With the seventh pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Ryan Pace and John Fox did what many predicted they would do and selected West Virginia wide receiver Kevin White. What does the pick mean?

• It means Pace won’t be pressured into fixing the defense overnight. Nobody would have faulted the new GM for taking Beasley or Dupree in this slot and pointing to the 2014 defensive rankings. Instead Pace went for high upside and gave Jay Cutler another weapon.
• It means the Bears aren’t sure Alshon Jeffery is a true number one receiver. If they were I’d have to believe they wouLd have been looking for a complementary player later in the draft.
• It means the 2015 Bears are going to give Jay Cutler some very easy throws. I expect this offense will feature even more bubble screens than Trestman’s did but now those screens will have big play potential and not just embarrass the city of Chicago on Thanksgiving.
• It means the Bears weren’t willing to give up what the Titans wanted for Marcus Mariota. Based upon what Tennessee turned down from Philly, I can only imagine what it would have taken to pry that pick loose.
• It may mean the Bears REALLY DID commit to Cutler short term once Mariota deal died. White is big and loves to go up and get the ball. Those are Cutler’s favorite types of receivers.

Willhe be great? Who knows. But he will be interesting to watch.

As with every NFL Draft, DBB will be here provide information on every Bears selection just minutes after each selection is made (at least for the first five picks or so). Here are a few thoughts in the lead-up to tonight’s festivities:

• I predicted Monday the Bears would take Amari Cooper with the seventh pick. Still believe that will be the pick if Cooper is on the board. But when I asked an NFL scout friend of mine if Cooper will be on the board at seven he responded with a swift “hell no”. (He believes Cooper may very well be the best player in this draft.)
• John Fox is a run the ball, stop the run guy. That’s why I believe the Bears covet Danny Shelton more than they’re letting on. Leonard Williams may have more upside in the pass rush department but my friend believes Shelton will be a premiere run stuffer the second he touches the field. (I agree with him.)
• Two names that have come to the forefront of “the mocks” over the last few days: WR Kevin White and CB Trae Waynes.
• From Patrick Finley in the Sun-Times: “Just because the draft is deep at a few positions — namely, wide receiver and edge rusher— doesn’t mean Pace would hesitate to draft a player from that group in the first round.” This is a point that can’t be reiterated strongly enough. “Deep” draft means nothing. Nobody knows how any of these kids are going to perform in the pros. We’ll know how deep this draft is at a particular position in three years. Never pass on a player you perceive to be elite.

See you tonight. Breathe today, draft nerds. Never forget to breathe.

The Bears have been projected by many to take a wide receiver with the seventh pick of the draft. But does that really make sense?

The answer to that question isn’t as simple as determining the team’s draft strategy or analyzing the talent in the draft. It’s more about how the Bears view the best way to build their roster and, in this case, how they view their current talent.

The “best player available” argument is outdated. Every team says they’re going to take the best player available, but they always have an eye on what their team currently needs. Any player drafted in the top-10 is a player that should be a key building block for your team going forward.

In this draft, there are two wide receivers in the top tier in Kevin White and Amari Cooper. One of them figures to be available when the Bears pick, but whether or not they pull the trigger could depend on how they view their current number one receiver, Alshon Jeffery.

Read More …