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Mocking the Mocks: A look at ESPN’s Grade A picks for the Bears

By Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.
NCAA Football: North Texas at Florida Atlantic Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Our usual Mocking the Mocks series has been lighter than usual this offseason with the Chicago Bears not scheduled to select until the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Most mock drafters don’t go past the first or second round, so when we stumble on one of the expert mocks that has the Bears’ pick at 87th overall listed, our inner draftnik comes out.

The latest mock drafts from ESPN are their annual “Grade A Mocks” from Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay, where they make all the picks for a full three rounds, and they do so as if they were their general managers for each team. These are the selections they believe provide the best fit for each team, not necessarily what they’ve been hearing from their sources.

For the Bears, both experts has them going with a popular position of need.

First up the Mel Kiper Jr. pick.

Round 3 (87): Devin Singletary, RB, Florida Atlantic

The Khalil Mack trade means Chicago doesn’t have a first-round pick, while the trade up for Anthony Miller took away its Round 2 pick. Singletary didn’t run well at the combine, but even at 5-foot-7, he has some juice between the tackles. He had a huge workload for the Owls in his career -- 714 carries over the past three seasons -- but he could help replace Jordan Howard. I expect the Bears to take a running back somewhere in this draft, and they could also target an offensive tackle or cornerback in Round 3.

Singletary may be a shorter tailback, but at 203 pounds he was a tough runner in college. With the way most mock drafts have been falling, the Bears should have their choice from several running back prospects when it’s their pick.

And here’s the Todd McShay selection.

Round 3 (87): Damien Harris, RB, Alabama

Chicago doesn’t pick for a while but has to be happy with Harris this late in the draft. He is explosive and pairs well with Tarik Cohen after Jordan Howard was shipped to Philadelphia.

Harris is a name that hasn’t popped up much in mocks, but at 5’10” and 216 pounds, he a different type of back than a lot of the smallish runners in this draft. He’s not exactly the versatile threat that others in this class are, but that’s not to say he can’t catch the ball out of the backfield. He’s a good runner, but he doesn't have the quickness I think the Bears are looking for.

We’ve really covered the running back position the last few weeks here at WCG, so check these recent articles out.

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