Final Mock Draft Madness: Ryan Poles’ Last Swing Before Draft Night — Bears Load Up on Starters

Ryan Poles' big day approaches, and with the help of Ben Johnson and staff there must be hope the Chicago Bears can come out of it with four players in those first 72 overall picks who could eventually become starters.

Maybe they'll even find immediate starters at a few of the spots. They may need to do it, at tackle in particular.

The mock draft season ends here for me here with this one last stab at picks using a simulator in a draft format, although later there will be a simple prediction of which players they'll take.

It won't include an actual drafting process—more of a reporter's list of most likely picks.

After the top three picks in this draft, it would seem just about anything could happen this year so all of the casinos taking bets on who goes at what spot probably will rake in the money.

With the Bears at No. 10, it could be a pick but it could also be a trade back or even a trade up. If they're trading up, it better be for a special running back or even defensive tackle.

The Bears are on the clock in this last mock draft.

T Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas

Round 1, No. 10

The mock draft simulator says there is a 98% chance he'll be there and in the simulation they couldn't get Ashton Jeanty, Mason Graham, Tyler Warren or Armand Membou. According to some of the reports around the league, they may not have a 98% chance at Banks as his stock also seems to be rising. Ranked 18th among all picks, this looks like a reach by the simulator's grading system but more and more in recent days Banks is gaining support as the second-best or even best tackle in this draft. He's 6-foot-5, 315 pounds and has the same problem all the other tackles early in this draft have and that's shorter (33 1/2-inch) arms.

RB TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State

Round 2, No. 39

I've thought this back was one the Bears should consider since seeing him as a freshman. Although they listed him at 202 at the combine, he played at 208 so he's not necessarily a smaller player. As a 5-foot-10 player with a 38 1/2-inch vertical leap, he can be used well in the passing game and his excellent 4.43-second 40 speed probably doesn't even reflect his playing speed, which is even better. Henderson definitely knows how to maximize his carries as he never had more than the 183 rushes he had as a freshman while playing through his career in a true shared backfield. He had 3,761 yards but his best season was as a freshman with 1,248 yards and 15 touchdowns. This pick came down to a matter of choice and he seemed a better fit than Kaleb Johnson, who runs well once he builds up a huge head of steam but not so much in tight spaces or when he's out of the wide zone blocking scheme. And the Bears will be using less wide zone in Johnson's offense.

DE Jordan Burch, Oregon

Round 2, No. 41

A player who should be there as the simulator said a 90% chance exists he will be available. He is perfect size for edge in a Dennis Allen scheme at 6-4, 279, came on strong his last year with 8 1/2 sacks and has another skill the Bears will enjoy -- he batted down 11 passes in his career, including six last season. A 4.67-second 40 was very good and his 39-inch vertical explains the passes batted down. A real athlete but one who produces. The low total of 7 1/2 sacks for his first four seasons we'll chalk up to learning. The only drawback with Burch is he is going to be 24 already this season.

TE Terrance Ferguson, Oregon

Round 3, No. 72

No, he's not Tyler Warren. However, he is a tight end with plenty of pass-catching experience and an ideal move tight end in the Ben Johnson offense. A good fit as a complement to Cole Kmet at 6-5, 247 but with the fastest combine speed of all the tight ends who participated (4.63). Ferguson had 1,537 yards on 134 catches and 16 career touchdowns, but his 11.5-yard average per catch might have been his most impressive stat. He averaged 13.7 yards last year, showing he is a good target, in the mold of Sam LaPorta, for Johnson's offense.

S Jonas Sanker, Virginia

Round 5, No. 148

He was graded 100th by the simulator so this is a steal who dropped in the mock. A good, aggressive hitter who is 6-foot, 206, he is an excellent athlete as well with a 36 1/2-inch vertical and 10-foot-8 broad jump. Some scouting reports have said he'll play out of control too much, get penalized or miss tackles. He does make plays on the ball. He had 17 pass breakups and two interceptions while forcing four fumbles and recovering five. And he led the ACC in solo tackles his last two seasons so if he's missing tackles he is also making an awful lot of them with 273 total combined takedowns.

CB Cobee Bryant, Kansas

Round 7, No. 232

A trend the Bears have had under both Ryan Poles and Ryan Pace has been taking seventh-round picks based on some trait they see that differentiates a player in the final round from others. Their record doing this has been utterly miserable. They need to simply take the most productive player. Bryant would be that. He commits penalties but as a 6-foot, 180-pound versatile cornerback he could fill a role as a seventh-rounder. He was graded a fifth-rounder by the simulator so it would be a steal getting him here. With 22 career pass breakups and a whopping 13 career interceptions, he has shown he can play the game and produce numbers.

LB Cody Lindenberg, Minnesota

Round 7, No. 240

I've taken him three times in mocks in the final round and that's because he has all the production and traits you'd need. It seems unlikely he would fall this far but two different simulators have made him available in the final round of mock drafts. He is 6-2 3/8 and not your shorter linebacker who is easy to throw over. And at 236 he can deliver a jolt when he arrives.  Lindenberg made 209 career tackles, including 12 1/2 for loss, and would be an instant competitor for the strongside role Jack Sanborn used to have. He'll compete with Noah Sewell and Amen Ogbongbemiga.