The Chicago Bears have a number of positional needs to address in the NFL draft. And even after trading away the No. 1 pick to the Carolina Panthers, the Bears are in a good position to land a top prospect at ninth overall.
The biggest needs remain in the trenches with the defensive and offensive lines. With the emphasis to build around quarterback Justin Fields — and a glaring hole at right tackle — it certainly feels like that No. 9 pick could be an offensive tackle.
ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum released his latest mock draft, where he has the Chicago indeed addressing a hole on the offensive line with Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski at ninth overall.
I loved what Bears GM Ryan Poles did in maximizing the value of the first overall pick with his trade with Carolina, and he has spent well in free agency. But the Bears still have a ton of holes on their roster. Rebuilding always starts up front for me when developing a young quarterback, so I am going with a tough, dependable and local offensive lineman in Skoronski, widely considered the most refined pass-protector in this class. After all, the Bears allowed the fourth-most sacks last season with 58. I’d start him at guard and then slide him to tackle down the road, similar to what we did with Laremy Tunsil after drafting him in Miami.
There are questions about whether Skoronski is a tackle at the NFL level, given his arm length, and Tannenbaum actually suggests starting him at guard and then sliding him to tackle later.
When looking at Chicago’s offensive line, right tackle is a glaring hole right now. The guard positions appear set with Teven Jenkins and free-agent addition Nate Davis. So, if the Bears deem Skoronski more of a guard, Paris Johnson Jr. or Broderick Jones might make more sense here at No. 9.
And that’s if Chicago elects to stay put, as there’s smoke building around the Bears potentially trading back from ninth overall.
