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Emma: DeForest Buckner To The Bears? Here's How It Could Happen

By Chris Emma--

(CBS) Come draft day, the unexpected becomes the expected. Toss those mock drafts in the trash, because anything can happen.

NFL teams are prepared for any and every scenario that could unfold, building their draft boards with considerable detail. The front office executives have scoured countless details in their scouting endeavors, wondering which scenarios will play out. There's one in particular that surely comes to mind for Bears general manager Ryan Pace.

If Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner is on the board, the Bears are almost certain to jump at that chance. Believe it or not, it's possible.

Through each step of free agency, the Bears' draft priorities have adjusted. Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman take the position of inside linebacker off the priority list for the first round, while Akiem Hicks adds a disruptive defensive presence at end and Bobby Massie brings stability to the offensive line at tackle and will allow Kyle Long to move back to right guard.

When the Bears are on the clock at No. 11 overall, they will have plenty of options at hand. Finding another outside linebacker to line up opposite Pernell McPhee would make a huge difference, as would adding to the defensive line. Notre Dame's Ronnie Stanley and Michigan State's Jack Conklin are two tackles to watch, and Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott would be hard to pass on.

But Buckner's name stands out.

He's a 6-foot-7, 291-pound specimen who can blow up a backfield. Buckner considers himself an interior rusher with the skill to get around the edge, and he feels he could fit in Vic Fangio's 3-4 defense.

"To be honest, I feel like I can play in any system," Buckner said.

The Bears' DeForest dream requires two quarterbacks to go in the first 10 picks. The Browns are expected to be taking either Jared Goff or Carson Wentz at No. 2, and then the 49ers could select a quarterback too at No. 7. Next comes the hope that the New York Giants could fall in love with Laquon Treadwell at No. 10, jumping on a position that Chicago doesn't need in the first round. And perhaps the rising stock of Darron Lee -- no longer a fit for the Bears -- could jump the Ohio State linebacker into the top 10.

Those are key wild cards that can pay off for the Bears in a big way, allowing them to get a difference-making defensive lineman after they missed out by one pick on Aaron Donald in 2014 and Leonard Williams in 2015.

I believe that Buckner's a top-five talent, and yet there's the scenario in which he falls to the Bears. Names like Goff, Wentz, Lee and Treadwell being taken before No. 11 would allow Pace to pounce on one of his higher priorities.

Chicago would do well to get a defensive end in Clemson's Shaq Lawson or Kevin Dodd or a defensive tackle in the form of Alabama's A'Shawn Robinson or Jarran Reed, but Buckner's a prize in this defensive line class. Adding him to Hicks and Eddie Goldman would make the Bears' defensive line a big strength and secure a quality front seven for Fangio's defense.

If you believe the mock drafts, Buckner falling to the Bears doesn't seem like a strong possibility, but history has proved that plenty can happen in the span of 10 picks.

At the very least, the Bears can hold out hope for Buckner to be on the board come pick No. 11 in April.

Chris Emma covers the Chicago sports scene and more for CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 and like his Facebook page.

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