The draft is coming and the mocks are rolling in. Here are some projections for the Bears’ first-round selection. As has been proven in the Ryan Pace era, the chances of these being correct are not good.
Scott Wright, NFLDraftCountdown projects Quenton Nelson:
The Bears wisely noted a weak crop of wide receivers in the draft and instead used free agency to provide young quarterback Mitchell Trubisky with some weapons to throw to. Now they are free to shore up the offensive line with Nelson, who I feel is the best prospect in this class, regardless of position. It also doesn’t hurt that Nelson’s college offensive line coach Harry Hiestand now holds the same position in the Windy City.
Nelson is a mountain of a man with outstanding strength and power, but also surprising athletic and nimble when pulling and blocking in space. What really sets Nelson apart though is his aggressiveness, nasty on-field temperament and desire to finish blocks. I don’t throw my “Elite” grade around lightly and this year Nelson and Penn St. RB Saquon Barkley were the only two prospects to earn that label. In fact, Nelson is the best true offensive guard prospect I’ve seen in my two decades of covering the NFL Draft.
If Nelson is gone or they want to go in another direction, keep an eye on Virginia Tech OLB Tremaine Edmunds. The young, athletic, rangy ‘backer has actually been compared to Bears great Brian Urlacher due to his well-rounded skill set and upside.