Post by jusnixx on Apr 8, 2018 15:53:47 GMT -6
Chicago Bears: Fans choose linebacker favorites for no. 8 pick
DA WINDY CITY 8h
By Ryan Heckman
Tremaine Edmunds Chicago Bears
(Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
Fans everywhere have their opinions on who their beloved Chicago Bears should draft at no. 8. Given only linebackers as choices, here’s how they polled.
Going into the 2018 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears will look to address the linebacker positions. Out of all possible spots to address, this is the most likely.
In the first round, the Bears could go a few different ways. If not linebacker or edge rusher, many have Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson pegged as a favorite for Chicago to snag. Some even think the Bears should try and get Minkah Fitzpatrick if he were to fall, although the Bears addressed cornerback by bringing back their own starters from a year ago.
I think out of all possible scenarios, fans would like to see a linebacker taken at no. 8 overall in the first round. It is one of their most glaring needs after free agency, and shoring up the second level of the defense would make a lot of fans happy.
With that said, which direction will they go? Will they decide to address the middle and pair someone up with Danny Trevathan? Or, will they decide to solidify the position opposite Leonard Floyd and give the Bears another pass rusher?
In either scenario, Chicago will have some great options at no. 8. The more research I do, the more I like several players at that pick. It will be hard for Ryan Pace to disappoint if he takes one of the following four linebackers, but fans definitely have their favorite.
Here at Da Windy City, we polled Bears fans via Twitter and asked them who they would most like to see selected in the first round, if it were to come down to a linebacker or edge rusher. In reverse order, here are the results from our poll and ultimately who the majority of fans would like to see in a Bears uniform.
Marcus Davenport, University of Texas San Antonio (6% of votes)
Marcus Davenport is one of the guys rising up draft boards over the course of the pre-draft process. Coming from a smaller school in the University of Texas San Antonio, Davenport has had to prove he belongs with other top prospects who played for larger programs.
Thus far, he has done just that.
Davenport is a physical specimen. He is an athletic edge rusher who poses one heck of a height advantage at 6-foot-6. Some even have him listed at 6-foot-7. Davenport weighs about 265 pounds, giving him some room to add weight. Without a doubt, that’s something NFL coaches will want to see from him initially.
But, the natural ability to rush the passer is there. He is quick off the ball and plays with a lot of hip-driven force. Though he needs to add additional weight, he still plays strong and uses leverage to win individual battles.
Davenport would be a fun player to see playing alongside Floyd. He would give Vic Fangio a second guy off the edge who is quick and athletic to get to the quarterback. Davenport’s height advantage cannot be overstated, either, giving him a much easier ability to bat down balls at the line of scrimmage.
Although he only finished with 6% of the fan vote, I would not be disappointed to see him in Chicago come draft day.
Tremaine Edmunds, Virginia Tech (17% of votes)
From the beginning of the offseason, Tremaine Edmunds had been one of the overall fan favorites for the Bears at no. 8. The Virginia Tech prospect has been compared to Bears legend Brian Urlacher on many occasions.
Edmunds is someone I would love to see Fangio put in the middle, next to Trevathan. He would give the Bears a dynamic playmaker who can get from sideline to sideline in a hurry. On occasions, he has shown he can rush the passer, but he belongs in the middle according to most experts.
I love watching tape on Edmunds, especially against the run. He is quick to identify the run and even quicker getting to the ball. His footwork is tremendous and is one of the main reasons he is knowns as a “fast twitch” player. Edmunds is one of the best reactors at the position in his class.
Some scouting reports say he is not as quick to diagnose as he should be, but watching the tape, I tend to disagree. Is he a little raw in that area? Sure, but the potential for him to be where he should be is obviously there. It will not take long for him to get to that elite point he needs to be at, especially under a guy like Fangio.
Harold Landry, Boston College (19% of votes)
If you are looking for some of those names that continues to rise and rise, the closer we get to the draft, Harold Landry is absolutely at the top of the list. Just one month ago, the debate seemed to be settled here and Edmunds was the clear-cut fan choice among the majority of fans.
Now, in the post-combine process filled with pro days and interviews, Landry has skyrocketed in terms of his draft stock — and for good reason. I’m not sure what took so long for people to realize just how good he is.
He might be viewed only as a defensive end in a 4-3 scheme, but his ability to get around offensive tackles and other opposing blockers in a hurry makes him a fit in the Bears’ 3-4 scheme. He isn’t as big as you’d like to see, at just 6-foot-3, but again, his knack for working his way around blockers is up there with the best in his class.
I have said this before, and I’ll say it again: The lowest man wins. It’s something I was told all of my high school football career and something that linemen are continuously told throughout their college and professional careers. Landry plays with this mindset on every single down.
Like many positions in football, your lower body strength and the ability to get leverage on an opposing player is absolutely everything. Landry, once again, understands this and has it down to a science. For those players who aren’t exactly the ideal size, this technique is rule number one. Landry gets it.
To have someone off the edge like Landry would give the Bears a relentless pass rusher. Again, he gets knocked for his size, but the man is a natural-born pass rusher who I would not be disappointed in seeing at Soldier Field on Sundays.
Roquan Smith, Georgia (58% of votes)
Yes, of course, Roquan Smith is the clear-cut favorite at this point, given all options outside of Bradley Chubb. While I love the idea of any of the previous three players in a Bears uniform, Smith gets me the most excited — the fans got it right.
Some people have Smith pegged as an outside linebacker; others at inside linebacker. Regardless, he’s one heck of a prospect. Smith is incredibly fast. As a former high school wide receiver, Smith’s transition to linebacker has been surprisingly smooth since then. The one thing that hasn’t escaped him is his speed.
Smith is probably the best coverage linebacker in the draft, which is a rare skill to have these days as so many college linebackers are focused on getting to the quarterback and diagnosing the run. One expert compared Smith to Ray Lewis, saying he was just that good in coverage.
The ability to read a quarterback’s eyes is something every defensive back longs to bring to perfection. Smith can do that as a linebacker, giving him the chance to make plays against the pass quite often.
Not only is Smith great in coverage, but he is also solid against the run. He has a nose for the ball, regardless of what type of play is called. Every once and a while, you come across a player who is always found around the ball at the last whistle blow — that’s Smith. His lives and dies to find the football — that’s it.
DA WINDY CITY 8h
By Ryan Heckman
Tremaine Edmunds Chicago Bears
(Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
Fans everywhere have their opinions on who their beloved Chicago Bears should draft at no. 8. Given only linebackers as choices, here’s how they polled.
Going into the 2018 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears will look to address the linebacker positions. Out of all possible spots to address, this is the most likely.
In the first round, the Bears could go a few different ways. If not linebacker or edge rusher, many have Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson pegged as a favorite for Chicago to snag. Some even think the Bears should try and get Minkah Fitzpatrick if he were to fall, although the Bears addressed cornerback by bringing back their own starters from a year ago.
I think out of all possible scenarios, fans would like to see a linebacker taken at no. 8 overall in the first round. It is one of their most glaring needs after free agency, and shoring up the second level of the defense would make a lot of fans happy.
With that said, which direction will they go? Will they decide to address the middle and pair someone up with Danny Trevathan? Or, will they decide to solidify the position opposite Leonard Floyd and give the Bears another pass rusher?
In either scenario, Chicago will have some great options at no. 8. The more research I do, the more I like several players at that pick. It will be hard for Ryan Pace to disappoint if he takes one of the following four linebackers, but fans definitely have their favorite.
Here at Da Windy City, we polled Bears fans via Twitter and asked them who they would most like to see selected in the first round, if it were to come down to a linebacker or edge rusher. In reverse order, here are the results from our poll and ultimately who the majority of fans would like to see in a Bears uniform.
Marcus Davenport, University of Texas San Antonio (6% of votes)
Marcus Davenport is one of the guys rising up draft boards over the course of the pre-draft process. Coming from a smaller school in the University of Texas San Antonio, Davenport has had to prove he belongs with other top prospects who played for larger programs.
Thus far, he has done just that.
Davenport is a physical specimen. He is an athletic edge rusher who poses one heck of a height advantage at 6-foot-6. Some even have him listed at 6-foot-7. Davenport weighs about 265 pounds, giving him some room to add weight. Without a doubt, that’s something NFL coaches will want to see from him initially.
But, the natural ability to rush the passer is there. He is quick off the ball and plays with a lot of hip-driven force. Though he needs to add additional weight, he still plays strong and uses leverage to win individual battles.
Davenport would be a fun player to see playing alongside Floyd. He would give Vic Fangio a second guy off the edge who is quick and athletic to get to the quarterback. Davenport’s height advantage cannot be overstated, either, giving him a much easier ability to bat down balls at the line of scrimmage.
Although he only finished with 6% of the fan vote, I would not be disappointed to see him in Chicago come draft day.
Tremaine Edmunds, Virginia Tech (17% of votes)
From the beginning of the offseason, Tremaine Edmunds had been one of the overall fan favorites for the Bears at no. 8. The Virginia Tech prospect has been compared to Bears legend Brian Urlacher on many occasions.
Edmunds is someone I would love to see Fangio put in the middle, next to Trevathan. He would give the Bears a dynamic playmaker who can get from sideline to sideline in a hurry. On occasions, he has shown he can rush the passer, but he belongs in the middle according to most experts.
I love watching tape on Edmunds, especially against the run. He is quick to identify the run and even quicker getting to the ball. His footwork is tremendous and is one of the main reasons he is knowns as a “fast twitch” player. Edmunds is one of the best reactors at the position in his class.
Some scouting reports say he is not as quick to diagnose as he should be, but watching the tape, I tend to disagree. Is he a little raw in that area? Sure, but the potential for him to be where he should be is obviously there. It will not take long for him to get to that elite point he needs to be at, especially under a guy like Fangio.
Harold Landry, Boston College (19% of votes)
If you are looking for some of those names that continues to rise and rise, the closer we get to the draft, Harold Landry is absolutely at the top of the list. Just one month ago, the debate seemed to be settled here and Edmunds was the clear-cut fan choice among the majority of fans.
Now, in the post-combine process filled with pro days and interviews, Landry has skyrocketed in terms of his draft stock — and for good reason. I’m not sure what took so long for people to realize just how good he is.
He might be viewed only as a defensive end in a 4-3 scheme, but his ability to get around offensive tackles and other opposing blockers in a hurry makes him a fit in the Bears’ 3-4 scheme. He isn’t as big as you’d like to see, at just 6-foot-3, but again, his knack for working his way around blockers is up there with the best in his class.
I have said this before, and I’ll say it again: The lowest man wins. It’s something I was told all of my high school football career and something that linemen are continuously told throughout their college and professional careers. Landry plays with this mindset on every single down.
Like many positions in football, your lower body strength and the ability to get leverage on an opposing player is absolutely everything. Landry, once again, understands this and has it down to a science. For those players who aren’t exactly the ideal size, this technique is rule number one. Landry gets it.
To have someone off the edge like Landry would give the Bears a relentless pass rusher. Again, he gets knocked for his size, but the man is a natural-born pass rusher who I would not be disappointed in seeing at Soldier Field on Sundays.
Roquan Smith, Georgia (58% of votes)
Yes, of course, Roquan Smith is the clear-cut favorite at this point, given all options outside of Bradley Chubb. While I love the idea of any of the previous three players in a Bears uniform, Smith gets me the most excited — the fans got it right.
Some people have Smith pegged as an outside linebacker; others at inside linebacker. Regardless, he’s one heck of a prospect. Smith is incredibly fast. As a former high school wide receiver, Smith’s transition to linebacker has been surprisingly smooth since then. The one thing that hasn’t escaped him is his speed.
Smith is probably the best coverage linebacker in the draft, which is a rare skill to have these days as so many college linebackers are focused on getting to the quarterback and diagnosing the run. One expert compared Smith to Ray Lewis, saying he was just that good in coverage.
The ability to read a quarterback’s eyes is something every defensive back longs to bring to perfection. Smith can do that as a linebacker, giving him the chance to make plays against the pass quite often.
Not only is Smith great in coverage, but he is also solid against the run. He has a nose for the ball, regardless of what type of play is called. Every once and a while, you come across a player who is always found around the ball at the last whistle blow — that’s Smith. His lives and dies to find the football — that’s it.
