Chicago Bears: Drafting Quenton Nelson would be a mistake

Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson may be a future Pro Bowler, but he would be a disappointing selection for the Chicago Bears in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Notre Dame offensive guard Quenton Nelson has been a popular selection for the Chicago Bears on mock drafts. It’s pretty simple to understand why — the Bears hired Harry Hiestand away from Notre Dame to be their offensive line coach. Moreover, Josh Sitton was just let go, creating a major hole on the offensive line. Nelson is seen as a “can’t miss” prospect, and may draft pundits see the 6-5 guard as being a potential Pro Bowler.

The Bears (once again) have a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft. When a team is picking that high, they usually are looking for two kinds of players — those who can score touchdowns and those who can prevent touchdowns. A guard, regardless of how good he is, can’t do either.

The premier offensive line position is left tackle, so it’s understandable why teams often draft them high. It’s hard to find quality offensive tackles late in the draft, so teams are forced to use a high pick on them. However, finding Pro Bowl-quality guards in the later rounds is not so hard. For example, 2017 Pro Bowlers Trai Turner and Brandon Brooks were both third-round picks, and Sitton himself was a fourth-round selection in 2008.

Since 2013, only three guards have been selected in the top 10 of the draft — Brandon Scherff (2015, fifth overall), Jonathan Cooper (2013, seventh overall), and Chance Warmack (2013, 10th overall). Scherff has made the Pro Bowl twice, yet Cooper and Warmack are widely considered to be busts.

There are several other guards the Bears could draft in the later rounds. Isaiah Wynn (Georgia), Will Hernandez (UTEP) and Braden Smith (Auburn) are all Day 1 starters for an NFL team, and all three could be available when the Bears select 39th overall in the second-round. Nelson is going to be a good player, but it would be a bad pick for the Bears at eighth overall. Let some other team reach for a player who plays a position that’s relatively easy to find a quality starter.

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This hopefully will be the last time in a while that the Bears draft this high, so this pick needs to be a difference maker. Drafting a premium position (defensive back, pass rusher, or wide receiver) would be a much wiser choice than drafting a guard, which in many people’s eyes, is a luxury pick.