Of course, the 2019 season was a step back and disappointment for Bears fans. To go from a 12-4 NFC North Division title to 8-8 was a letdown of epic proportions. Which made the 2020 NFL Draft an opportunity for Chicago to reclaim faith and trust of fans. Overall, the Bears got a mixed grade for their 2020 draft class. Fashion that some NFL scouts even panned it. Handicappers didn’t seem to have many opinions either way. Chicago’s NFL betting futures didn’t change much post-draft. Let’s now take a look at the Bears 2020 draft class highlights.
2020 Chicago Bears NFL Futures Odds and Draft
Date: NFL Season Opens on September 10, 2020
2020 Chicago Bears Futures Odds: +6000 to win Super Bowl LV, +2850 to win the NFC, +385 to win the NFC North, over under win total 8.5 +128 over, -155 under
Chicago Bears 2020 NFL Draft Overview
The Bears didn’t have a first-round pick for the 2020 NFL Draft due to the Khalil mack trade. So they had to rely on the second-round to find playmakers. Second round picks Cole Kmet and Jaylon Johnson provide immediate help. From there the rest of the picks received lukewarm reactions from betting sites for NFL.
Owing to the lack of early picks is much of what that perception is based upon. Chicago had one of the top-heavier drafts of any NFL team in 2020.
Second Round (Pick 43) TE Cole Kmet – Notre Dame
Above all Kmet addresses one of the biggest needs on the Bears. Tight end was perhaps the most unproductive position on the entire team in 2019. Overall Kmet arrives as the consensus top-ranked tight end of the 2020 NFL Draft. At Notre Dame he had only 60 career catches for 691 yards and six touchdowns. Coach Brian Kelly’s Notre Dame offense simply didn’t emphasize a lot of throw to the tight end. Subsequently, NFL scouts saw Kmet’s raw natural ability and based ratings on that instead. Kmet is seen as the ultimate prototypical tight end.
As a result of Kmet’s arrival, tight end is now considered a strength. Head coach Matt Nagy is a renowned offensive mind. Kmet could free up other Bears tight ends compared to last year. Nagy may even utilize some three tight end looks with such an asset as Kmet.
Second Round (Pick 50) CB Jaylon Johnson – Utah
Yet another position on the Bears requiring immediate attention was cornerback. Johnson’s value will be matched with the tactics of defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano. That is because Pagano likes to bring extra pressure against quarterbacks. Correspondingly this puts added responsibility on defensive backs. Without good corners, Pagano can’t dial up blitzes the way he wants to. Johnson does much to solve the dilemma. In the same way, his physical style of play and pass coverage ability fit perfectly in Chicago. Johnson was a second-team All-American cornerback at Utah in 2019.
Fifth Round (Pick 155) DE-OLB Trevis Gipson – Tulsa
Chicago made a trade with division rival Minnesota in order to get positioned to draft Gipson. Last year Gipson caught eyes with 15 tackles for loss and eight sacks at Tulsa. As was mentioned earlier defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano loves to bring the heat. Gipson fills that bill potentially well. With his build, Gipson will provide some depth behind Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn.
Fifth Round (Pick 163) CB – Kindle Vildor – Georgia Southern
Given the Bears draft emphasis on defense Pagano has to be a happy man. Vildor is another respected cornerback prospect like Jaylon Johnson. However, Vildor is seen as more of a project than Johnson. More emphatically Vildor is likely to see mostly special team duty at first.
Seventh round picks
The Bears opted to go with two offensive linemen with their seventh-round picks selecting Arlington Hambright (No. 226) and Lachavious Simmons (No. 227)
The Big Question
Compared to one year ago when Chicago was a Super Bowl betting favorite are increased doubts. Subsequently, some gamblers see the Bears as a value stock that should bounce back. On the whole the 2020 NFL Draft did less harm rather than better for Chicago.
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