Bears address offensive, defensive needs in Draft Wire’s 7-round mock draft

In Draft Wire’s new 7-round mock draft, the Bears address some starting vacancies and depth roles on offense and defense.

With less than two weeks until the 2020 NFL Draft, the wait is almost over to meet the Chicago Bears’ 2020 draft class. The Bears are once again without a first-round pick, the final in the Khalil Mack trade, but they do own a pair of second-round picks.

But after trading a fourth-round compensatory pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Bears only have two picks in the first four rounds. So those two second rounders are even more valuable for general manager Ryan Pace.

In Draft Wire’s new mock draft, Luke Easterling projected the Bears’ targets on offense and defense with their picks in the second, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds.

RD. 2 – No. 43. Cole Kmet | TE | Notre Dame

Despite the Bears bringing in two veteran tight ends this offseason in Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris, tight end remains a concern for Chicago. While you could argue the Bears shouldn’t use a second rounder on a weak tight end class, whether Pace decides to use a second-round pick on a tight end will tell you everything you need to know. If that’s the the case, he’ll likely have his pick of tight ends, including arguably the best prospect in the tight end class in Notre Dame’s Cole Kmet.

RD. 2 – No. 50. Noah Igbenoghene | CB | Auburn

You figure Pace will use one of his second-round picks on a defensive back, given there are two starting positions up for grabs — one each at cornerback and safety. While Kevin Toliver, Tre Roberson and Artie Burns will be competing for the spot opposite cornerback Kyle Fuller, Pace could also bring in a young prospect like Noah Igbenoghene to compete for the job.

RD 5 – No. 163. Mykal Walker | LB | Fresno State

While the Bears were able to retain their starting inside linebacker duo with the re-signing of Danny Trevathan to return alongside Roquan Smith, Chicago did lose some depth. Nick Kwiatkoski and Kevin Pierre-Louis were both key reserves that stepped in as Trevathan and Smith dealt with injuries, but both have signed elsewhere.

Now, the Bears need depth at inside linebacker, and Mykal Walker would be a great prospect to develop behind two of the game’s best. Given Walker’s versatility at inside linebacker, outside linebacker and defensive end in 2019, the Bears could also choose to plug him in where needed.

Read on for rounds 6 and 7

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2020 NFL mock draft: Panthers pick Auburn CB at No. 38 overall

2020 NFL mock draft: Panthers pick Auburn CB at No. 38 overall

James Bradberry has been the Panthers’ No. 1 cornerback the last few years. He won’t be returning in 2020 though, as he has agreed to a three-year deal with Dave Gettleman’s Giants. That means at the moment Donte Jackson is the best cornerback on the roster and he was benched late in the 2019 season. Hardly an ideal situation for new defensive coordinator Phil Snow.

And so once again Carolina has a massive hole to fill at one of the most important positions in today’s game. The good news is the 2020 NFL draft (one month away) class is deep at this position, so the team should be able to find a quality long-term starter without using their first pick.

In a new three-round mock by Luke Easterling at Draft Wire, the Panthers selected Auburn’s Noah Igbinoghene with their second-round pick, No. 38 overall.

Igbinoghene (5-foot-11, 200 pounds) should qualify as a decent replacement for Bradberry. Over the last two seasons, he posted one interception, 18 pass breakups, 2.5 tackles for a loss and one forced fumble.

Here’s a look at Igbinoghene’s tape against Florida and Minnesota.

Igbinoghene vs. Florida

Igbinoghene vs. Minnesota

The concern with Igbinoghene is his lack of refinement and experience. It may take a while for him to adjust to the pro game, but that’s not unusual for a lot of talented cornerbacks. He’s drawn comparisons to Kareem Jackson of the Texans.

Pharoh Cooper probably has the role locked down, but for what it’s worth Igbinoghene is also a capable kickoff returner. He totaled 1,199 yards and two touchdowns on 44 attempts in college.

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