The Chicago Bears went from worst to first to win the NFC North Division last season with an 11-6 record under the helm of first-year head coach Ben Johnson.
The surprising turnaround was even more astonishing due to the Bears having seven comeback victories during the regular season and a come-from-behind win against the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Playoffs.
Now, the team will need to add more depth to the roster so that they do not have to keep coming back from the abyss in fourth quarters this season. Here is how Chicago addressed this situation in this year's NFL Draft.
Round 1, Pick 25: Dillon Thieneman - S - Oregon. 6'1", 200 lbs (96 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2 INT, 1 sack, 5 pass deflections).
Thieneman will start at strong safety right away after the Bears declined to re-sign Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker. He has the capability to make tackles against the run from sideline to sideline along with disrupting passes in coverage.
Round 2, Pick 25: Logan Jones - C - Iowa. 6'3", 299 lbs.
Jones started four years at center for the Hawkeyes. He will compete for the starting position at center after Bears starting center Drew Dalman retired in the offseason.
Round 3, Pick 5: Sam Roush - TE - Stanford. 6'6", 267 lbs (49 rec, 545 rec yds, 11.1 yds/rec, 2 TD).
Roush will compete for the third-string TE spot behind Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet. From time to time, Coach Johnson will call offensive sets with 3 TE's to keep defenses guessing. As a result, Roush should see some time in games once he becomes comfortable.
Round 3, Pick 25: Zavion Thomas - WR - LSU. 5'10", 190 lbs (41 rec, 488 rec yds, 11.9 yds/rec, 4 TD, 99 rush yds, 1 rush TD, 175 return yds).
Thomas will look to compete for the slot WR spot. However, he is the type of player that can line up either outside or inside in any formation. He has the capability to run end-arounds along with returning punts and kicks. He has 2 kick returns and 1 punt return for a touchdown during his college career. He should see plenty of time after WR DJ Moore was traded to the Buffalo Bills.
Round 4, Pick 24: Malik Muhammad - CB - Texas. 6'0", 182 lbs (30 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2 INT, 1 sack, 4 pass deflections).
Muhammad should see some time as a backup cornerback for Chicago. His stats were not flashy in college, but he does not give up big plays.
Round 5, Pick 26: Keyshaun Elliott - LB - Arizona State. 6'2", 231 lbs (98 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, 2 pass deflections).
Elliott was a solid tackler against the run while also showing rushing ability against the pass. Elliott will add much-needed depth at linebacker due to every starting linebacker missing a few games last season. He could also see some time as a rusher on passing downs.
Round 6, Pick 32: Jordan Van den Berg - DT - Georgia Tech. 6'3", 300 lbs (44 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3 sacks).
Van den Berg should see some time in the DT rotation along the defensive line solely based upon effort. His movement causes disruption against opposing offenses.
Overview: Primarily, the Bears used this Draft as a need-based draft. Each player selected for Chicago was at a position where a roster spot had to be filled due to offseason moves in free agency. The roster depth has to be solid because the Bears will be playing a difficult 1st-place schedule this season. Grade: C+.
All views provided in this article do not reflect the viewpoints of any representative from Vocal Media.
About the Creator
Enjoyed the story? Support the Creator.
Subscribe for free to receive all their stories in your feed. You could also become a paid subscriber, letting them know you appreciate their work.
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.