A beginner's guide to following the Chicago Bears in the NFL draft
A beginner's guide to following the Bears in the NFL draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The NFL draft is quickly approaching and it's arguably the most exciting checkpoint for the Chicago Bears in their current offseason.
Outside of the start of training camp, the NFL draft is the last major event circled on the calendars of general managers and front offices.
The Chicago Bears are building an intriguing storyline to this draft. And this year's draft is imperative to their ongoing rebuild. The Bears held the worst record in the NFL last season, but they've been building their way back up from the ground.
Let's start with the basics.
What, when, where, and how's of the draft?
What is the NFL draft? – The NFL draft is a three-day event consisting of seven rounds of chances for teams to select collegiate players to the NFL.
When is the NFL draft? – The NFL draft takes place Apr. 27-29 with Round 1 happening on the first day, Round 2-3 on the second day, and Round 4-7 taking place on the final day. Round 1 starts at 8 p.m. EST, Round 2 is at 7 p.m. EST, and Round 3 at 12 p.m. EST.
Where is the NFL draft? – Union Station in Kansas City, Mo.
How can I watch the NFL draft? – The NFL draft will air on television via ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network for English-language coverage and ESPN Deportes for Spanish-language coverage.
What picks do the Bears have?
Round 1, Pick 9 (from CAR)
Round 2, Pick 53 (from BAL)
Round 2, Pick 61 (from CAR)
Round 3, Pick 64
Round 4, Pick 103
Round 4, Pick 133 (from PHI)
Round 5, Pick 136
Round 5, Pick 148 (from NE)
Round 7, Pick 218
Round 7, Pick 258 (Compensatory pick)
The Bears have a slew of picks in this year's draft. The teams in parathesis indicate who the Bears acquired that specific pick from. In all the cases above, the Bears acquired picks outside of their own via trades with other teams.
There are 32 picks per round, with some exceptions to that, like the Miami Dolphins being stripped of their first-round pick by the NFL for tampering.
Who are the Bears likely to pick first?
The Bears have plenty of needs on their roster – as you can imagine looking at their record for last season.
Luckily, however, they have no imminent need for a quarterback at this time because of Justin Fields. Quarterbacks are highly coveted in the draft, as it is football's most important position.
For the Bears, they are free to fix other areas of their roster. In short, the safe, assumptious route the Bears are probable to take is by addressing either the offensive or defensive line. Both proved perilous for the team last year and need immediate enhancements.
Some prognosticate the Bears could select the best position outside of quarterback, offensive line or defensive line. They could aim for the best wide receiver, cornerback or running back at their position.
How much do the rookies get paid?
The NFL rookie wage scale allocates a certain salary to each player depending on where in the draft they are selected. Each team also needs a certain cap space to participate; that's calculated by multiplying the number of picks they have by $750,000.
Here's a chart showing the projected dollar figure each pick for each team will make.
For the Bears, the projection has their first pick making over $7 million, the next around $1.8 million, the third ~$1 million, and so on and so forth.
Do all rookies make the team?
No, not all rookies make the team, or choose to join the team (technically). Even though a player is drafted, he is not technically bound to that team until inking his contract.
The team can choose to cut that player, and the rookie – in rare cases – can back out of their contract. Last summer, negotiations on guaranteed money for Bears safety Jaquan Brisker's contract lasted deep into the summer.
They got it done in the end, but it was a similar situation to that of Joey Bosa, who held out of his rookie contract deal with the San Diego Chargers.
