25. Chicago Bears: Keldric Faulk, DL, Auburn
Keldric Faulk is another prospect right now whose stock and status are sort if in a state of flux. For the majority of the past year, Faulk has been projected as a likely top-10 pick. And while NFL teams value versatility, it's possible that his "tweener" status could drop him down the board a bit. And I don't think the Chicago Bears would be complaining about that.
The Bears have every reason to attack the defensive line early and often this offseason, similar to the way they attacked the offensive line last year. If you can raise the level of talent in the trenches on either side of the ball, you raise the floor of your entire team. Getting a versatile player like Faulk would be addressing a top need and getting good value in the process.
26. Buffalo Bills: Dillon Thieneman, SAF, Oregon
Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman is officially back in our first-round mock draft projections, and it just feels right. Thieneman was a tarnsfer to Oregon this past year who was expected to establish himself as a top-32 overall pick, and it's fair to say he did his part on the field to make that happen.
What we see so much of in today's NFL is a desire for defensive coordinators to have players on the back end who can be trusted with a wide variety of responsibilities. Thieneman will likely be someone that new Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard loves for his ability to play all over the formation with a great combination of range and instincts.