NFL Chicago Bears

2015 NFL Draft: Pick By Pick Mock With Chicago Bears At No. 11

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By @rickstavig

Shane Ray, NFL Draft

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The pick-by-pick mock of the 2015 NFL Draft continues and the top ten picks are in the books.

A quick update of the picks so far: Leonard Williams (DE/DT, Southern Cal) was picked first by the Oakland Raiders; Marcus Mariota (QB, Oregon) was picked second by the New York Jets; Cedric Ogbuehi (OT, Texas A&M) was picked third by the Jacksonville Jaguars; Amari Cooper (WR, Alabama) was picked fourth by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Jameis Winston (QB, FSU) was picked fifth by the St. Louis Rams; Randy Gregory (DE/OLB, Nebraska) was picked sixth by the Tennessee Titans; Vic Beasley (OLB, Clemson) was picked seventh by the Atlanta Falcons; Shawn Oakman (DE, Baylor) was taken eighth by the Washington Redskins; the Minnesota Vikings took Andrus Peat (OT, Stanford) ninth and the Carolina Panthers took Brandon Scherff (OT, Iowa) tenth.

Who do the Chicago Bears take at no. 11?

Shane Ray, DE/OLB, Missouri.

The Bears will very likely address their defense for the second year in a row after taking CB Kyle Fuller in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, who’s played very well so far. While they could still use help in the secondary, no. 11 may still be a little too early for guys like Landon Collins (S, Alabama) and Trae Waynes (CB, Michigan State). This leads us to Ray.

Ray is an unbelievably gifted athlete with an elite skill set. Checking in at 6-foot 3, 245-pounds, Ray has been clocked at 4.44 40 to go along with a 40-inch vertical and a 10-foot broad. Clearly the guy has remarkable explosion, which he takes advantage of. He’s absolutely erupted this year, notching 10 sacks in the first seven games of the season and jumping to the top of nearly every award and All-American watch list.

Ray is a mature pass rusher with a nice arsenal of moves, and has good awareness of reading linemen and knowing how to get past him. He has quick and violent hands and reacts to the ball well. He’s got the lateral quickness and range to play sideline-to-sideline and has a seemingly never-ending motor. He’s a tough, blue-collar kind of guy who would fit in well with the M.O. of the Bears.

The Bears could also play him in a few positions. Willie Young has been terrific this year but opposite of him there hasn’t been much production with Jared Allen struggling to stay on the field, and he’s 32 and not getting younger. Lamarr Houston, fresh off tearing his ACL while celebrating a sack in a blowout loss, hasn’t been a good fit outside in the Bears scheme and should be inside, where 6-foot 3, 300-pound guys belong. Ray could play DE opposite Young, allowing the Bears to save a ton of money by cutting Allen, but he could also play OLB in a similar way the Denver Broncos use Von Miller.

OLB Lance Briggs is still serviceable at 33, but Shea McClellin on the other side just isn’t getting it done and is nearing the end of his contract. Ray has the speed, awareness and lateral quickness to play OLB in a 43 while also playing with his hand down on nickel and dime packages.

Rick Stavig is an NFL Draft Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickstavig or add him to your network on Google+.

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