NFL Draft: Chicago Bears 7-Round Mock Draft 7.0

The Building the Board team recently completed our Chicago Bears Draft Guide, which was used extensively in completing all of our mock drafts. In case you missed the previous mock drafts, you can check them out here:

• Mock Draft 1.0
• Mock Draft 2.0
• Mock Draft 3.0
• Mock Draft 4.0
• Mock Draft 5.0
• Mock Draft 6.0

This draft includes six selections after one draft-day trade. We used the PFF mock draft simulator and worked under the assumption that the Bears didn't make another notable signing or trade before draft day. I think we generated one of our most realistic results, but let us know what you think!

Round 1, Pick 1: USC QB Caleb Williams

Even though the Bears will be certain to use all of the allotted time to select Caleb Williams first overall, we are all very confident that he'll be the pick. This is a done deal; no reason to re-analyze it. At this point, it's all about looking at what the Bears will do to prepare the roster for Williams.

TRADE: Bears Move Back from No. 9

Bears Receive: Round 1, Pick 14 / Round 2, Pick 45 / Round 5, Pick 150

Saints Receive: Round 1, Pick 9 / 2025 2nd Round Pick (CHI)

Round 1, Pick 14: Florida State EDGE Jared Verse 

Marvin Harrison Jr. went fourth, Malik Nabers went sixth, and the Buffalo Bills traded up to No. 8 to snag Rome Odunze. Our team decided to trade back with the New Orleans Saints, picking up a second-round pick in the process. With Dallas Turner, Byron Murphy, Jared Verse, Johnny Newton, Brock Bowers, and Olu Fashanu still on the board, moving back five spots made the most sense.

By the time we got to 14, we saw Bowers and Turner come off the board before the Los Angeles Rams jumped in front of the Bears to draft Murphy. We were crushed. Johnny Newton was still available, but our GM couldn't get comfortable with his medical situation, and Jared Verse became the clear answer.

"We are out of the guys that I am banging the table for. We are at the point, where if we drop too far down we are going to blow getting a red chip player and dip into tier three. So, I think we have to overdraft Verse. This is a little higher than I would like to take him. But, we made our bed. We have to sleep in it. He fits a desperate need at EDGE rusher. He is going to push the pocket really hard. I don't love this, but I also think that this is our best option. He fits what we need right now, and it's a dang shame. We lost Turner and Murphy. We got to 10, it goes our way. Then at 11, it goes our way. The 12th pick breaks against us, then the 13th pick breaks against us." - Building the Board scout Robert Schmitz

Round 2, Pick 45: Texas WR Xavier Worthy

We came into pick No. 45 very specifically eyeing a wide receiver. But Ladd McConkey, Troy Franklin, Keon Coleman, and Roman Wilson were already off the board. We were left to consider Ricky Pearsall, Xavier Legette, Malachi Corley, Xavier Worthy, and Jermain Burton. 

"The speed element of Xavier Worthy with DJ Moore and Keenan Allen in the middle of the field, that is a game changer. It is a perfect fit, in my mind. I would be pounding the table here. That 4.2 speed with the other two working the intermediate over the middle of the field, using Worthy as a deep threat or a guy you can work underneath. That would be really nice. And, he is a punt returner too" - Building the Board scout Steve Letizia

"It's funny if we look at 'receivers'. Because Pearsall, I think, is a better 'receiver'. Burton and Corley might be better 'receivers'. But none of them made people look undraftable like Xavier Worthy did. What pops to me is that Xavier Worthy made Josh Newton look like you cannot play him on an NFL field. Worthy walked around him deep twice, then Newton gave Worthy a 10-yard cushion. So Worthy ran a 5-yard out route, and walked around Newton for another touchdown." - Building the Board scout Robert Schmitz

Round 3, Pick 75: Ohio State DT Michael Hall Jr.

We didn't expect to keep pick No. 75. Initially, we thought we'd need to trade the selection to get the second-round pick. But we were able to keep it by trading the Bears' second-round pick next year instead. With players like Calen Bullock, Javon Baker, Cooper Beebe, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, Hunter Nourzad, and Michael Hall Jr. available, we had a lot of options. But Steve and I had conviction on one player over the rest.

"Byron Murphy put up a 16.4% pass rush win rate on 431 snaps in 2023. Michael Hall Jr. put up an 18.3% pass rush win rate on 407 snaps in 2023. Hall played at 280 pounds last year, but he bulked up to 299 pounds for his pro day, then did all his athletic testing at 299 pounds, and blew them out of the water. He's got multiple pass rush moves that he can stack together, . This guy might not be here at 75, but if he is, I am banging the table for him. I wasn't even sold on him in this range until realizing that he beefed up to 299 pounds, AND THEN did his testing. Then, I was like, 'Okay, that is a different dude than I though I was watching before.'" - Building the Board scout Quinten Krzysko

Round 4, Pick 122: Arkansas C Beaux Limmer

At this point, we had Tanor Bortolini, Maason Smith, DeWayne Carter, Zak Zinter, and Beaux Limmer in consideration. We were eyeing the center position, though, and I had some stronger opinions on this pick in particular.

"I am sitting here saying that I want a center who can play guard, not a guard who can play center. I know Ryan Bates can play both guard spots. I have two more years of Ryan Bates on the roster. But I only have one year of Coleman Shelton, and I am not completely sold on how good he is. So I want the center much more than the guard here. Beaux Limmer is a guy who can play both spots, and he would be my pick here. I would also consider Bortolini, but I worry about Bortolini's snapping issues." - Building the Board scout Quinten Krzysko

"I have Bortolini over Limmer, but I am not going to argue too much. If you want to go Limmer, at 122, both of those guys would be great picks. We can go Limmer." - Building the Board scout Steve Letizia

Round 5, Pick 150: Oregon State S Kitan Oladapo

We strongly considered Iowa Punter Tory Taylor here but ended up going a different route. The ability to contribute on special teams has to be a factor at this point in the draft, and we selected a player our safety scout has been talking about for months now. Other players we considered were Cam Hart and Jaheim Bell, but we ended up taking the safety out of Oregon State.

"Robert, if the pick is Kitan Oladapo, do you feel like he is a guy that can eventually develop into a starter next to Jaquan Brisker, or is he too similar?" - Building the Board scout Quinten Krzysko

"I think he can do both. I really do. And moreover, since we are at pick 150, I think he could be a guy that plays really solid special teams snaps for you. He tested pretty well. And on the field, he looks like a silly athlete. If he can be a really good special teamer, that helps the Bears. Not to mention, I think he is pretty fearless in the box. He could learn a lot from Kevin Byard and potentially absorb that kind of role. It is never easy to tell which safety is going to actually learn anything. But he was somebody that, as soon as I saw him available here, I though 'Oh. What are you doing there?'"- Building the Board scout Robert Schmitz

Updated Offensive Depth Chart

Projected Offensive Depth Chart

Position	Starter	2nd String	3rd String
QB	Caleb Williams	Tyson Bagent	Brett Rypien
RB	D'Andre Swift	Khalil Herbert	Roschon Johnson
FB	Khari Blasingame
WR1	DJ Moore	Tyler Scott	Collin Johnson
WR2	Keenan Allen	Dante Pettis	Nsimba Webster
WR3	Xavier Worthy	Velus Jones Jr.
TE	Cole Kmet	Gerald Everett
LT	Braxton Jones	Matt Pryor	Jake Curhan
LG	Teven Jenkins	Ryan Bates	Beaux Limmer
C	Coleman Shelton	Beaux Limmer
RG	Nate Davis	Ryan Bates	Beaux Limmer
RT	Darnell Wright	Larry Borom	Jake Curhan

Updated Defensive Depth Chart

Projected Defensive Depth Chart

Position	Starter	2nd String	3rd String
EDGE	Montez Sweat	DeMarcus Walker	Dominique Robinson
iDL	Andrew Billings	Zacch Pickens
iDL	Gervon Dexter Sr.	Michael Hall Jr.	Byron Cowhart
EDGE	Jared Verse	Jake Martin
LB (WILL)	TJ Edwards	Daniel Hardy
LB (MIKE)	Tremaine Edmunds	Micah Baskerville
LB (SAM)	Jack Sanborn	Noah Sewell	Amen Ogbongbemiga
nCB	Kyler Gordon	Tarvarius Moore
CB1	Jaylon Johnson	Terell Smith	Josh Blackwell
CB2	Tyrique Stevenson	Jaylon Jones	Greg Stroman Jr.
SS	Jaquan Brisker	Jonathan Owens	Quindell Johnson
FS	Kevin Byard	Kitan Oladapo	Elijah Hicks