A utilitarian player or a flashy player? Many teams will face that question in the NFL Draft. In our writers mock draft, the Bears faced that quandary with the No. 41 overall pick in the draft. Lester Wiltfong Jr. of Windy City Gridiron is here to make the decision.
41. Bears: Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama
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Wiltfong: The plan was to snag a defensive lineman after going corner in Round 1, but the board didn’t cooperate. With Jarran Reed, Vernon Butler, Robert Nkemdiche, Sheldon Rankins and Emmanuel Ogbah all gone, I didn’t see as much value or a scheme fit in taking the next guy on most boards, UCLA’s Kenny Clark. While I think Clark is going to be a good player, he doesn’t have the length I’d like for a 5-tech DE in the Bears system. The same goes for Baylor’s Andrew Billings.
In taking a guy like Henry, the Bears would have their 1-2 punch at running back. The power of Henry would be a great complement to the shiftiness of Jeremy Langford. The Bears seem to be looking at a few fullbacks this offseason, and new offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains used a fullback when he called plays in Tennessee, so lining Henry up behind a hammer at FB would give him the extra tick to get his 6’3, 247-pound frame up to speed. He does have a lot of miles on his tread, but the Bears wouldn’t expect him to be the bell cow, and in tandem he would be fresher and more effective pounding away at a defense.
Analysis: Part of me wants to hate this since I went with Clark to the Bears in the second round of my most recent mock draft. But I can't fault the pick of Henry too much. He's the draft's second-best running back, has solid value in this range and he could really bolster Chicago's offense. A player like Henry, paired with Langford, would take some of the onus off Jay Cutler, which would balance the offense better.
Dan's Top 5 players remaining
- 20. Jaylon Smith, LB, Notre Dame
- 33. Vonn Bell, S, Ohio State
- 40. Sterling Shepard, WR, Oklahoma
- 41. Joshua Perry, OLB, Ohio State
- 42. Kenny Clark, DT, UCLA
Bears picks
- 1-11: Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida
- 2-41: Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama
We're two picks down for the day, with the third and final selection coming from The Phinsider making the pick for the Miami Dolphins.
Complete draft results:
First round
1. Tennessee Titans - Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss (Link)
2. Cleveland Browns - Jared Goff, QB, Cal (Link)
3. San Diego Chargers - Jalen Ramsey, DB, Florida State (Link)
4. Dallas Cowboys - Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State (Link)
5. Jacksonville Jaguars - Myles Jack, LB, UCLA (Link)
6. Baltimore Ravens - Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State (Link)
7. San Francisco 49ers - DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon (Link)
8. Philadelphia Eagles - Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State (Link)
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Noah Spence, DE, Eastern Kentucky (Link)
10. New York Giants - Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame (Link)
11. Chicago Bears - Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida (Link)
12. New Orleans Saints - A'Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama (Link)
13. Miami Dolphins - Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State (Link)
14. Oakland Raiders - Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State (Link)
15. Los Angeles Rams - Mackensie Alexander, CB, Clemson (Link)
16. Detroit Lions - Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State (Link)
17. Atlanta Falcons - Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson (Link)
18. Indianapolis Colts - Ryan Kelly, C, Alabama (Link)
19. Buffalo Bills - Reggie Ragland, MLB, Alabama (Link)
20. New York Jets - Darron Lee, LB, Ohio State (Link)
21. Washington - Andrew Billings, DT, Baylor (Link)
22. Houston Texans - Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor (Link)
23. Minnesota Vikings - Josh Doctson, WR, TCU (Link)
24. Cincinnati Bengals - Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss (Link)
25. Pittsburgh Steelers - William Jackson, CB, Houston (Link)
26. Seattle Seahawks - Jonathan Bullard, DL, Florida (Link)
27. Green Bay Packers - Jarran Reed, DT, Alabama (Link)
28. Kansas City Chiefs - Vernon Butler, DT, Louisiana Tech (Link)
29. Arizona Cardinals - Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Ole Miss (Link)
30. Carolina Panthers - Kevin Dodd, DE, Clemson (Link)
31. Denver Broncos - Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis (Link)
Second round
32. Cleveland Browns - Michael Thomas, WR, Ohio State (Link)
33. Tennessee Titans - Chris Jones, DT, Mississippi State (Link)
34. Dallas Cowboys - Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville (Link)
35. San Diego Chargers- Cody Whitehair, G, Kansas State (Link)
36. Baltimore Ravens - Kendall Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech (Link)
37. San Francisco 49ers - Jason Spriggs, OT, Indiana (Link)
38. Jacksonville Jaguars - Leonard Floyd, OLB, Georgia (Link)
39. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Emmanuel Ogbah, DE, Oklahoma State (Link)
40. New York Giants - Karl Joseph, S, West Virginia