LAKE FOREST, Ill. – It’s never too early to think about the draft.
The Bears (5-8) require upgrades at multiple positions next year, including at defensive end, where starters Jarvis Jenkins and Mitch Unrein are playing on one-year deals.
So, it comes as no surprise that ESPN NFL draft analyst Todd McShay projects the Bears grabbing Oregon senior defensive end DeForest Buckner 12th overall in McShay’s first 2016 mock draft, released Wednesday.
At 6-foot-7 and 300 pounds, Buckner is the 2015 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, finishing the regular season with 9.