Bears team table at the 2017 NFL Draft.
In a dueling two-round NFL mock draft posted Wednesday on ESPN.com, Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay agree about what the Bears will do early in the April 26-28 NFL Draft.
Both analysts predict that general manager Ryan Pace and company will select Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson with the eighth pick in the first round before addressing their defense with the 39th choice in the second round.
In projecting that the Bears will take Nelson at No. 8, Kiper wrote: "I thought about a linebacker here, but Nelson fills a big hole and should help Mitchell Trubisky."
McShay had a similar thought, writing: "Josh Sitton is gone, and Nelson would represent a big upgrade. This continues a promising offseason trend of Chicago giving Trubisky what he needs to succeed."
In the second round, Kiper predicts that the Bears will choose Georgia outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter, writing: "Carter could sneak into the end of the first round. He could battle with newly signed outside linebacker Aaron Lynch for a starting spot."
McShay thinks that the Bears will pick LSU cornerback Donte Jackson in Round 2, writing: "The fast CB (4.32 40-yard dash) would help give Chicago some much-needed depth in the secondary."
