Not Everyone's Convinced It's Lineman for Bears

It's seemed for a while the best Bears draft option is a lineman on either side of the ball but not everyone thinks this.

Bears draft needs and available talent seem to meet up these days at some sort of line help.

Whether it's tackles Paris Johnson Jr. and Peter Skoronski, edge rusher Tyree Wilson, or even embattled defensive tackle Jalen Carter, the Bears have a need and there should be potential top-10 talent available when they pick at No. 9.

However, oddsmakers are less than convinced the Bears will turn their heads on at least one skill position player, if not a few more.

According to the on-line betting site Betonline.ag, the Bears are one of the favorites to draft Justin Fields' guy, Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Who they would have blocking for Fields while he's throwing to a receiver corps that includes DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool and Smith-Njigba isn't mentioned. Nor is where they would get all the footballs needed to get to that kind of a receiver room.

The odds on the Bears drafting Smith-Njigba are 5-1. Only the Houston Texans are viewed as being the team with shorter odds at 4-1. New England is third at 11-2.

Fields had said earlier in the offseason that he wouldn't mind seeing his former teammate at Ohio State drafted by the Bears when he made an appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast.

The other skill position player the Bears have a better chance at drafting, according to the odds, is TCU receiver Quentin Johnston at 14-1. They are 16-1 to draft running back Bijan Robinson, with Dallas being the favorite at 4-1. And they are 20-1 to draft Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker, with Minnesota the favorite.

The Bears are 150-1 to draft quarterback Anthony Richardson.

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