The Chicago Bears have resigned themselves to at least trying to make it work with quarterback Jay Cutler this season. If new head coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace hope to succeed - and with Cutler entering the second year of a seven year, $126 million contract, they definitely do - then the team will have to replace wide receiver Brandon Marshall.
Could that replacement be coming in the NFL Draft?
The Bears have been rumored to be interested in Alabama's Amari Cooper and West Virginia's Kevin White. However, there is no guarantee that either player will still be on the board when Chicago picks seventh overall. If that's the case, would the bears be interested in UCF wide receiver Breshad Perriman?
"Seems more of a project than Cooper, for example, but Perriman's upside is enticing," ESPN Bears reporter Jeff Dickerson wrote. "Would be ironic if the Bears replaced one former Central Florida wide receiver (Brandon Marshall) with another, but teams cannot ignore Perriman's size and top-end speed. The bears clearly have a need at receiver, and the preference is to find a taller pass-catcher to compliment Alshon Jeffery and work next to Eddie Royal in the slot. Perhaps Perriman might also come into play if the Bears trade the No. 7 pick and move back to the middle of the first round. Perriman's athleticism guarantees that he won't have to wait around too long to hear his name called on draft weekend in Chicago."
ESPN NFL Draft Insider Mel Kiper Jr. currently projects Perriman to be drafted tenth overall by the St. Louis Rams. Floow draft analyst Todd McShay has the Miami Dolphins selecting Perriman at No. 14.
Perriman caught 50 passes for 1,044 yards and nine touchdowns last season. His 4.24 speed jumps out at teams and it is believed that he could be the next DeSean Jackson. But is he a better pick than Cooper, White and Louisville's DeVante Parker? Probably not.