2021 NFL Mock Draft: Washington Football Team goes offense in Round 1

The Bears have a strong defense, and that’s the main reason that they were able to sneak into the playoffs as the NFC’s No. 7 seed. However, their offense needs some work.

Chicago has two areas that they need to improve: Quarterback and offensive line. Mitch Trubisky showed some signs of improvement last year, but he’s still too turnover-prone to count on. Meanwhile, Nick Foles is highly-paid, but he didn’t perform well last year either.

That said, the Bears are better positioned to target offensive line help at this point. The right side of their unit was weak last year as Germain Ifedi and Bobby Massie had their share of issues on that side of the ball. Massie is turning 32 this offseason and missed half the season with an injury while Ifedi, predictably, struggled at tackle after playing guard to start the year.

The Bears need to upgrade one, or both, of those spots. Alex Leatherwood will help them do just that. Leatherwood has a ton of college experience, playing in 47 games with 40 starts at the left tackle and right guard spots. He can play anywhere on the line and that versatility will be valuable for the Bears.

Leatherwood could either replace Ifedi as the starting right guard or push Massie for the right tackle job. Leatherwood has a massive 6-foot-6, 312-pound frame and is a mauling run blocker. That would be a huge benefit for a Chicago offense that figures to lean heavily on David Montgomery, and Leatherwood could add more muscle to his frame to truly be a bulldozer for the right side of the line.

Leatherwood just seems like a good fit for the Bears. Perhaps if Chicago likes Mac Jones enough, they could take him here, but Leatherwood is a safer option and would fill one of the team’s biggest remaining holes on the offensive side of the football.