Tonight is the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft and the Bears hold the 8th pick. This is a GREAT draft to hold the 8th pick, especially since we don’t need a quarterback. The Mitch Trubisky era began last year after the Bears traded up to pick the QB with the 2nd overall pick of the draft. Now, the Bears’ agenda is to surround Trubisky with a team that puts him in the best opportunity to succeed. We have already made a splash in free agency by signing Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and Trey Burton. Those three along with Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen give the Bears offense some serious potential in the new Matt Nagy offense. Very, very exciting stuff folks.
I recapped the past few drafts and previewed last season’s draft HERE.
This week’s draft is a very important one for Ryan Pace and the future of the Chicago Bears. It is full of talent outside of the quarterback position and like I brought up earlier, those talented players will slide in the draft as teams reach on quarterbacks early in the draft. The Bears hold the 8th pick, and there are 4 quarterbacks expected to go in the top 7 picks. Then, Penn State running back Sequon Barkley is a lock to go top 5. That means that the best non-quarterbacks are going to start going around pick #6. That being said, here are the few players that should be the Bears radar:
Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame
A guard in the first round is the most un-sexy pick in the history of the NFL Draft but this guy is an absolute monster. Draft experts consider Nelson as the only guy who challenges Barkley as the best football player in the draft. People are talking him up to be the biggest home run in this draft and they already sent his jacket size to Canton. Here is a highlight tape of him just BODY BAGGING people during his tenure with Notre Dame. You only need to watch a few minutes to get the idea.
Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
Smith is one of the two best pass rushers in the draft. In a quarterback-heavy class, he wouldn’t get out of the top 5. He was a problem for offenses in college, including 13 tackles and a sack in the National Championship Game. He was a force and the focal point of offensive line game-planning all season. Adding a pass rushing threat like this would take more eyes off of former first round pick Leonard Floyd and frees up Floyd to be more of a presence. The pass rush will always keep your team in games, disrupt every good quarterback and is so much fun to watch. Having some badasses rushing the quarterback every play gives a fan so much confidence watching games. Here is a little Roquan porn before the draft.
Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State
A very physical and athletic corner would help bring the Monsters of the Midway back in no time. Ward’s monster hits at Ohio State will pump up any football fan with a pulse. They are the kinds of hits that get people on their feet and can send a message. Any sort of badass defensive player would make me feel good.
Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State
This might be the best case scenario for the Bears. The experts say that Chubb or Sequon Barkley would be a no doubt #1 overall pick in a draft without quarterbacks. Chubb is already physically ready for the NFL and could be an immediate factor in the pass rush this season. Like I said with Smith, adding Chubb and having a plus pass rush would be so much fun to watch. But as the draft has gone in recent years, like Aaron Donald in 2014 and Leonard Williams in 2015, Chubb will probably go to the Bucs at 7 and break my heart. Chubb going to the Bears is by far the biggest stretch of the four.
It seems like the Bears can’t miss in this draft. There are four legitimate players and only three spots before the Bears pick. Any of these four guys would make my night and get me HYPED for the 2018-19 season.
My power rankings of how much I want these guys is as follows:
- Chubb
- Nelson
- Smith
- Ward
My prediction:
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