Biggs Mock Draft; Whose Coming To Chicago @ #8?.............

Ah.....you did.

I also kind it interesting that they would pass on Edmunds for Smith.  Even though Smith might rate slightly ahead of him now Edmunds seems to be the better fit since he could play ILB now while they develop him a bit to see if he can fit at OLB.

But this is what I meant about players rising and falling.  Will the Bears or others become more concerned about Edmunds as the draft nears?  Will a team overdraft Davenport or Landry?  Will the Broncos take Fitz or Ward in place of Allen?

This is the pre-draft rumor period I tend to enjoy most.  Team are tossing out smoke screens thicker than a WW II Destroyer and some one is always looking to finagle a trade up or down.

Smith is a bit of surprise if only because the rest of the media sees Nelson or Edmunds but I've felt all along that Smith is a viable pick as well.  He's now very similar in size to Danny Trevathan when Trevathan was drafted and to his size now.

www.nfl.com/draft/2018/profiles/roquan-smith?id=2559899

www.nfl.com/draft/2011/profiles/danny-trevathan?id=2532961

It's tough to find much of anything wrong with this pick either.  He's been a top athlete, recruit, and player ever since HS and he's added 15-20lbs since leaving Georgia and still ran a 4.5/40 at the combine.  At 236lbs he's really no smaller than Trevathan or Freeman both of whom played extremely well in this defense and he may be a bit less of a gamble than Edmunds if we planned to convert him to an OLB.   I'd add him to my list and be happy to get him if we decide he's it.

LB
ROQUAN SMITH
Georgia SEC
Combine Results
Grade/6.62
40 time/ 4.51 SEC
Top Performer

Blue Star = Combine Top Performer

More Draft
Video

6'1"
Height
32"
Arm Length
236LBS.
Weight
10"
Hands

Overview

One of the top high school recruits in the country (top 30 overall, second-ranked linebacker), Smith stayed in his home state of Georgia to play football after being named the Class AA Defensive Player of the Year by the Atlanta Journal-Sentinel as a senior. He played as a reserve his true freshman season (20 tackles, four for loss) before becoming a defensive leader in 2016. Smith played in all 13 games, starting 10, and leading the Bulldogs with 95 tackles (five for loss, one pass breakup).

Analysis

Strengths: Former high school wideout with elite athletic ability. Speed demon who walks down backs looking to race him to the corner. Fluid and explosive in space. Block-slipper. Praised by his head coach as being a "tremendous leader" who holds himself accountable. Has instincts and football intelligence. Laser-sharp focus to finds the football when sifting through zone reads and jet sweeps. Plays with discipline. Senses when running backs are prepping for screen and fires downhill to stop it. Face-up tackler who sticks his nose in noise. Rare stop-start and change of direction talent. Flips pursuit from one target to the next seamlessly. Gets early bail into coverage against play-fake. Able to mirror and match against the most athletic running backs in coverage. Gets early jumps to join crossing routes and has the speed to carry them across the field. Searches out and squeezes receivers when playing zone.

Weaknesses: Is a little undersized. Has to stay one step ahead of the blocking scheme or he can be engulfed by size. Will need to diagnose and trigger just a hair faster on the next level. Occasionally comes in hot rather than breaking down in space as a tackler. Will need more schooling on hand work when taking on blocks. Needs to do a better job of recognizing oncoming blocker in his periphery. Gets touched up by second level traffic and needs to continue to improve finding more efficient routes to the ball.

Draft Projection: Round 1

Sources Tell Us: "Great player. Really fun to watch because he can get to just about any play on the field and he's only going to get better. You would love to play him inside but he may have to slide to WILL." -- AFC team personnel director

NFL Comparison: Deion Jones  (or Ryan Shazier IMHO)

Bottom Line: Smith is an ascending linebacker prospect with elite athletic ability, plus intelligence and an ability to be an effective cover linebacker on passing downs. While he's a little undersized, he does have the quickness and speed to keep himself from being mauled. He was good in 2016, but great in 2017 and projects as a player who hasn't tapped his full potential. Smith has Pro Bowl traits and talent and will come off the board in the first round.

-Lance Zierlein