NEWSLETTER
The 2021 NFL Draft is fast approaching. And it’s a big one for GM Ryan Pace, who enters the final year of the extension he signed in 2018. The same can be said for Head Coach Matt Nagy, the NFL Coach of the Year for his efforts in 2018, who aims to fix an offense that has been spinning its wheels since the start of 2019. Starting today, we’re looking at some of the best prospects at various positions leading up to the Draft in search of fits for the Bears’ needs.
Previous: Quarterback, Offensive Line, Wide receivers, Defensive backs, Tight ends, Running backs
Today: Linebackers
Need: Let’s put it this way: If the Bears were as set at quarterback as they are at linebacker, our outlook on Chicago’s future would be a whole lot sunnier.
Currently on the Roster (2020 PFF Grade):
Roquan Smith (67.2), Danny Trevathan (39.9), Christian Jones (45.7), Josh Woods (38.0), Joel Iyiegbuniwe (78.8)
BN’s Composite Ranking
Ranking prospects is difficult, in part, because no one publication has the same set of fundamentals or preferences. In an attempt to work through that noise, we’re using a composite ranking based on opinions from PFF, ESPN, The Draft Network, and Pro Football Network and adapting them to a points scale. The best of the top-10 prospects gets 10 points, the 10th ranked prospect gets 1, and prospects outside the top-10 get 0. From there, the prospects are ranked by total points.
Here’s how the linebackers stack up (points in parenthesis):
1. Micah Parsons, Penn State (40)
2. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame (35)
3. Zaven Collins, Tulsa (31)
4. Jamin Davis, Kentucky (25)
5. Nick Bolton, Missouri (21)
6. Jabril Cox, LSU (15)
7. Pete Werner, Ohio State (14)
7. Baron Browning, Ohio State (14)
9. Chazz Surratt, North Carolina (8)
10. Cameron McGrone, Michigan (7)
Best of the rest: Monty Rice (Georgia), Dylan Moses (Alabama)
Team Fit
The Bears don’t have a need at the top of the depth chart, as Roquan Smith tackles pretty much anything that moves in the middle of the field. Bringing back Christian Jones as a free agent helps bolster the depth that was missing after the team lost Nick Kwiatoski and Kevin Pierre-Louis in free agency the year prior. But Danny Trevathan’s role seems uncertain. The veteran started slowly before finding a groove as the season went on. Considering the margin for error the 2021 Bears have, this defense can’t afford another slow start. So, perhaps Chicago could seek linebacker help late in the draft or possibly with an undrafted free agent. This isn’t a position the team should use premium draft capital on this weekend.
Most Likely to be Available When Bears Are on the Clock:
Because I don’t expect the team to use one of its picks in the first two days on a linebacker, this leaves us looking at Day 3 targets. The Bears have one fifth-round selection (164th) and four (204, 208, 221, 228) in the sixth. Prospects such as Isaiah McDuffie (Boston College) and K.J. Britt (Auburn) fit as late-round possibilities. Perhaps this is where Chicago’s front office unearths its annual local product who gets a shot at making the home-town squad. Maybe Paddy Fisher (Northwestern), Jacob Hansen (Illinois), Kyle Pugh (Northern Illinois), or Blake Gallagher (Northwestern) ends up on the UDFA signing list.
Bears Connections…
Bear Report notes the team visited the Pro Days of Nick Bolton (Missouri), Ernest Jones (South Carolina), and Chazz Surratt (North Carolina).
If I Had to Pick One:
Nick Bolton checks all the boxes you’d want from a linebacker prospect. He plays with an edge, tackles everything, hits hard, shows good football IQ, and shows range in pass coverage. That Bolton has special teams experience and was someone who thrived in that phase of the game is an added bonus. Bolton earned first-team All-SEC honors in 2019 and 2020 and was a second-team All-American as a senior. This type of pedigree figures to land Bolton as a Day 2 prospect. Chicago has other needs elsewhere, but Bolton wouldn’t be a bad addition in Round 3 if it came down to it.
