The 2021 NFL Draft is a week away as no one has an idea yet on what the Chicago Bears might do with the 20th overall selection. Heading into a crucial season for both general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy, the team has several needs throughout their roster, with only one addressed in the first round. Whether be quarterback, wide receiver, and offensive line prospect, Chicago could possibly look to address a defensive need, something that would not be best for this year's team.

The Bears' Entire Offseason Has Been Dedicated To Improving The Offense

Several prominent mock drafts in recent weeks have linked the Bears to several different cornerback prospects, including Northwestern's Greg Newsome II and Virginia Tech's Caleb Farley. Both Newsome II and Farley are terrific prospects and have the potential to be top-level cornerbacks in the NFL, but Chicago's offensive needs are too important at the moment. Pace and Nagy's offseason focus on the offense reinforces that need as they have done everything possible to improve the offense.

From the start of the offseason, Chicago has been linked to almost every available quarterback, including Deshaun Watson, Derek Carr, Carson Wentz, and Russell Wilson. When the Bears couldn't complete a trade for a veteran quarterback, they signed the best available free-agent quarterback in Andy Dalton. Dalton is an improvement but is a short-term fixture at the quarterback position as the team can now find a long-term solution in this year's draft. Pace's main goal of fixing the offense this offseason has even come at the expense of defense as Bears' defensive stars have been moved or nearly moved. At the height of the Wilson trade rumors, Chicago's general manager offered linebacker Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks in a blockbuster trade proposal. When the team signed Dalton, Pro-Bowl cornerback Kyle Fuller was released to free up salary-cap space for the signing. Hicks was encouraged to seek a trade and nearly was released when Pace was in deep negotiations with Pro Bowl free-agent receiver Kenny Golladay.

Now, as the draft is a week away, It will be interesting to see if Pace will seek out another trade to move up to select a quarterback as there have been many significant rumors of the team's desire to trade up. With prospect quarterbacks such as Justin Fields, Mac Jones, and Trey Lance expected to available from picks four through ten, it will be interesting to see if Pace can trade up to get a quarterback. If the Bears don't draft a quarterback, they can still improve their offense by drafting either a wide receiver or offensive lineman, which would still be vastly more important than a defensive need.

Pace Is Talented Enough to Find Top-Level Defensive Talent Later In The Draft

The other reason why the Bears can't afford to draft a defensive player with the 20th selection next week is because of Pace's success in finding premier defensive talent in the later rounds of the draft. Since becoming Chicago's general manager in 2015, he has drafted at least one prominent defensive player in all but one of his drafts. In Pace's first season as general manager, he drafted defensive tackle Eddie Goldman in the second round and safety Adrian Amos in the fifth round. Both players were vital in the Bears' defensive success in 2018. Pace's best selection during his GM tenure was free safety Eddie Jackson in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Jackson has been both a prerenal Pro Bowler and All-Pro level safety during his short four-year career. Other late-round selections made by the current Bears' general manager include linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski and defensive tackle Bilal Nichols. Barring a trade, Pace will have six draft selections from the third round in this year's draft, enough late-round selections to focus on defensive needs.

In a draft that is deep with offensive talent early on, Pace cannot afford to pass any available offensive talent by when the Bears' most glaring weakness has been the offense. If a quarterback, receiver, or offensive lineman, and a standout defensive star is available at the 20th spot, the Bears must go offense, regardless. Improving the offense with any talent will make a difference for a team that has lost seven games over the last two years by seven points or less. That margin is significant for a team that has finished at .500 the last two seasons.

With everything that has gone on during this offseason, if the Bears were to draft a defensive player in next week's NFL Draft, it would be one of the more confusing and questionable moves of the first round. Although selecting a top-level cornerback wouldn't hurt the team, it wouldn't help the team either, as Chicago's most important needs are on the offensive side. Those needs have been expressed heavily by Pace and Nagy as they have aggressively attacked the offseason to fill any void on offense at all costs.