NFL Chicago Bears

2015 NFL Draft: Pick By Pick With Chicago Bears At No. 7

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By @rickstavig

Randy Gregory, NFL Draft

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

With the regular season now in the rearview mirror, it’s officially mock draft season. Yes, mock drafts are entirely and utterly useless. It’s all speculation loosely based on rumors and projections, with no mock draft ever being anywhere near perfect. It’s like making a bracket for the NCAA tournament: you’ll get a few right but you’ll never get them all right. Still, they’re fun to make, they’re fun to read, and it fuels hope for a good offseason and a better future for whomever you cheer for.

Here’s an update of the mock so far: no. 1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon); no. 2 Tennessee Titans (Jameis Winston, QB, FSU); no. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars (Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa); no. 4 Oakland Raiders (Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama); no. 5 Washington Redskins (Leonard Williams, DE/DT, Southern Cal) and no. 6 New York Jets (Shane Ray, DE/OLB, Missouri). Who do the Chicago Bears take at no. 7?

Randy Gregory, DE/OLB, Nebraska.

The needs are abundant on both sides of the ball for the Bears but the defense especially is in dire need of young talent. The defense was an absolute train wreck on all three levels last season and most of the personnel on hand is either past their prime or well-past it. Years of neglect have caught up quickly.

With that said, new DC Vic Fangio has his work cut out for him, especially considering the fact he’s likely going to start incorporating more 3-4 looks and the Bears have been running a 4-3 Tampa-2 variance for more than a decade. The right personnel for such a switch conceptually is simply not on hand, and that will most certainly be taken into account with the Bears first round selection.

Gregory (6-foot 6, 240-pounds, 4.6 projected 40) is an athletic marvel and could very well be long gone by the time the Bears are picking at seventh overall, but if he’s on the board, he’d be a perfect fit in Fangio’s defense. This kid could very well have the highest upside of any pass rusher (or defensive player) in this year’s draft class. He’s got ideal length and explosion for an edge rusher, and uses his long arms well in closing down passing lanes and batting down balls. He’s a quick-twitch athlete who has the skill set to be a regular double-digit sack guy in the NFL. He’s still somewhat raw and is a better athlete than football player at this point, but he shows many similarities at this stage of development to Aldon Smith of the San Francisco 49ers, who became a star under Fangio’s tutelage.

Who else could the Bears look at with this pick if Gregory is off the board already? Both safety and corner are pressing needs, but I just don’t think there’s a DB in this draft class worth a top-10 pick. And if the Bears think about trading down a couple slots, don’t be surprised to see them take a long, hard look at Benardrick McKinney (ILB, Mississippi State), another elite athlete with length who can line up all over the place.

Rick Stavig is an NFL Draft Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickstavig or add him to your network on Google+.

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