Bears beef up defensive line in latest NFL.com mock draft

It’s officially NFL Draft season for most of the league, and the Chicago Bears are looking ahead to Pittsburgh and April with an eye on improving their defense.

They could go in any number of directions to fill big needs on that side of the ball, and the latest first-round mock draft from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein has them starting in the trenches.

Zierlein has the Bears spending the No. 25 overall pick on Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks:

“With Kevin Byard III, Jaquan Brisker and C.J. Gardner-Johnson all headed for free agency, Chicago figures to have a need at safety,” Zierlein acknowledges. “But the Bears also need to find a way to plug up the middle of their defensive front. Banks offers size, length and upside.”

Banks flashed playmaking ability often for the Gators, and impressed during last week’s Senior Bowl practices, showing off his impressive physical talent. His ability to make plays in the opposing backfield would be a welcome addition to a Chicago defensive line that didn’t do that enough last season.

The Bears won’t be able to fix every need on the roster with one draft class, but starting to reload the defensive trenches would be a great way to kick off this year’s group.