  49. 81. Dawuane Smoot, DE, Illinois
  50. 82. Bucky Hodges, TE, Virginia Tech (Could Hodges be an early Bears target as the tight end of the future?)
  51. 83. Larry Ogunjobi, DT, Charlotte
  52. 84. Davis Webb, QB, California
  53. 85. Samaje Perine, RB, Oklahoma
  54. 86. DeMarcus Walker, DE, Florida State
  55. 87. Roderick Johnson, OT, Florida State
  56. 88. Eddie Vanderdoes, DT, UCLA
  57. 89. Adam Bisnowaty, OT, Pittsburgh
  58. 90. Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE, Villanova
  59. 91. Rasul Douglas, CB, West Virginia
  60. 92. Ejuan Price, DE, Pittsburgh
  61. 93. Jordan Leggett, TE, Clemson
  62. 94. Corn Elder, CB, Miami
  63. 95. Gerald Everett, TE, South Alabama
  64. 96. Ethan Pocic, C, LSU
  65. 97. Cameron Sutton, CB, Tennessee
  66. 98. D’Onta Foreman, RB, Texas
  67. 99. Jaleel Johnson, DT, Iowa
  68. 100. Dede Westbrook, WR, Oklahoma

WCG Contributors: Jeff Berckes; Kev H; Sam Householder; Ken Mitchell; Steven Schweickert; Jack Silverstein; EJ Snyder; Lester Wiltfong, Jr.; Robert Zeglinski; Like us on Facebook.

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