Picking the pick: Whom the Bears should draft in Round 1
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Sun-Times’ Jason Lieser and Patrick Finley make their case for whom the Bears should draft with the No. 10 pick Thursday:
Jason Lieser: Texas OT Kelvin Banks
In a draft the Bears acknowledge is more unpredictable than usual, the best thing they can do is stick to sound logic and address a clear need in the first round. If LSU’s Will Campbell and Missouri’s Armand Membou are off the board when it’s the Bears’ turn, they likely could trade back three to five spots and still land Banks.
Banks is 6-5 and 315 pounds and was a three-year starter at left tackle for Texas. The Bears could hold an open competition between him and incumbent Braxton Jones, a free agent after the season, with one of them ending up as a strong swing tackle. That scenario also would allow them to keep Darnell Wright at right tackle.
In general manager Ryan Poles’ first three years in charge, he invested few premium resources into the offensive line. That changed this spring when he and new coach Ben Johnson went on a shopping spree to add guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and center Drew Dalman through trades and signings.
This is no time to veer from that strategy. The Bears have an opportunity to solidify their offensive line for multiple seasons — Poles said this week he intends to sign Thuney to an extension — and save significant salary-cap space going forward.
If they moved back to No. 14, for example, and got Banks, he would get a contract worth roughly $19 million over the next four seasons. The top 17 offensive tackles in the NFL make $19 million per season, and that number only will go up. Drafting Banks would be a smart move now and for the future.
Patrick Finley: Penn State TE Tyler Warren
As a play-caller, Johnson is at once swashbuckling and calculating, innovative and intense.
No other offensive coordinator in the NFL had a running back, a wide receiver and a tackle drop back to pass last season. Only two coordinators played with two tight ends on the field more often than Johnson did last season with the Lions.
Add that all up, and you get the player I think the Bears should pick in Round 1: Warren. Only one college player at any position caught more passes last year than Warren’s 104. As a wildcat quarterback, he ran 26 times for 218 yards — an average of 8.4 yards per carry — and even threw six passes. He accounted for 13 touchdowns: eight receiving, four rushing and one passing.
Pick Warren, and Johnson would gain a versatile offensive weapon with which to work his magic. Team Warren with Cole Kmet, and the Bears immediately would have one of the most dynamic tight-end groups in the NFL. It wouldn’t come at the expense of their running game, either, because both are able blockers.
Tight end isn’t a premium position, but Warren might be the last premium player left. Colorado cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter, Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell, Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham and — no matter how the Bears might hope otherwise — Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty all figure to be gone by the No. 10 pick.
If Warren goes in the top nine, too, the Bears will be forced to pick among the second tier at offensive tackle (Kelvin Banks), defensive line (Mykel Williams or Shemar Stewart), running back (Omarion Hampton) or cornerback (Will Johnson or Jahdae Barron). Or even Michigan’s Colston Loveland, the second-best tight end.
That would be a deflating turn, even in a bad draft.