2018 NFL Draft: Chicago Bears 7-round mock draft in early December
Round 1, Pick 6: Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU
I understand that Ryan Pace likes to work secretly when it comes to his picks. The Trubisky pick was surprising, as was the Leonard Floyd from the season before. This is a no-brainer, however. Saying the Bears are in desperate need at wide receiver is like saying there’s some water in the Atlantic Ocean. Yes, using some out-of-the-box thinking helps, but sometimes the best move is the most obvious.
The Bears need help at wide receiver. Courtland Sutton provides that help. While some report that the team is “all in” on Alabama’s Calvin Ridley (remember Pace’s secrecy), I feel Sutton helps more. At 6-4 and 215 pounds, he provides a matchup nightmare for defenders.
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The Bears need to move the ball and score touchdowns. Well, Sutton has back-to-back 1,000+ yard seasons. In addition, he has 25 touchdowns in the past two seasons. Also, keep this in mind — he’s done this while getting double or tripled teamed all season.
This season, Bears wide receivers had a difficult time getting open. Having a defender all over you prevents you from making the catch. With Sutton’s size and strong hands, he can certainly out jump anyone and hold onto the ball. He draws comparisons to Julio Jones. While he may not be as good as Jones coming out of college (he has nowhere the speed of Jones), I feel he’ll do wonders with the Bears. Think of a Brandon Marshall type of receiver without the baggage.
Additionally, Sutton is a good blocker. He’ll take his defender downfield and easily get him out of the picture. That really helps running backs Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen. They’ll have more space and get bigger runs.
At times, Sutton plays too finesse of a game. He has the physical tools to abuse cornerbacks consistently and needs to do so. While people look at Ridley as their man, I feel the better pick is Courtland Sutton.