We are now less than 10 days away from the start of the 2020 NFL Draft, which means the wait is almost over for Chicago fans to meet the Bears’ 2020 draft class.
The Bears will once again be operating without their first round pick, the last of two that they shipped off to Oakland in a blockbuster deal for Khalil Mack, but they do have a pair of second round picks to work with.
Unfortunately, after sending a compensatory fourth round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars, those two second round picks represent the only shot Chicago has to improve until draft day 3 where they select 163rd overall in the fifth round.
Here is the full list of 2020 draft picks for the Chicago Bears:
– Round 2, Pick 43 overall (from the Raiders)
– Round 2, Pick 50 overall
– Round 5, Pick 163 overall
– Round 6, Pick 196 overall
– Round 6, Pick 200 overall (from the Eagles)
– Round 7, Pick 226 overall (from the Raiders)
– Round 7, Pick 233 overall
Trubisky out at QB?
The Bears completed an offseason deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars by sending a fourth round (compensatory 140 overall) pick for Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles.
Foles had signed a massive 4-year $80 million deal just last year, but a broken collar-bone suffered while throwing his first touchdown as a Jaguar saw Foles lose his starting spot to Gardner Minshew and his very popular mustache.
Foles will reunite with former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback coach Matt Nagy, and together they will try to bring Chicago some of the “Philly Special” magic that led to a 41-33 win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
Chicago’s front office was able to restructure Foles’ massive Jacksonville contract from 4 years, $80 million to a much more reasonable 3 years $24 million with $21 million guaranteed. While the Bears are no longer on the hook for the remaining $56.9 million owed to Foles from his previous contract, the amount of guaranteed money given may indicate that Mitchell Trubisky’s time as a starting QB is over.
Weapons for Foles
Rumors are circulating that Chicago will be looking to add another offensive weapon at wide receiver through the draft. Let’s take a look at the DraftKings online sportsbook betting lines for the “first wide receiver drafted” proposition bet:
Jerry Jeudy, Alabama -121
CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma +175
Henry Ruggs III, Alabama +250
Justin Jefferson, LSU +10000
Denzel Mims, Baylor +10000
Tee Higgins, Clemson +15000
Jalen Reagor, TCU +15000
Laviska Shenault Jr, Colorado +15000
Brandon Aiyuk, ASU +20000
K.J. Hamler, Penn State +25000
Donovan Peoples-Jones, Michigan +50000
While Lamb and the Alabama boys are all but guaranteed to be gone by the time pick number 43 comes around for Chicago, it is possible that a Tee Higgins or Justin Jefferson could fall into the second round and become a prime target for either of the Bears early picks.
Higgins had 59 catches for 1,167 yards with 13 touchdowns in 2019. He is tall and long and provides a size mismatch in the for the NFL. His length and leaping ability make him a very dangerous red zone threat.
Jefferson was excellent as a steady big-play producer for Joe Burrow and LSU in 2019, recording 111 catches for 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns. Jefferson has a lot of length to go with his quickness and athleticism. He has a ton of upside with the speed to make plays downfield and helped himself with a faster than expected 40-yard dash at the combine.
Either one of these players would make for a powerful addition to a receiving game that is relying heavily on injury-prone Allen Robinson to stay healthy.
If the Chicago front office does not look to use one of their second round picks on a wide receiver, Bears faithful are not likely to see any of the above names on their roster this season as all players are projected to be taken before the start of the fifth round.
