NFL Mock Draft: Bears, WFT trade up to fill offensive needs

1. Jacksonville Jaguars - Trevor Lawrence: Quarterback, Clemson
2. New York Jets - Zach Wilson: Quarterback, BYU
3. San Francisco 49ers - Mac Jones: Quarterback, Alabama
4. Atlanta Falcons - Kyle Pitts: Tight End, Florida
5. Cincinnati Bengals - Penei Sewell: Offensive Tackle, Oregon

The Falcons could potentially move out of No. 4, though it's unclear if a team would be desperate enough to make that jump, or if trading that pick would even make sense for Atlanta. Instead, new Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Arthur Smith stand pat and draft Florida tight end Kyle Pitts, a move that will almost certainly age well.

6. Miami Dolphins - Ja'Marr Chase: Wide Receiver, LSU
7. Detroit Lions - Jaylen Waddle: Wide Receiver, Alabama
8. Carolina Panthers - Rashawn Slater: Offensive Tackle, Northwestern
9. Denver Broncos - Justin Fields: Quarterback, Ohio State
10. Dallas Cowboys - Patrick Surtain II: Cornerback, Alabama

Multiple outlets have hinted Howie Roseman and the Eagles could be inclined to move up to No. 8 or 9, potentially putting them in position to land one of the draft's top cornerbacks before the Cowboys go on the clock at No. 10. While the Eagles and Giants could both use an overhaul at that position, we're projecting Dallas to get the first crack at cornerback, selecting 'Bama stud Patrick Surtain II 10th overall. The Cowboys have plenty of defensive needs to address, but after losing Byron Jones during last year's free agency, taking the plunge at cornerback with Surtain II makes arguably the most sense.

11. New York Giants - DeVonta Smith: Wide Receiver, Alabama
12. Philadelphia Eagles - Jaycee Horn: Cornerback, South Carolina
13. Washington Football Team (trade up with Los Angeles Chargers) - Trey Lance: Quarterback, North Dakota State
14. Minnesota Vikings - Kwity Paye: Edge Rusher, Michigan
15. New England Patriots - Micah Parsons: Linebacker, Penn State

Any of Atlanta, Detroit or Carolina could draft a quarterback in the first round, creating a scenario where the top five prospects at that position could all go in the top 10. We probably shouldn't rule out the Dolphins at No. 6 or Eagles at 12 either, even though both used high picks on quarterbacks last year. However, our latest mock has Trey Lance falling out of the top 10. The Washington Football Team has built an exciting young core under Ron Rivera, but, at the moment, they lack a long-term starting quarterback. We have them fixing that issue here, moving up six spots—and in front of the quarterback-needy Patriots—to grab Lance. Ryan Fitzpatrick and/or Taylor Heinicke could start for some or all of 2021, allowing Lance a chance to learn on the job. Washington would be betting on Lance's elite physical traits with the hope that he'd eventually develop into a dual-threat star, not dissimilar from what the Bills did with Josh Allen several years ago.

16. Arizona Cardinals - Caleb Farley: Cornerback, Virginia Tech
17. Las Vegas Raiders - Alijah Vera-Tucker: Offensive Guard, USC
18. Chicago Bears (trade up with Miami Dolphins)- Christian Darrisaw: Offensive Tackle, Virginia Tech
19. Los Angeles Chargers (trade down with Washington Football Team) - Gregory Rousseau: Edge Rusher, Miami
20. Miami Dolphins (trade down with Chicago Bears) - Jaelan Phillips: Edge Rusher, Miami

The Patriots walk away from this mock without a first-round quarterback, but they still have former MVP Cam Newton and it's not hard to envision the 49ers trading or releasing Jimmy Garoppolo, who is currently due a $26.38 million cap hit in 2021. If the Patriots land Garoppolo, Chicago would be left as the only team truly shut out of this year's quarterback market, unless you count underwhelming veteran Andy Dalton. General manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy would be doomed if they head into 2021 with Dalton and Nick Foles as their only quarterback options. With two QBs over 30, it's important to have a strong offensive line, an area the Bears were certainly lacking in last season. So while the Bears won't be able to land their quarterback of the future in this draft, we're projecting them to trade up two spots for Virginia Tech's Christian Darrisaw. Though NFL Media's Lance Zierlein says admits Darrisaw has a "lower floor" than other first-round talents, he also believes the promising 21-year-old has "the natural talent to be as good as he wants to be."

21. Indianapolis Colts - Kadarius Toney: Wide Receiver, Florida
22. Baltimore Ravens (trade up with Tennessee Titans) - Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah: Linebacker, Notre Dame
23. New York Jets - Teven Jenkins: Offensive Tackle, Oklahoma State
24. Pittsburgh Steelers - Travis Etienne: Running Back, Clemson
25. Jacksonville Jaguars - Trevon Moehrig: Safety, TCU

While the Steelers were wise not to meet the excessive contract demands of Le'Veon Bell a few years ago, they've struggled to find a comparable replacement. The oft-injured James Connor departed in free agency (he signed with Arizona), leaving Pittsburgh with an underwhelming backfield trio of Benny Snell, Anthony McFarland Jr. and Kalen Ballage. You hate to use a first-round pick on a running back, but it might make sense for Pittsburgh to grab Clemson star Travis Etienne here and address the offensive line in subsequent rounds. A pick before the Jaguars could have reunited him with Trevor Lawrence, the Steelers pair Etienne with Ben Roethlisberger in what figures to be Ben's final season.