We’re one week out from the NFL Draft, so it’s time to break down the Chicago Bears prospects and options for May 8th. I enlisted the help of a few Chicago Bears experts and got them on the phone; Nick Shepkowski of WSCR 670 The Score Chicago, Craig Williams, formerly of 95.7 The Fan, South Bend, Charles Davis, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network.
I also have a full mock draft for the all of the Chicago Bears draft picks in every round.
“The Bears don’t have an NFL safety right now, they signed a couple of guys, Ryan Lundy from the Giants, MD Jennings from the Packers,” said Shepkowski
“And if you believe in the evaluations of the Pro Football Focus, they grade out very poorly. They’re not going to step in and replace a Major Wright or a Chris Conte.”
For the Full Shepkowski interview, on the Chicago Bears and Notre Dame, listen below:
“there was a lot of issues, but the safety position, both in the run, guys taking poor angles to the alley, missing tackles, and then lack of instinct in the back end, the ball sailing over their heads,” said Daniel Jeremiah.
“I think you start with the safety position, and where they’re picking, I think they’ll have shot at one of those top two guys, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix from Alabama, Calvin Pryor from Louisville.”
Here’s what I have the Chicago Bears doing at pick #14 in my mock draft. (Here’s the full mock draft)
14. Chicago Bears, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama
His name is worth being a number one pick alone. Don’t worry too much about the suspension. All he did was seek money for doing his job. A situation that magically changes 180 degrees in a few months. Namewise Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is right up there with college football players Hingle McCringleberry, Ozmataz Buckshank, Tyroil Smoochie-Wallace and LeCarpetron Dookmarriot. Of course, those three players don’t actually exist. They’re characters in a Key & Peele sketch.
Go here for more on Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
Williams on Clinton-Dix: “You know that headline writers in Chicago, if he blows a coverage that Ha ha! is coming up.”
To hear the entire Craig Williams interview, talking Chicago Bulls, Chicago Bears and Notre Dame football listen below:
So what do the Chicago Bears do at DL? In the second round? Safety first! Like the catch phrase says. Then…Here’s what Charles Davis had to say:
“I think you’ve got to go safety first if one of those top two safeties is there, and then you come back and get a defensive tackle at 55. I think the depth is better in the interior defensive line than it is throughout the safety class.”
Here’s our full seven round mock draft, with all the Chicago Bears picks.
1. Aaron Donald (DT Pitt)
2. Deone Bucannon (S Washington St.)
3. Stanley Jean Baptiste (CB Nebraska)
4. Brandon Linder (OL Miami
5. De’anthony Thomas (RB Oregon)
6. Marcel Jensen (TE Fresno St.)
6. Tom Savage (QB Pitt)
To browse past Sports Bank Podcast guests, and listen to them go here.
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. A former NBC Chicago and Washington Times writer, he’s also been featured on the History Channel. President Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)