Even After an All-Pro Season, We’re Still Dreaming on Eddie Jackson’s Upside (And Other Bullets)

Jan 19, 2019

That cup of hot water with lemon really hit the spot this morning.

The Bears missed Eddie Jackson in the postseason and I missed watching him, so let’s enjoy some highlights:

Here is the list of Bears safeties to collect at least 80 tackles, intercept at least six passes, and force two or more fumbles between 2000 and 2016:

In case my being subtle isn’t coming across clearly, no Bears safety had done what Eddie Jackson did in 2018 before he arrived from Alabama. Maybe we get lost in drooling over Khalil Mack’s excellence, caught up in what’s up with Mitch Trubisky, or tripped up sorting through feelings on how to properly put together the running game, but we should really let it soak in how great Jackson is and has been. Jackson is a top-notch safety with elite coverage skills and better-than-advertised tackling. It stings he wasn’t available for the Bears in the Wild-Card round, but I think we’ll see him in the postseason in due time.

In case you missed it, Jackson will have a new position coach who happens to be an Alabama product just like him. And while Deshea Townsend isn’t the Ed Reed splash some might have wanted, Townsend has experience in coaching and was due for an opportunity to be the lead coach for a position group.

There could be further movement on the coaching front:

With Ronell Williams being hired as defensive quality control assistant for #Bears, worth wondering if Sean Desai will be promoted from that title to become a position coach on Matt Nagy's staff.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) January 18, 2019

There are a pair of college football all-star games that we should keep our eyes on today, but the Senior Bowl is around the corner and we’ll soon be thumbing through those rosters. But before we go on a deep dive, Bleacher Report’s top draft and prospect guru Matt Miller shares some names of intriguing players:

DE Jaylon Ferguson
DE Oshane Ximines
DL Gerald Willis
DL Zach Allen
LB Cameron Smith
LB Germaine Pratt
LB David Long
CB Rock Ya-Sin
CB Amani Oruwariye
S Nasir Adderly
S Johnathan Abram

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) January 18, 2019

See any Bears fits? There are a few I wouldn’t mind seeing in navy blue and orange next year.

I miss pouring over mock drafts like it was nobody’s business, but I don’t miss the Bears drafting in the top-10. So there’s a balance I’ll need to strike. We’ll start thumbing through more mock drafts as they are released, especially from analysts like Daniel Jeremiah. The NFL Media insider shared his first mock draft, which has the Raiders selecting Louisiana Tech defensive end Jaylon Ferguson with the first-round pick they received from the Bears in the Khalil Mack trade. Here is what Jeremiah had to say about the pass-rushing prospect: “Ferguson has some stiffness, but his length, power, and production will be very appealing to a team in need of edge rushers.”

So, yeah, I’d rather have Khalil Mack.

PFF’s Steve Palazzolo has his third mock draft up, which features Ohio State pass-rusher Nick Bosa going first overall to the Cardinals, and defensive line teammate Dre’mont Jones going to the Raiders with the 24th overall pick. Here is what Palazzolo had to say about Jones: “Oakland adds another pass-rusher up front as Jones ranked among interior defensive linemen with a 90.1 pass-rush grade and he finished second with 53 total pressures.” Jones certainly seems like an intriguing prospect and Ohio State has put out some quality first-round defenders over the years. But still … give me Khalil Mack all day.

This is what good scouting looks like:

This is awesome and warms my heart:

We'll never forget the day we met… Batman.@InsideTheBears | #DaBears https://t.co/qUGsq4Cj9r

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 18, 2019

written by

Luis C. Medina

Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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