A year after drafting Chicago’s potential face-of-the-franchise quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, Ryan Pace went with the safe pick (finally) at the 8-slot in the first round, snagging former-Georgia ILB Roquan Smith. In back-to-back drafts, Pace may have found himself cornerstone captains on both offense and defense, and it’s refreshing to see.
Smith isn’t exactly a surprise pick, as some draft experts had him mocked to the Bears at eight. It seemed, however, that linebacker Tremaine Edmunds was more of a “Ryan Pace-type” pick at the top of the draft. Edmunds, who’s much more of a physical freak, would’ve aligned with Pace’s pick of Leonard Floyd just two years ago.
Roquan Smith is much more of the prototypical inside-backer in the 3-4 scheme. He stands at 6’1″, 236 lbs (comparable to the likes of Patrick Willis and Danny Trevathan) and has sideline-to-sideline speed. His ability to read the play, use his quickness to avoid blockers, then wrap up the ball carrier will make him one of the teams best defenders, even in his rookie season (watch below).
While Chicago’s defense is one of the more talented in the league in terms of young up-and-comers, it was still missing the sure-fire playmaker that’s not only a perennial Pro-Bowler but is a strong-willed leader. The Bears now have that in Smith, who will be Trevathan’s heir-apparent as the signal caller on defense.
With a defensive stud now headed to Halas Hall, the Bears still have needs at OLB, G, and WR heading into the second day of the draft. Chicago has the seventh pick in the second round (39th overall) and are without a third-round pick, so a trade down to obtain more picks would be ideal. With a great deal of talent still on the board, a trade back shouldn’t be difficult.
If Pace decides to stay put at 39, the best players available could be G Will Hernandez, C James Daniels, OLB Harold Landry, and WR Christian Kirk. Choosing any of these players will provide them with another immediate contributor this season. Ryan Pace will have plenty of options to execute his vision for this year’s squad.
While having tons of talent to choose from is nice, here’s to hoping we aren’t drafting this high again next year.
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