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Will Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace use another top-10 pick on a wide receiver? The consensus -- so far -- from ESPN's draft analysts is a resounding yes.  ESPN's Todd McShay again linked the Bears to Calvin Ridley with the eighth overall pick in his 2018 NFL Mock Draft 2.0  .
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. also predicted that Chicago would take Ridley in the first round in his original 2018 NFL Mock Draft . Look, mock drafts are an inexact science -- especially prior to the all-important NFL scouting combine this month in Indianapolis -- but it's no secret the Bears are in a bad shape at wide receiver. Ridley (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) had 55 receptions for 896 yards and three touchdowns in the regular season and added two touchdowns in Alabama's playoff victories against Clemson and Georgia. He put up better numbers the previous two seasons -- he had a career-high 89 catches for 1,045 yards in 2015 and had 72 receptions for 769 yards and seven touchdowns in 2016. Last season, Kendall Wright (unrestricted free agent) led Chicago's wideouts with 59 receptions for 614 yards. The next closest receiver in terms of production: Joshua Bellamy, who caught 24 passes for 376 yards. No one knows how the final chapter of the Kevin White story will play out. White -- the seventh overall choice in 2015 -- has appeared in only five regular-season games since Pace drafted him. White has one year left on his original rookie deal and will earn $2,693,597 guaranteed in 2018. There's also concern about the health of Cameron Meredith, who had a breakout season in 2016 but tore multiple knee ligaments last preseason that landed him on injured reserve. Meredith said the day after the conclusion of the regular season that he intends to be ready for next summer's training camp, but there's no guarantee that happens. The Bears also have needs in their secondary. Alabama cornerback/safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (seventh to Tampa in McShay's latest mock) and Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward (ninth to San Francisco) are among the players who also make sense for the Bears to contemplate if they stay at No. 8. A lot can change between now and the draft -- free agency also shapes how a team approaches the draft -- but Chicago's shortage of viable options at wide receiver is glaring.
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