Chicago Bears trade for Sam Darnold in 7-round 2021 NFL mock draft
By John Blair
The Chicago Bears enter the 2021 NFL Draft needing to address multiple needs on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The biggest need the team needs to address is at the quarterback position. It is very unlikely Chicago will have enough to trade up to take one of the top five quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft, so they are going to need to get creative to find the answer at this position.
The Bears also need to find key contributors at other positions in the 2021 NFL Draft. This includes offensive tackle as neither Charles Leno Jr nor Germain Ifedi seems like a long-term answer at this position. The team would be wise to add some depth to the wide receiver position and at both cornerback and safety in the secondary.
Chicago Bears mock draft: Round 1, 20th overall
1. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. OT. Texas. Samuel Cosmi. 57
The Buffalo Bills are willing to make this trade so they can trade up and take Najee Harris of Alabama before the Pittsburgh Steelers have the opportunity to grab him with the 24th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. This trade allows the Chicago Bears to trade down and still get a tackle the team is comfortable with and pick up a valuable second-rounder.
Chicago would be wise to take an offensive lineman in the first round for a couple of reasons. The first one being that while solid, Charles Leno Jr. is far from a standout left tackle. He is also entering the final year of his contract so it is the perfect time to bring in his eventual replacement. At right tackle, the team has Germain Ifedi who had the best year of his career last season but also only has one year left on his contract.
Texas offensive tackle Samuel Cosmi is a player who could eventually take over the left tackle job in Chicago. Cosmi is one of the more athletic offensive tackles in the 2021 NFL Draft evident by his 4.8 40-yard dash. Another reason Cosmi would make sense is he has played both left and right tackle during his college career so he should be able to backup both Leno and Ifedi.
One other reason why he would be a good choice is the team has his former coach Tom Herman on staff and in a year where it is hard to get to know players due to Covid protocols this should not be overlooked.