With the 14th pick in this year’s draft the Chicago Bears have a good variety of options to chose from. They have brought in multiple high end prospects that can fit the bill for positions of need and talent. Among the high end prospects that the Bears have brought in for visits are Aaron Donald, HaHa Clinton-Dix, and Calvin Pryor. While those are the priority picks it’s possible that the Bears could see themselves without any of those three on the board at 14. Let’s take a look at the options.

Favorites:

Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh

Donald has been the player that the Bears have apparently been most interested. He’s a one of the kind type of prospect at the defensive tackle position that has the explosion, strength, and speed to cause massive problems for teams while playing the three technique position. Donald made a living in the opponents backfield while in the NCAA. During his senior season he racked up 59 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles earning him the Lombardi Award for best lineman or linebacker, Bronko Nagurski Trophy for the best defensive player by the FWAA(Football Writers Association of America), Chuck Bednarik Award for the best defensive player by the Maxwell Football Club, and Outland Trophy for best interior lineman. Donald also showed that he’s a great athlete by putting up great numbers at the NFL Combine running a 4.68 40-yard dash with a 1.59 10-yard split, a 7.11 3-cone drill, benching 35 reps of 225 lbs, jumping for 32 inches in the vertical jump and 9 ft 8 in in the broad jump. Donald is a great athlete and a superb football player with the only real knock on him being that he is undersized for the position at 6 ft 3/4 in and 285 lbs. Overall, in my opinion, Donald is the second best defensive player in this draft behind Jadeveon Clowney and will make a significant impact at the next level in the NFL. He reminds of a healthy Tommie Harris that all Bears fans will remember fondly.

HaHa Clinton-Dix, FS, Alabama

Clinton-Dix is considered one of the top two premier safety prospects along with Calvin Pryor in this years draft. He didn’t have the great statistics or accolades that Aaron Donald did this last year but he showed that he has the ability to play at a high level among some of the best players in the country in the talent packed Southeastern Conference earning first team SEC and first team All-American. Clinton-Dix showed that he can play well in coverage and against the run. In coverage he shows good speed and a knack for reading quarterbacks and receivers. Against the run he takes sound angles and breaks down well to secure tackles. He measured 6’1 and 208 lbs and ran a 4.58 40-yard dash at the combine but it didn’t really tell us anything we didn’t already know about him. The positives are that he’s a good all around player that can make plays when aided by teammates. The concerns are that he’s a little too safe of a player that doesn’t show an aggressive side needed to make the impact plays to really turn the momentum of a game on it’s head and he has a slight injury history with a torn meniscus that required surgury this past year after the season. Overall he’s a solid player that does everything well but nothing great.

Calvin Pryor, FS, Louisville

Pryor is the other safety that is considered a surefire first rounder this year. His physical abilities are similar to Clinton-Dix’s but he plays a different type of game and is more of a gambler in the game. He measured 5 ft 11 3/8 inches, 207 lbs at the combine while running an identical 40-yard dash time of 4.58 seconds. He’s a little shorter leading to a slightly more compact build that helps with his style of play. Pryor is constantly aggressive in both coverage and in run support. He goes for the ball in the air and takes aggressive angles and really throws his body around in the box leading to big hits. The downside to his nature of play is that he will occasionally allow a big play due to his over aggressiveness. Pryor is a bit more versatile in the sense that he could play strong safety if a team needed him due to his style.

Possibilities:

Louis Nix III, NT, Notre Dame

Nix is another highly regarded defensive line prospect but is a nose tackle that carries a lot of weight while still having good short range explosion and the ability to handle and beat double teams. Nix is massive at 6 ft 2 3/8 inches and 331 lbs. His 40-yard dash time is nothing spectacular but his 10-yard split was solid at 1.85 second which was only slightly slower than Aaron Donald’s while carrying 46 more pounds on his frame which is impressive. While healthy Nix earned All-Independent in 2012 and was playing pretty well before a torn meniscus sidelined him after playing in 8 games this year compiling 27 tackles with 2 for a loss. He won’t put up crazy tackle or sack numbers but he’ll do his job which is to eat space and occupy lineman allowing his teammates to make plays easier. He makes an impact in a different way but it’s still a large one. The Bears haven’t been rumored to have shown any crazy amount of interest but did bring him in for a visit. He’s a possibility at 14 without being a reach.

C.J. Mosley, ILB, Alabama

Mosley is another great Alabama player that is expected to be a good contributor at the next level for teams. Mosley won the Butkus Award for best linebacker while compiling 108 tackles, 9 for a loss, 5 defended passes and 1 forced fumble. Mosley is considered the best inside linebacker prospect in this years class and the only one that received a first round grade at all. He’s expected to in the top 20 picks. Mosley contributes in both the run and the pass well and does all the little things correctly while maintaining an explosive nature in his play. He makes plays all over the field. His downfall is that he’s not huge for a linebacker coming in at 6 ft 2 inches and 234 pounds and has struggled with nagging injuries in the past. It’s a possibility he doesn’t even fall to the Bears at 14 but if he is there he’ll have to be in consideration.

Sleepers:

Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan

Lewan is a huge tackle prospect at 6 foot 7 inches and 309 pounds. Lewan won the Big Ten Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the years the past two seasons. Lewan is great in pass protection showing good agility and balance against end rushers. While being great in pass protection he has to get better against the run. He doesn’t have great lower body strength and has trouble anchoring against power rushers and doesn’t really play with a mean streak that you would expect from someone with his size. He has some personality issues due to 3 misdemeanor assault charges when he alleged assault 2 Ohio State fans on December 1st which may cause his stock to slide a bit but not too far. Considering his athleticism and pass protection abilities he’d be an immediate upgrade over Jordan Mills, who played well for a fifth round pick was not always on the top of his game.

Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina

Ebron is a highly athletic tight end that makes plays with his speed and hands that are second to none in this years class. He isn’t a Vernon Davis type super freak athlete but he is above average in all departments you would consider necessary for a tight end except for blocking. He will create mismatches on linebackers and safeties due to his size(6 ft 4 inches, 250 lbs) and his speed that will allow him to stretch the seam. He had great production(62 catches, 973 yards, 3 td’s) at North Carolina(Second Team All-American) and should make an immediate impact in the NFL catching passes. Tight End isn’t anything close to a need compared to the defensive side of the ball but I imagine that Ebron would garner consideration if Donald, Clinton-Dix, and Pryor are taken by the 14th pick and the Bears are unable to move back to get a defensive piece that they don’t want to reach for. Emery loves athletes and Ebron definitely is that and would make the powerful Bears offensive into even more of a juggernaut.