Kiper predicts Bears will draft LSU defensive end Jackson
LAKE FOREST, Ill. – In his first mock draft released this week, ESPN.com’s Mel Kiper predicts that the Bears will select LSU defensive end Tyson Jackson with the 18th pick in the first round.
Kiper projects that two quarterbacks will be among the top three choices with the Lions choosing Georgia’s Matthew Stafford at No. 1 and the Chiefs picking USC’s Mark Sanchez at No. 3.
Kiper predicts that three wide receivers will be taken before the Bears go on the clock: Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree fourth to the Seahawks, Missouri’s Jeremy Maclin seventh to the Raiders and Florida’s Percy Harvin 17th to the Jets.
Other notables in Kiper’s mock draft include Baylor tackle Jason Smith sixth to the Bengals, Virginia tackle Eugene Monroe eighth to the Jaguars, Illinois cornerback Vontae Davis 14th to the Saints and Florida defensive end Everette Brown 15th to the Texans.
Among the players still on the board at No. 18 in Kiper’s mock draft are Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman, Ohio State running back Beanie Wells, Northern Illinois defensive end Larry English and Maryland wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey.
In his first mock draft a year ago, Kiper projected that the Bears would select USC offensive tackle Sam Baker with the 14th pick. In his second mock draft released on March 10, Kiper correctly predicted that the Bears would choose Vanderbilt tackle Chris Williams in that spot.
