Surprise Name Mentioned As Likely Chicago Bears 1st Round Target

The Chicago Bears are 3-8. Everybody knows their season is over. The final six games are more about evaluation, both of the roster and the coaching staff. GM Ryan Poles has some big decisions ahead of him. Most of the attention is centered on quarterback Justin Fields and head coach Matt Eberflus. Does he replace both? Keep both? Release one and keep the other? Nobody is certain of this. Much could depend on if the Bears end up with the #1 overall pick again, assuring them their choice of any QB in the 2024 draft. Team president Kevin Warren will also likely have a say.

In all the talk about that scenario, it's easy to forget the Bears also hold the rights to the #4 overall pick. This means they have an opportunity to land another blue-chip talent. The obvious question is who that might be. Many projections have them taking a top offensive tackle or another wide receiver. Maybe even a stud tight end to pair with Cole Kmet. However, ESPN draft experts Matt Miller, Jordan Reid, and Field Yates think the Bears will go in a different direction.

They discussed it in their latest collaborative mock draft.

"Reid: If the Bears stay home, though, it likely would be Alt vs. Alabama pass-rusher Dallas Turner, right? And with the solid play of Jones and the use of a top-10 pick on Darnell Wright in April, the Bears would probably stay away from offensive tackle, meaning they could use this pick to continue building up the defense. The Montez Sweat deadline deal helps, but this team still needs pass-rushers. Chicago ranks last in the NFL again with 15 sacks.

Yates: I'm intrigued by the Coleman idea, but Jordan has a point here. When the Bears made the move for Sweat, part of the calculus was that it would be slim pickings at the top of Round 2 (where the traded pick was) for pass-rushers. Juxtapose that to the wide receivers in this class, and it makes all the sense in the world to take the clearest potential difference-maker at edge rusher in Turner now.

Miller: OK, this does make sense. I'd rather Chicago walk away with my top-ranked edge-rusher (position of need) and grab a receiver in Round 3 than get Coleman here and be without a high-end pass-rusher."

Adding Turner could be a final piece for the Chicago Bears' defense.

Trading for Montez Sweat was a wise move. He immediately gave the front four credibility. His presence is already felt up front. However, anybody with knowledge of football understands good defensive lines need two capable pass rushers to be successful. Yannick Ngakoue hasn't filled that role for the Bears. They need somebody with a higher ceiling. Turner has that capability. Where Sweat is the long and powerful guy, Turner would be the athletic and explosive one. They'd complement each other well.

If he lives up to his potential, the Chicago Bears defense could once again take its place among the NFL's best. They already have a good secondary and linebacking corps. It feels like they're a dynamic defensive front away from giving opponents serious problems. Nobody should criticize Poles if that is the direction he chooses to go. There is no such thing as too many good pass rushers. A combo of Turner and Sweat is an exciting thought. Whether the Bears will have that opportunity is months from becoming certain.