Mocking the Mocks: Offensive line or safety for the Bears at 20

Mock drafts at this point in the year tend to be all over the place as the analysts begin to overthink things or they try to give some teams a different perspective on how the board could fall. Take the latest mock from CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson for example. He incorporates several trades into his scenario, which is fine, but when he gets around to the Chicago Bears at 20th overall, he has them going in a direction no one else has done yet; Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

Owusu-Koramoah’s best position in the NFL will probably be safety (or at least a hybrid position that doesn’t see him playing a lot of off-ball linebacker), and with Eddie Jackson as the Bears’ only safety with any meaningful snaps last season currently under contract, bolstering the secondary with a player of Owusu-Koramoah’s caliber makes sense for this defense.

I’m all for the Bears getting defensive back help, or finding a hybrid type of player that can give new defensive coordinator Sean Desai some options, but not in the first round.

This Bears team needs help on offense, so getting a guy like Owusu-Koramoah makes no sense to me. Wilson’s board already has five quarterbacks and four offensive lineman gone, but taking their next best o-lineman seems more realistic if the actual board were to fall this way.

The CBS Sports mock drafters have three other recent mocks listed and each of those have the Bears addressing the trenches.

Here’s how Chris Trapasso has the Bears mock drafting.

Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL, USC

Vera-Tucker is a valuable prospect because we’ve seen two high-caliber seasons from him at different positions (guard then tackle).

Here’s how Josh Edwards has it.

Jalen Mayfield, OL, Michigan

Chicago can save some salary cap space and upgrade the tackle position by bringing in Jalen Mayfield. I am of the belief that he can hang on the edge but, in a worst-case scenario, he slides inside to play guard.

And Pete Prisco also has the Bears going in the same direction.

Jalen Mayfield, OL, Michigan

They will likely let Bobby Massie go after June 1 since he’s been injury-plagued and hasn’t lived up to the contract. Mayfield can step in and play right tackle but he can also play guard.

Which one of these four CBS mock drafters has it best for the Bears?