Lachavious Simmons Scouting Report

Lachavious Simmons was the Bears last pick in the draft, picked immediately after fellow offensive lineman, Arlington Hambright, and the debate immediately started. Which offensive lineman has the better name? I think Lachavious Simmons, but I do have to give the edge to Hambright, and I think that's how the Bears decided on who to draft first with their back-to-back picks.

I'll be honest, I didn't catch a ton of Tennessee State this season, so I wasn't sure what Simmons brought to the table. A Bears scout made the laziest comparison ever when he said he could be like fellow Tennessee State graduate, Richard Dent. I guess that means that his play will lead to a lot of sacks? I decided that I needed to do my own scouting and took a look at the tape.

Simmons moves very well and totally overwhelms defenders.

Here, he makes a strong move off the snap to get to the nose tackle and uses his angle to plant the defender into the ground.

He definitely has some pop in his blocking.

Not only does he give a good help block on the nose tackle, but he still has enough to get off that block and give a good pop to the linebacker without the benefit of building up any steam.

On the downside, I will never not laugh when I see a highlight video where the guy gets beaten badly.

He cannot play tackle as he simply does not have the physical tools to handle legitimate edge rushers. He gets blown by here and just barely gives him enough of a shove to keep him from getting to the quarterback. This is not a pancake, this is desperation, so he should probably stick to the interior if he wants to carve out a role in the NFL.

Overall, he's a seventh round pick out of a small school so there's a lot of rawness to his game. He definitely shows some intriguing physical tools, and if he can develop quickly in training camp he could make the roster and hopefully turn into a passable starter down the road. Offensive line depth is never a bad thing to have, so here's to hoping Lachavious can make an impact for the Bears.

Previous Chicago Bears 2020 Draft Profiles
2nd Round - Cole Kmet - Tight End - Notre Dame
Undrafted - Ahmad Wagner - Tight End / Power Forward - Kentucky / Iowa
2nd Round - Jaylon Johnson - Cornerback - Utah
5th Round - Trevis Gipson - Edge Rusher - Tulsa
5th Round - Kindle Vildor - Cornerback - Georgia Southern
5th Round - Darnell Mooney - Wide Receiver - Tulane
7th Round - Arlington Hambright - Offensive Guard - Colorado

Arlington Hambright Scouting Report

Arlington Hambright. Now that's a damn name. A tackle out of Colorado who the Bears drafted with their first of two seventh round picks. Hambright played all over during his college career, starting at Garden City Junior College where they improved from 3-8 in his freshman season to an 11-0 National Championship in his sophomore year. He then went to Oklahoma State, but got hurt halfway through the year. They were 5-1 with him, and 2-5 without him. Finally, he went to Colorado where he led them to a...complete season in the PAC-12. Maybe he needed a second year for the Buffaloes to truly work his magic.

He was not invited to the combine, so I'm not totally sure about the physical attributes. As for the game tape, I had the choice of watching 12 minutes of Colorado taking on Oregon or a 81 second highlight video. Yep, I chose the latter.

I will say I'm always a fan of guys who played tackle in college who were definitely better suited to be a guard. It usually means they were a very good athlete, and I think that it can translate to being very good with a switch to the interior where the smaller frame will not be as big of an issue.

With that switch to guard in mind, I really like how he moved and was able to get to the second level.

This is a great play as he gives a shove to 51 on the defnesive line to help out his guard before making it to the next level and blowing the defender away.

He also showed good hand use in pass blocking, but it was a grand total of one play, so I probably shouldn't make any final conclusions off of that.

Oh, and in case you didn't watch the highlight video, the last 28 seconds of the 81 second video is just an ad for the Bears website. They did my man dirty on that one.

Overall, I like the idea of adding offensive line depth late in the draft and taking a chance on why a guy might be undervalued. He only played one full season of major college football, and he was playing out of position at tackle when his frame is built more for guard. This is a smart chance to take, and let's be real, his name is Arlington Hambright, he could have been a one-legged kicker, and I still would have said this was a great pick.

Previous Chicago Bears 2020 Draft Profiles
2nd Round - Cole Kmet - Tight End - Notre Dame
Undrafted - Ahmad Wagner - Tight End / Power Forward - Kentucky / Iowa
2nd Round - Jaylon Johnson - Cornerback - Utah
5th Round - Trevis Gipson - Edge Rusher - Tulsa
5th Round - Kindle Vildor - Cornerback - Georgia Southern
5th Round - Darnell Mooney - Wide Receiver - Tulane
7th Round - Arlington Hambright - Offensive Guard - Colorado

Darnell Full Mooney Scouting Report

Darnell Mooney probably isn't the best prospect that the Bears acquired in the 2020 NFL Draft, but he might be the most exciting. During his junior season, he ended up with 993 yards on just 48 catches, averaging 20.7 yards per catch. For his career at Tulane, he was still at an incredibly impressive 16.7 yards per catch. That speed is for real as he showed at the combine.

That 4.38 time is very nice and he did very well in the vertical and broad jump as well. He's not a big guy at just 5'10" and 176 pounds, but he does have large hands to help him make catches in traffic. So let's see how that translated to the field by looking at his game against Florida International last season.

I love the footwork at the beginning of this play to immediately make the corner play catch up in his coverage.

The cornerback never has a chance to make any sort of play on the ball after getting turned around at the line of scrimmage. Mooney then makes a good adjustment on the ball and uses good technique to complete the catch.

Adjustments on the ball were not an area where I expected a small speedster to shine, but he does a great job of tracking the ball on this touchdown catch.

He has the defender beat deep, but the ball is underthrown, and he not only adjusts to the ball, but attacks the ball out of the air at the high point to make the catch. Even if the defender had better coverage, it is going to be very tough to stop a receiver who can do that down the field. I'm not saying he's Steve Smith, but the above catch is a very Steve Smith looking play.

He needs to do a bit of refinement on his route running, but he does have some fancy footwork off the line of scrimmage to help him with that. He also was at least a willing blocker, even if it wasn't a strength of his.

For a late fifth round pick, this is tremendous value. He's fast, and he can catch; that already makes him more appealing to me than KJ Hamler who was a second rounder. He can stretch defenses and can at least fill part of the role that Taylor Gabriel has had the last few years. I am very excited to see him in a Bears uniform this season.

Previous Chicago Bears 2020 Draft Profiles
2nd Round - Cole Kmet - Tight End - Notre Dame
Undrafted - Ahmad Wagner - Tight End / Power Forward - Kentucky / Iowa
2nd Round - Jaylon Johnson - Cornerback - Utah
5th Round - Trevis Gipson - Edge Rusher - Tulsa
5th Round - Kindle Vildor - Cornerback - Georgia Southern
5th Round - Darnell Mooney - Wide Receiver - Tulane

Can Kindle Vildor Read a Quarterback's Eyes?

Kindle Vildor was the Bears second of three fifth round draft picks. A 5'10" corner out of Georgia Southern, you may be shocked to learn that I knew very little about him before his selection. Still, he has a very intriguing athletic profile.

Only 5'10" but very long arms and big hands. He ran 4.44 40-yard dash and showed incredible strength and explosiveness with his bench press and vertical and broad jumps. Those are all very positive, but it also appears as if he does not have any ability to change directions as shown by his 3-cone and short shuttle.

Statistically, nothing stands out as he managed nine interceptions over his three years as a starter. Not bad, but nothing special. So it was time to check out his game against LSU to get a better idea of him as a prospect.

On the negative side, he gets beat fairly easily on this touchdown catch.

From his reaction, he may have thought he had help over the middle of the field, but it may have just been that his team was going down 42-3, and it wasn't yet halftime.

Um, and that was really about it. That's actually good news. LSU just didn't try to attack him. He did get a pass interference call against him when he got a tad overzealous near the end zone, but that wasn't too worrisome. When it came down to LSU attacking, they looked at other places rather than going at Vildor which is about as good of a compliment as a guy can get.

Overall, I think there are some interesting athletic traits that he showed at the combine, but for a shorter corner, his lack of agility in changing directions will likely be a major hindrance to his success and is probably the big reason that he was available in the fifth round.

Previous Chicago Bears 2020 Draft Profiles
2nd Round - Cole Kmet - Tight End - Notre Dame
Undrafted - Ahmad Wagner - Tight End / Power Forward - Kentucky / Iowa
2nd Round - Jaylon Johnson - Cornerback - Utah
5th Round - Trevis Gipson - Edge Rusher - Tulsa
5th Round - Kindle Vildor - Cornerback - Georgia Southern

Could Trevis Gipson Be The Pass Rusher The Bears Need?

After not having a first round pick the Bears had two second round picks before a long break until they had a fifth round pick. But the Bears just couldn't quite wait so they traded a 2021 fourth round pick in order to get a fifth round pick this year in order to select Tulsa's Trevis Gipson. Even though the Bears have Khalil Mack and signed Robert Quinn this offseason, you can always use more pass rushers, so I took a look at Gipson to see what he could provide for the team.

Gipson is a long athlete that may have been misused at Tulsa as a 3-4 defensive end where he is probably best standing and rushing the passer, and that potential for an explosion in production is what made him so alluring to the Bears. He still had eight sacks and fifteen tackles for loss, so it's not like he was unproductive during his senior season.

Since there is no game to break down for Gipson, let's just look at this video that I'm sure shows the good and bad of Gipson produced by YouTube user, GipsonBros.

On the highlight reel, there is a lot of hustle sacks. But one thing that was really good to see is how he was able to rush from the inside.

The nice thing about this is that it allows the Bears a ton of versatility in their pass rush. They can consistently give different looks with a variety of athletes rushing the quarterback from different spots along the line, and I am sure this was a big reason why the Bears were so excited to acquire him.

Overall, I like the pick. I don't expect Gipson to be a starter, but he should add immediate value as a situational pass rusher. There is potential for him to evolve into more if the switch to a more natural position unlocks more skills. Even if he doesn't show anything more than what he showed in college, it's still good value for the fifth round.

Previous Chicago Bears 2020 Draft Profiles
2nd Round - Cole Kmet - Tight End - Notre Dame
Undrafted - Ahmad Wagner - Tight End / Power Forward - Kentucky / Iowa
2nd Round - Jaylon Johnson - Cornerback - Utah
5th Round - Trevis Gipson - Edge Rusher - Tulsa

Can Jaylon Johnson Shut Down NFL Opponents?

Jaylon Johnson was the Chicago Bears second of two second-round picks at #50 overall. A shutdown corner for Utah, he played through a torn labrum for all of last season which definitely gives credit to his toughness although it does add an injury concern. He had four interceptions his sophomore year, but that dropped to two this past season which is probably partly due to the labrum and partly due to teams targeting other areas of the field to avoid Johnson. I took a look at his game against Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship to see how he did against the sixth pick in the NFL Draft, Justin Herbert.

Before we get into the film, I took a look at how he tested a the combine, and he definitely didn't boost his stock at the combine, as he is extremely average athletically.

Nothing stands out. About the best you can hope for is the torn labrum made it difficult to train for the combine like he may have wanted. I wouldn't say any of this is a red flag, but there is a whole lot of yellow flags with unimpressive athletic numbers.

Here, he is in off-coverage but reads the play and closes quickly to break up the play.

Even with the torn labrum, physicality was not an issue for him from what I saw.

He has great physicality in coverage as he makes receivers work for separation.

Something that I couldn't see with my eyes directly but was evident is he covers towards the boundary very well. There were multiple times where Herbert was looking to go down the sideline to his receiver but had to check down as he clearly saw nothing going on towards Johnson's side of the field.

Johnson is a guy who belongs in a zone scheme as I do think the lack of athleticism will hurt him if he is forced to play straight-man coverage the majority of the time. This pick has me slightly more excited than Kmet, but I wasn't totally wowed. I totally understand that he might be able to shine more with two working shoulders, but that's no guarantee. What I do like is this is a guy who has a skill-set that will allow him to become an immediate competent starter. I don't see Pro Bowl potential, but I don't see much dropoff from Prince Amukamara which makes this a huge win for the Bears.

Previous Chicago Bears 2020 Draft Profiles
2nd Round - Cole Kmet - Tight End - Notre Dame
Undrafted - Ahmad Wagner - Tight End / Power Forward - Kentucky / Iowa
2nd Round - Jaylon Johnson - Cornerback - Utah

Cole Kmet Could Be The Chicago Bears Kyle Rudolph

Remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned the Bears have a fear of missing out? Cole Kmet is yet another talking point with this issue. For three out of four offseason of the current regime, the Bears simply couldn't wait to fill a need so they signed someone in free agency. They followed this up by immediately taking someone at that position with their very first pick. In 2017, the Bears just had to have Mike Glennon...before trading up to draft Mitchell Trubisky. Last year, they just had to have Mike Davis to shore up their running game...before trading up to draft David Montgomery. And this year, they just had to have Jimmy Graham, but at least they didn't trade up to draft Notre Dame tight end, Cole Kmet. This is not a knock on Kmet. It's just another knock on the Bears approach to free agency that has yielded Allen Robinson...and well, at least we got Allen Robinson.

Now about Kmet, he was the consensus top tight end in this draft class, and I was probably 80% sure the Bears were drafting him when he was still there with their 43rd pick. Despite the addition of Graham, along with eight others on the roster, tight end remained a need for the team. Considering he was also from Notre Dame, which the Bears absolutely LOVE, it was a no-brainer. I wanted to take a deeper dive into his game by looking at his performance against Georgia to see if he could handle SEC SPEED.

Before we get into the film, let's look at his combine. Looking at his athleticism, there is a lot to like with Kmet.

The Bears love big tight ends, and at 6'6" and 262 pounds, Kmet fits the bill. He also shows great explosiveness in both his broad and vertical jumps with a very good 40 time of 4.7 seconds. I know that the 3-cone and short shuttle may be a concern, but those concerns may be overblown as here is a second round tight end that overcame similar issues.

If Kmet ends up as the next Rob Gronkowski, I think most Bears fans would be okay with that.

As for the on-field play, his size shows up immediately as he is not easy to bring down.

Even after bouncing after the corner's tackle attempt, it takes multiple Georgia defenders to bring him down.

Despite his impressive size, he whiffed on a lot of blocks in the game I saw. He seemed hesitant on a lot of plays and would shuffle his feet instead of finding a defender to put a hit on.

He does have good hands, but you also have to question his selfish behavior.

He clearly steals this touchdown from the wide receiver behind him that this ball was intended for. Does he have an issue with short people? I don't know, but I would at least mark it down as a character concern. Still, this is an impressive catch and shows his strong hands and the ability to adjust to throws that are not ideal, a skill he'll have plenty of chances to utilize in Chicago.

One last issue I had was his lack of effort on plays. He'd just kind of go through the motions instead of really hustling and trying to make a play. It was especially evident when his quarterback scrambled to find time, but he'd just keep dragging along the field instead of making cuts back to his quaterback to try to give him an outlet.

Cole Kmet is not an desirable pick; he's a viable pick. He is a second round pick that can provide second round value. He is a high floor, low ceiling player. He's not an elite athlete like George Kittle or Travis Kelce, but he's an old school tight end who can take up space, use his body in the red zone, and give your quarterback a viable target. So the Bears have something between Scott Chandler (floor) and fellow Notre Dame alum, Kyle Rudolph (ceiling). That's not a game changer, but if he reaches that ceiling, Bears fans will still be ecstatic.

The Chicago Bears Have FOMO

After another disappointing beginning to the offseason, I was at my wit’s end with the Chicago Bears. I just didn’t know why they did the things they did as it is so frustratingly stupid that I should expect it by now, but yet it never ceases to amaze me. I finally realized that the Chicago Bears issue is that they have a serious case of FOMO (fear of missing out). That is the only way to explain how they run their front office.

They find a player they are interested in and instead of recognizing flaws and positional needs of other organizations, they go in thinking that 31 teams are thinking exactly the same thing they are. This causes panic, and it leads to absolutely awful decisions. When you think that everyone is thinking like you, there is no way to have patience, and this has led to so many issues. But they have one goal, get a guy now, by any means necessary, to avoid having to worry about getting a guy later. Now that guy could be worse at times, but patience could sometimes (often, in fact) lead to getting a better guy later on.

The most egregious example is trading up from #3 to #2 to draft Mitchell Trubisky. I have been on record that I did not mind taking Trubisky as I loved him coming out of college and still believe that he will bounce back this coming season. But trading multiple picks to move up one spot when Trubisky was not the consensus top quarterback was insane. Those two third round picks the Bears gave up turned into Alvin Kamara and Fred Warner.

To regain some draft capital, the Bears traded down in the second round, causing them to miss out on talent like Dalvin Cook and Curtis Samuel. Right before the Bears were set to select, the Rams took Gerald Everett. No telling whether this caused the Bears to panic and take Adam Shaheen with the next pick. It’s not like patience could have helped, oh, except for George Kittle going in the fifth round.

I will admit that looking back on a draft and judging things is unfair, especially one where the Bears snagged Eddie Jackson and Tarik Cohen in later rounds, but let’s remember that offseason. The Bears were going into 2017 with no clear quarterback so they signed Mike Glennon to a 3-year, $45 million deal with $18.5 million guaranteed. Why did they need to rush out and sign Mike Glennon? I don’t think anybody on Earth can explain that one, but they bid against themselves for the honor of bringing on Glennon. He was released after one year.

Oh, and don’t worry, the Bears definitely didn’t learn their lesson as they signed Mike Davis last offseason for two years and $6 million because they just had to have a running back to pair with Tarik Cohen. No offense to Mike Davis, but running backs grow from trees in the NFL. They later traded up to draft David Montgomery and Mike Davis didn’t even last an entire season before being released.

Finally, we get to this offseason. Let’s start with the mildly positives. I like Robert Quinn, and you probably think that his 11.5 sack performance last year is a reason to be excited. That’s nice and all, but Quinn was also a state champion wrestler in high school, and I will always support wrestlers, especially along the lines. Would I have rather had Vic Beasley on a one-year deal? Sure, but that’s nitpicking as pass rushers are something that I am fine paying for, because those guys pay off.

Now things go downhill. Jimmy Graham? Seriously? He’s had one productive year in the last five seasons and that was 2016. He did score 10 TDs in 2017, but considering he barely had 500 yards, it’s tough for me to get excited about that. Jimmy Graham used to be awesome, but unless the Bears can rewind time to 2014, this is asinine. He will compete with the other NINE tight ends on the roster.

And now, the main event. The Nick Foles trade. I mean, I shouldn’t be surprised by this, but there is no way to not be surprised by this. I understand that the Bears wanted to bring in competition for Mitch Trubisky, but there were plenty of reasonable options available. Also, the Jaguars were DESPERATE to get out from under Foles’s terrible contract. Everyone in the world would have assumed that the Jaguars would include a pick just to get Foles off the team, and yet the Bears, negotiating against themselves, managed to give the Jaguars a fourth round pick. It’s fucking insane. And it doesn’t help that Nick Foles sucks, if they really wanted to give up a pick, they could have probably had Cam Newton for a fourth rounder, or they could have gotten Jameis Winston on a one-year deal for the money they are paying Foles. There was just absolutely no reason to pull this dumbass shit, and yet the Bears NEEDED to get a quarterback as soon as possible. It’s so shockingly stupid, yet still right in line with what the Bears always do.

So now they head into the season with major issues at offensive line, tight end, inside linebacker, and half the secondary. The Bears have two second-round picks and then don’t pick again until the fifth round. An extra fourth round pick would be pretty damn valuable for a team in that situation. Unfortunately, Bears fans will never know what could have been.

The Bears let their fear of missing out hurt them yet again in the long run. I guess it’s good they don’t have to worry about missing out; instead they can worry about missing the playoffs.

The Chicago Bears Go International With Stephen Denmark

With the Bears final pick of the 2019 draft, they went international, and took Danish superstar, Stephen Denmark. Over in Europe, all people take the last name of where they are from, kind of like Jesus of Nazareth. Denmark played at Valdosta State which I believe is one of the premiere European "Clubs" (they don't have teams over there). Since over there, they don't have games, they have "matches" I couldn't find any film against one specific opponent, but I did find a highlight reel that was published by the man himself.

Although he was not invited to the combine (international travel was likely too expensive), he did put up a 4.46 at his pro day, and the speed is evident on the field. That's the good news. The bad news is his 7.40 3-cone drill number would be the fifth worst that has been recorded at the combine in the last 20 years. That's a greater indication of his ability to change directions and definitely hinders his upside. Still, there are plenty of positives with his film.

This is a bold move, Stephen.

Sure, pushing a receiver out of bounds is something that is going to happen, but taking him directly into his own bench is the work of an absolute mad man. I'm guessing that his opponents are Swiss as they chose to stay neutral during the conflict. But physicality was the thing that showed up over and over in his highlight tape. When he is in press coverage, he looks to take his opponents out of the play, and he doesn't look to tackle, he looks to hit when somebody has the ball near him. I was very surprised by this since he was a receiver his first three years and just switched over to the defensive side of the ball for his senior season. You would assume good footwork but afraid to hit, but the latter is certainly not an issue for Denmark.

That physicality in press coverage pays off on this play.

He gives the quarterback nowhere to throw this ball, but the quarterback throws it anyway, and Denmark makes him pay by making the interception with those wide receiver skills and then using his speed to cross the field into the endzone.

He gets lucky here.

He misses on his press, and the receiver creates good separation. Denmark's speed helps somewhat, but the quarterback underthrowing the ball is what really saves him on this play.

Another thing I was impressed by is his ability to diagnose plays.

He is dropping into a zone here, and immediately recognizes that the quarterback is looking deep so instead of staying shallow, he sprints back to undercut the deeper route and breaks up the play.

I know with these foreign players, it's a little tough to evaluate with their level of competition. I would probably compare it to Division II football in Georgia. At 6'2" and well built, he is a big defensive back who can definitely make plays. He has the speed, but the quickness isn't quite there for me to really trust him as a consistent defensive back. I do think he has all the traits to be very good on special teams as that size, speed, and willingness to lay the hammer could get him a roster spot even without the potential to ever start at defensive back. Welcome aboard, Stephen, or as the Danish say, Velkommen ombord.

Chicago Bears Scouting Reports
3rd Round - David Montgomery, Running Back, Iowa State
4th Round - Riley Ridley, Wide Receiver, Georgia
6th Round - Duke Shelley, Cornerback, Kansas State
7th Round - Kerrith Whyte Jr., Running Back, Florida Atlantic

Bears Keep It Tight With Kerrith Whyte

Kerrith Whyte Jr. was selected as the Bears first of two seventh round picks and without knowing anything about him, I was a little disappointed that the team had now drafted two running backs when they had other more pressing needs to address. Since they have Tarik Cohen as a weapon, David Montgomery was drafted with their first pick in the draft (3rd round), they just signed Mike Davis, and Cordarrelle Patterson does dabble in the backfield, another running back was going to have a hard time seeing the field. But clearly the Bears saw something in Whyte, so I took a look at his game against UCF to see what qualities he possesses.

Let's start off with a touchdown catch from Whyte.

Usually on touchdowns, I will point out some positives, but it's about as unimpressive of a touchdown catch as you'll see. He does technically break a tackle, but the defensive back just throws his head at his leg and seems to completely forget that he possesses arms.

The other issue is the catch which he bobbles because he uses his chest to catch the ball instead of using his hands. I do not trust him to consistently catch the ball which makes him a non-factor in the passing game.

On the positives, he shows a nice move here.

He sees the safety coming in the box to fill the hole, but then cuts back inside without losing much momentum to speed forward for nine yards instead of getting stopped at the line of scrimmage.

Since I only watched one game, and they were down early in that game, I didn't get a lot of standout plays from Whyte. The issue is that I didn't see any one characteristic that stands out so I have a hard time seeing playing time for him in what is already a crowded Bears backfield. Maybe he can provide depth from the practice squad, but I don't foresee anything more than that. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

Chicago Bears Scouting Reports
3rd Round - David Montgomery, Running Back, Iowa State
4th Round - Riley Ridley, Wide Receiver, Georgia
6th Round - Duke Shelley, Cornerback, Kansas State

Is Duke Shelley the Chicago Bears Next Slot Cornerback?

Although I had a pretty good idea about the Bears first two picks, the last three picks were complete mysteries to me. This started with sixth round pick, Duke Shelley, a 5'9" cornerback out of Kansas State. Shelley was not invited to the combine, but did have an impressive pro day where he ran a 4.46 40 yard dash. I took a look at his game against Oklahoma State to get a better idea about his chances of making an impact as a slot cornerback for the Bears.

Shelley was a four-year starter at Kansas State, and that experience definitely showed up in his game against Oklahoma State.

On this play, he is an off coverage on the outside receiver at the top of the screen. Although it happens off screen unfortunately, Shelley reads the quarterback and nearly picks off the pass. He shows good instincts and quick decision making while breaking up this pass.

On this next play, he does a good job defending the fade.

He stays in constant contact with the wide receiver to make sure he stays close. Although he is unable to make contact with the ball after looking back, his arm goes straight up the middle of the receiver's chest so the only way that he can catch the ball is to make a one-handed circus catch.

Since Shelley's future will be in the slot, he will have to be a good tackler. He excels in this area despite his diminutive size.

This is an excellent wrap up and tackle in the open field, and he displayed this ability multiple times in the game that I watched.

He also showed he can be a playmaker.

Remember that second play where he played through the man's chest but made no contact with the ball. Well, here he uses the same technique and makes it nearly impossible for the receiver to make the catch. He then gets an added bonus when the ball pops up and lands into his hands before he goes out the back of the endzone. The interception involved a bit of luck, but the pass breakup is great technique, and he earned the positive outcome.

I came into this not knowing anything about Duke Shelley but left it coming away very impressed. He can tackle, does a good job of reading the quarterback and breaking on passes, and has good technique to break up passes down the field. I would say that I question the athleticism some, as the rule of thumb is usually to add 0.1 seconds to a 40 time if done at a pro day. But flat out speed is less important in the slot. I didn't see him go up against many hard-ins or outs in this game, but the quickness he shows in staying with those routes will be the biggest question to answer on whether he can be the future at slot cornerback from the Bears. Still, for a sixth round pick, I am pretty excited about his potential to fill that role.


Chicago Bears Scouting Reports
3rd Round - David Montgomery, Running Back, Iowa State
4th Round - Riley Ridley, Wide Receiver, Georgia

Riley Ridley Ain't Just Another Brother

With the Bears fourth round pick, they added another weapon to an offense that is overflowing with them when they drafted Georgia Wide Receiver, Riley Ridley. That last name should sound familiar as his brother Calvin was a top rookie last season, and his brother is no slouch. He was Georgia's lead receiver, and although his yardage was not impressive due to some other talented guys on the team and a run heavy offense, he did manage to pull down nine touchdowns. To get a better idea of the younger Ridley, I took a look at his games against Texas and Alabama.

So with Ridley, you're not going to see a lot of wow plays. Instead, you're going to see consistency and just an overall clean player. Here, he runs a nice curl route where he makes a hard stop to give himself two yards of separation to make the catch.


Here, he gets just enough separation to make the touchdown grab.

The quarterback throws a beautiful ball, but Ridley does a great job of running through the catch and even getting both feet down after extending with his hands to pull the ball in.

This was probably my favorite play from the two games I watched, because it shows incredibly strong hands and good concentration to pull this ball in.

Ridley also has good field awareness as he consistently would work towards the sideline and always had the presence of mind to get those feet down in bounds.

So this play is stupid, but after it has its stupid moment, he does make a nice move in the open field.

This play does show good awareness, but that juke he puts on 25 is what really stands out.

Let's finish off with the concerning part of Ridley and why he fell so far in the draft. His athleticism leaves a lot to be desired.

The only good news is that his brother, Calvin, didn't test all that well either outside of a much better 40 time. But it is concerning that somebody who isn't a great athlete has such a poor 3-cone drill as that is usually a pretty good indicator of how much separation a guy can get from a defender. I did see Ridley make some tough catches, but without separation, it's going to be very tough for him to have a big impact in the NFL.

I heard a lot of great things about Ridley leading up to the draft. Before the combine, some people were talking about him as a possible first round pick. There are some good traits there, but I just don't see how he has a big impact on the passing game for the Bears. He will provide solid depth but will have to really refine himself to be much more than that.

Chicago Bears Scouting Reports
3rd Round - David Montgomery, Running Back, Iowa State

David Montgomery Runs Like a Literal Cyclone

The Bears traded up to get the player they wanted out of a university in Iowa. It wasn't the guy or even the school I had pegged, but I do believe they got a talented player as I was pretty terrified of this player the last two years when my favorite team played against him. David Montgomery of the Iowa State Cyclones is exactly what the Bears needed at running back as he's a big back who can also catch the ball out of the backfield. I took another look at his game against Iowa and also a game against Texas from this past season.

Before we get started, let's take a look at how his combine went.
Unless you're scouting him for the UFC and really want a great wingspan, the athletic traits are not going to wow you. The poor 40 yard dash was not all that surprising and didn't hurt him as much, because he is a bigger back. The vertical jump was hilariously bad as I might be able to jump 28.5 inches (okay, I can't, but maybe ten years ago I could), but I don't know a single person who gives a crap about vertical jump for running backs. The broad jump is excellent, especially when you factor in his size. And the 3-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle would have been the most interesting to see him perform, because I do think that would have highlighted his quickness and agility.

The first thing that stood out to me was his balance. This is where the title of this piece came from, as he can take hits, make cuts, and spin off defenders while still staying upright.

Texas has nine guys in the box. All they want to do is stop David Montgomery, and with the safety darting in, they have the play dead to rights. The safety spears his right shin, and somehow Montgomery just bounces back a yard and darts outside. He shows good acceleration to beat the edge defender around to the outside before finally getting pushed out after gaining seven yards on what should have been a two-yard loss.

Here, he sees a single hole that quickly gets filled by the Texas linebacker, but that isn't going to stop Montgomery on 2nd and 3.

Despite the linebacker covering the only available area along the line of scrimmage, Montgomery is able to spin inside and drag the linebacker for three yards to get the first down. He just has an innate ability to find any crease that may exist.

Here he has a play that is designed to go inside, Montgomery analyzes the situation and bounces it outside. After that, what he does is simply not fair.

After bouncing outside, he puts a stupid juke on Amani Hooker (coincidentally, the player I wanted the Bears to take in the third round) before finally being drug down by an ankle tackle by an Iowa linebacker after gaining 13 yards. This is a play where so many backs never see that hole to their left, and even after making that cut, most guys are getting about three yards with a pretty reliable tackler in Hooker filling the hole. Montgomery is not most running backs.

I don't know if there is 5% of professional running backs who could do this.

Any other player is running into that linebacker as it's damn near impossible to stop your momentum at that point after the catch. Montgomery slips while making the cut (because it's damn near impossible), but it helps him pick up an additional six yards while the Iowa linebacker is busy hugging air. An underrated part of this play but maybe even more appealing for the Bears coaching staff is the way that he catches the ball by framing his hands away from his body as opposed to body catching it. It's that technique that will make him a reliable pass catcher out of the backfield.

Speaking of the passing game, he is at least a willing pass blocker.

He does let the defender get under his pads which initially pushes him back, but he shows good balance by staying upright, resetting his feet and stopping the defender after that. The big thing that I liked to see is he kept his head up while blocking, because many running backs do not seem to think it's a good idea to see the guy they are trying to block.

His ability to stop and start is top notch.

There are two Texas defenders in the only hole available to him, and what he does here is purposeful hesitation. He freezes BOTH defenders before juking to his right and using a stiff arm to keep distance from the first defender.

If you're looking to nitpick the guy, the 40 yard dash is indicative of his lack of breakaway speed, but other than that, everything else you'd want to see is there. Vision, quickness, power, patience, and ability as a receiver, I'm a BIG, BIG fan. The craziest thing about the clips that I showed for Montgomery is that these were from his two worst games of the season. He had a combined 77 yards in those two games, yet I'm not sure if you could find five running backs who could put up his sort of highlights in their two best games.

Please sit down before I make this comparison, because it may sound extreme, but there was only one name that popped into my head while watching Montgomery: Le'Veon Bell. Bell was this exact player in college. Now I will say that Bell got even better when he got to the pros when he shed weight which benefitted his speed and quickness, but Montgomery is right there with the traits that he possesses. David Montgomery is the type of player that a team is justified in trading up for, and I think Bears fans are going to be very happy with this pick as he has the traits to be the best running back in the class.

The Chicago Bears Perfect 2019 NFL Draft

Projecting a team's draft picks is a fool's errand. It's impossible to know who a team will take, because I have no idea who will even be there when it is their chance to draft. Although I am trying to be realistic in who will be available for the Bears in this process, there is a chance that some of these guys are gone two, possibly even three rounds earlier than where I am projecting. And this is especially tough when projecting Bears draft picks as they do not have a first or second round pick, so I am only looking at the deepest, darkest parts of the NFL draft. And since the Bears do not have many picks, I'll also point out some guys I would like them to sign as undrafted free agents as well.

Round 3, 87th Overall: Amani Hooker, Safety, Iowa
I limited myself to one Iowa Hawkeye, but man, this is one that I feel very passionate about. I'm not sure if Hooker lasts this long, but if the Bears traded all of their picks to ensure they got Hooker, I would call this draft a massive victory. I have already waxed poetically about the Hawkeye safety, but in short, he's a versatile defender that could play safety or as your nickel back, can defend pass and run, and just always seems to be in the right spot at the right time to make a big play. The one concern about him (and nearly all Iowa players in general) is what kind of athlete he is, but he put those concerns to rest with a very impressive combine performance.
Outside of having T-Rex arms, everything else was incredibly impressive. He was named the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year, and it's crazy that he could fall this far, but judging by where he is ranked by most "experts" this is a reasonable range for him to get drafted. I might cry tears of joy if the Bears end up with him.

Round 4, 126th Overall: Austin Bryant, Defensive End, Clemson
Little known fact, Clemson actually started four defensive linemen this season. I know Clelin Ferrell, Dexter Lawrence, and Christian Wilkins get all of the love since they are likely first round picks, but Austin Bryant was no slouch. The guy had 17 sacks with 30.5 tackles for loss in his last two years with the Tigers, and he might have had more if he didn't need to constantly race his teammates to the quarterback. You can make the argument that he benefitted from not facing double teams, but he'll have the same luxury with the Bears as Akiem Hicks and Khalil Mack will be getting most of the offense's attention. If he slips this far, it would be a great addition to the Bears depth at defensive line. Also, I totally wanted to put Anthony Nelson here, but I promised myself I could only pick one Hawkeye.

Round 5, 162nd Overall: Ross Pierschbacher, Center, Alabama
Since Pierschbacher is a native Iowan, I did a deeper dive on him here. He started all four years at Alabama, starting at left guard and taking over at center for his senior year. To start at Alabama for four years with how proficient their offenses were would make me think that he'd be a day two pick, but I have seen a lot of mocks with him more falling in the 4th-5th round range, and if that's the case, the Bears would be stupid not to pounce on him to give them a strong backup for the interior offensive line, especially with Kyle Long's injury history. i will say that I saw more impressive play from him as a guard than after he transitioned to the center position, so I see him as a good guard but maybe just an average center prospect. Common sense says he shouldn't be here for the Bears, but common sense isn't exactly what NFL teams are known for.

Round 7, 222nd Overall: Jalin Moore, Running Back, Appalachian State
Not sure if you have heard, but you can find a decent running back later on in the draft. I feel like this year, it's Josh Jacobs, and everybody else. What order guys will fall is a complete mystery. Because of an injury, I would say Moore has a better chance to fall than most, but even I can admit that this seems like a fairly aggressive drop for his talent. Plus, even with his injury, he put up 27 bench press reps at the combine. Does benching help running backs? Not at all, but it impresses other dudes in the gym, and isn't that what's most important? In real talk, he was always productive when he was on the field, but his senior year was cut short after fracturing and dislocating his ankle on a touchdown run. I will say that I'm not sure if it's the ideal fit for Nagy's offense as the most catches he had in a year was 12, but that may have been by the Appalachian State design, or he may have trouble with his hands. Worst case is he can bench press like 1000 footballs.

Round 7, 238th Overall: Terry Godwin, Wide Receiver, Georgia
I have an affinity for five-star recruits out of high school. Godwin didn't light it up in college, but he still had a productive college career with a Georgia offense that would far prefer to run than pass. Also, with his smaller stature, he was never going to be the number one guy. I think he projects as a great option in the slot as he has great quickness and has the hands to catch balls in traffic. He is great for receiver depth and could also be an option as a return man.

Undrafted Free Agent Targets
Mathieu Betts, Edge, Laval
Oh, you don't know about the football powerhouse that is Laval? Apparently, you're just not that into the pigskin, because they are ten time Vanier Cup Champions, including a perfect season this past year, led by their defensive ace, Mathieu Betts. This guy is hands down the best Canadian prospect in the draft, and although his most likely destination is practice squad, there is enough raw talent to at least invite him to camp.

Jordan Brailford, Edge, Oklahoma State
Probably the least likely guy to be available, but he definitely has the talent to be a situational pass rusher where he could help out the Bears. I've seen him projected in the 5-7th round range, but considering that he ran a 4.65 and broad jumped 10.5 feet, I could see somebody taking a chance on that athleticism early.

Taylor Cornelius, Quarterback, Oklahoma State
Out of the six quarterbacks I saw when I worked with the East-West Shrine Game, I was most impressed with Cornelius. I don't think he's going to set the world on fire, but he could be a serviceable backup in the right offense.

Keelan Doss, Wide Receiver, UC Davis
Doss played at a small school and put up big numbers. Unfortunately, he got hurt at the combine, so that will knock his draft stock down a bit. I think it's likely somebody takes him in a late round, but if he's available, it'd be a great addition for the Bears.

Matt Gay, Kicker, Utah
He's a kicker; that makes him a great addition for the Bears. He's also 232 pounds, so that's pretty cool too.

Jimmy Moreland, Cornerback, James Madison
Moreland showed flashes at the Shrine Game, but what really stood out to me is how much the coaches (and even special guest Aeneas Williams) were trying to coach him up and getting on him for mistakes. It was clear that they saw a lot of potential in him, and I don't think it's a high ceiling, but he could be a serviceable player in the slot.

Matt Nelson, Defensive Lineman, Iowa
Hey, I could only project one player to be drafted by the Bears, but I might as well have them sign one as a free agent. Nelson played out of position as a defensive tackle at Iowa, but at 6'8", 295 pounds, he's perfectly built to be a stout defender as a 3-4 defensive end. I think he can set the edge, bat down passes, and occasionally get to the quarterback, but he was not put in the best position to succeed due to team need at Iowa. He'd be a great addition to provide additional depth along the defensive line.

My Shinesty NFL Jacket Is On Point

Through my seven years of blogging, it has been quite the lucrative endeavor. I have managed to get a deep fryer, $40, and now a Chicago Bears suit jacket for my troubles. It's true what they say, Blogger = Baller. The good people at Shinesty saw that I like to talk about football and offered to send me a jacket in exchange for giving my review on this website, and that is an exchange that I happily agreed to.

I will admit that, at first, I was skeptical. The jackets are totally ridiculous looking, but then I put it on, and I kind of liked it. I thought it would be paper thin material, but it was strong fabric, comfortable, and fit me like a glove.

As a football fan who grew up in the Midwest, sometime in October, it became too cold to wear my favorite t-shirt or polo to the game without flirting with hypothermia. This meant that I switched to hoodies, and even though I love hoodies, it's impossible to not resemble a hobo when wearing one. Day drinking is a great time to pursue romantic interests, but it's a lot harder to break that ice if they aren't sure whether you are going to take them home or to a cardboard box.

That is where Shinesty, well, shines. Instead of looking like a hobo, you can look like someone who looks sharp. Is it loud and outrageous? Of course it is, but as all the classic PUAs would suggest, outrageous clothing is really just great peacocking.

Even I will admit that this jacket is not for everyone. You have to have a baseline level of confidence to truly pull it off, because you are going to turn heads. But if your swag factor is strong, and you want to look sharp when supporting your favorite football team, then the Shinesty jacket is the right choice for you.

I'm Still Excited About The 2018 Chicago Bears

Sunday night's game against the Green Bay Packers was not ideal for the Chicago Bears. It was ideal for the first 35 minutes of the game as they cruised to a 20-0 lead and everything was wonderful in this crazy world that we live in. Then, things went to shit, and um, well, shit, everybody knows what happened, and the Bears are now 0-1. That outcome wasn't ideal, but I'm still pretty excited about the Chicago Bears this year.

First off, there is Khalil Mack who more than lived up to the hype surrounding his arrival in a trade last week. Even in limited time, he was a menace on the field, getting sacks and interceptions and touchdowns too. His meaningful damage came in the first half, but even a tired Mack caused disruption with pressures in the second half. As he gets up to game speed, he's only going to be more terrifying, which is incredibly exciting.

Speaking of the defense, Akiem Hicks was pretty damn dominant as well early on in the game. He was causing havoc by crushing the pocket, and he is creating a pick your poison situation where you can focus on blocking Hicks or you can focus on blocking Mack, but it's going to be really tough to block both.

On the less positive side, Leonard Floyd showed nothing in this game. The athleticism is evident, but I still haven't seen enough in his pass rushing techniques to get excited. He'll get some sacks on speed rushes, but until he can translate that speed into a respectable bull rush move, I don't know how dangerous he is going to be.

But the Bears should definitely play Roquan Smith more. Nick Kwiatkoski is a capable backup, but he simply doesn't have the athleticism to play linebacker as teams will continually expose him. Roquan is a monster who has every physical trait you could possibly want in a modern day linebacker. Give me more Roquan.

Oh, and the most obvious thing to point out on the defense. If Kyle Fuller catches that ball that hit him in the chest, the Bears are not only 1-0, but I can guarantee that people would be talking about the Bears as the favorite in the division. I'm not necessarily saying that people should be saying that, but people love making broad proclamations after one week.

On the offensive side, you're not going to believe this, but I won't start with Mitch Trubisky. Let's instead take a step back and truly enjoy the greatness of Jordan Howard. For some reason, it seemed that everybody wanted to toss him aside to get more Tarik Cohen in the offense. But Howard serves a huge role for this team. He is the bellcow back, and there is no reason that he shouldn't seen the majority of snaps. He did everything he could to win the game for the Bears on their second-to-last drive, and had they trusted him more, he probably could have iced the game away.

Okay, now let's talk about Mitch Trubisky. He showed good athleticism, movement in the pocket, and threw some excellent balls, but in the second half, he tightened up and refused to take chances. I saw him fire balls down the field in college, so I'm hoping this is just an adjustment period to not having a ton of experience and being in a brand new offense. With Allen Robinson being a player who has shown that he can be a top receiver in the NFL, and with all the rave reviews about Anthony Miller, let's hope Trubisky uses those assets to open up the offense in week two.

Right now, the Bears are 0-1, but winning in Green Bay is never easy, and although it seems like one that got away, the important thing is to see how they bounce back, because 15-1 still ain't too bad of a season. Go Bears.

2018 Chicago Bears Preview

As high as I am on Mitch Trubisky, even I kind of realized that the playoffs were likely out of reach for the Chicago Bears this season. Then, the Bears made the blockbuster of all blockbuster trades and got Khalil Mack. Now I am not saying playoffs, but I am definitely whispering it. Let's start with the new addition, because I don't think people realize how good Khalil Mack is.

KHALIL MACK IS REALLY FREAKING GOOD. I know that sounds fairly simplistic, but the Raiders defense was absolutely awful. They had zero impact talent around Mack, so all teams had to do was strategize to minimize Mack's damage, and he still messed up people's worlds. There is actual talent on the Bears defense. Akiem Hicks is one of the more underrated players on defense, and if they put him and Mack on the same side, offenses are going to have some serious issues blocking them. Also, you can't totally key on Mack, because if Leonard Floyd stays healthy, he has shown enough that he could be incredibly dangerous if offenses consistently put a blocker on an island and try to contain him. Mack was incredible on the Raiders, but he is going to be even better with the talent that the Bears have around him.

And next to him, they have Roquan Smith, who, by all indications, is going to fulfill the hype that was set forth before the draft and be a pro bowl middle linebacker who can do a little bit of everything on the defensive side of the ball.

In the secondary, there are no stars, but Kyle Fuller has developed into a very good and possibly great corner. Eddie Jackson showed a ton of potential as a rookie, and considering that it was the first year coming off of a major injury, he could take a leap in his second year. The Bears have solid talent and depth around them, so the secondary should be above average at least.

Offense is the big question mark with what the Bears can expect from Trubisky, but as I mentioned last week, I'm all aboard the Trubisky Train. I have seen enough of him to be impressed, and Khalil Mack has already said how impressed he is with him (well, he was talking about how tan he was, but it still counts). The Bears have both the bellcow in Jordan Howard and the change-of-pace in Tarik Cohen. The receiving options are massively upgraded, and the offensive line should show improvement with more experience, better coaching, and hopefully a healthy Kyle Long. Plus, there will actually be a gameplan on offense, so that's going to be incredible to watch.

My overall Bears preview is Mitch Trubisky, can he be great? Probably not this year, but I truly believe he will take a major step forward this season. Also, KHALIL MACK. I cannot stress enough how big of a difference he is going to make. I know he was never with the Bears before, but there's really only way to end this post.

PREDICTION: 19-0, Super Bowl Champions, every starter also named a Pro Bowler.

Is This Mitch Trubisky's Breakout Year?

As the world's number one Mitch Trubisky supporter as evidenced here, here, here, here, and here, I felt it was about time to weigh in on what to expect from the future hall-of-famer as he embarks on his second professional season. It is a weird feeling for Bears fans, because for the first time since Sexy Rexy was throwing it deep every chance he got, there is actually a buzz about this team, and this may be the first time ever where that buzz is seriously centered around the offense.

With an unbiased opinion, it's hard to say that Trubisky was an overwhelming success in his rookie year. Still, there were some mitigating factors working against him as John Fox and Dowell Loggains coached what was likely the most boring offense in the NFL. It makes sense as the dowel is easily the most boring piece when building IKEA furniture. Trubisky was consistently throwing behind schedule which made his job as a rookie nearly impossible. It didn't help that the Bears best receiver last year was...um, Kendall Wright. And that's bad enough, but Kendall Wright was #1 by a WIDE margin. He had nearly twice as many yards as number two on the list, Josh Bellamy, and Wright still ended up with only 614 receiving yards. This was not a recipe for success.

Although as all of us true football guys know, stats are for losers, I did find an interesting article on Football Outsiders this week that went over quarterback success on a variety of routes. Here is where Mitch Trubisky ranks out of 35 qualifying quarterbacks on each route:

Curl - 35th
Out - 25th
Dig - 8th
Slant - 18th
Drag - 8th
Fly - 29th
Screen - 20th
Post - 9th
Comeback - 33rd
Broken Play - 22nd
Fade - 17th
Seam - 23rd

Now the first thing you will realize is that last year was not a rousing success. His highest finish is eighth best, and he was dead last at the curl route as well as very low in some other spots. The most interesting thing I noticed is that Trubisky had the most success on routes breaking into the middle of the field and struggled when throwing to the outside.

A huge positive to Trubisky having success in the middle of the field is that it confirms something that I suspected when watching him, and that he is able to see the field well. There are a whole lot more bodies around for those in-breaking routes, and Trubisky is able to diagnose and get yards over the middle of the field. He was the literal worst with curl routes, but I think it's fair to assume that part of the blame goes to his receiving targets.

Speaking of awful receivers, I can't totally ignore that he struggled to the routes that broke to the outside. I would say that this is a little concerning as these are generally tougher physical throws to make accurately, but this may be another case of his receivers not giving him a whole lot to work with. It may also be the lack of chemistry built with those receivers, especially since Mike Glennon was getting first team reps during the offseason and even for the first month of the season. It's something to keep an eye on, but it's a little early to be worried about it.

The biggest positive out of all of this is that there is hope on the horizon when it comes to the Bears coaching staff. With new head coach Matt Nagy and offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, this offense will not only be interesting but is actually getting people excited. This is the reason for all of the buzz around the Bears this season, because if they still had the same coaching staff, Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Trey Burton, and the epic return of Kevin White wouldn't matter (and maybe that last one still won't matter). With the added weapons and offensive minds that will play to Trubisky's strengths, this offense has everything it needs to put up points.

Now it's time for Trubisky to deliver.

The Chicago Bears Took Their 7th Round Pick (Jav)on a Wims

The Chicago Bears concluded their 2018 NFL Draft by adding size at the wide receiver position with Georgia pass catcher, Javon Wims. Now, it's the seventh round, so it's tough to get super excited about guys at this point. Below is how he tested at the combine.

Well, he certainly did test, but unless you get your rocks off seeing 81st percentile in weight, it's tough to get too amped up about this. Also, his arm length is shockingly short for a man that tall. T-Rex is not the animal I want my receiver to be built like, but again, it's the seventh round so you get what you get.

By searching YouTube, I found out that he has two nicknames in "Juice" and "Jump Ball," but he clearly prefers Juice as that is what he refers to himself as on Twitter.

Did I find anything else interesting about Wims? His tenth best comp according to his testing numbers was Mo Brown, a really tremendous Iowa Wide Receiver. How did his pro career go? Well, let's not worry about that.

Conclusion
Javon Wims is a football player.

Kylie Fitts Is the Chicago Bears Lottery Ticket

In the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears took a high-risk, high-reward prospect in Utah edge rusher, Kylie Fitts. Considering it was the sixth round, it was a great time to take a chance on a guy, because it certainly won't be the end of the world if the guy even makes the roster. The reason he is risky is that he has some serious durability issues. Due to this, he never was really able to find his groove on a football field. He's raw, but the dude is an athlete, and I would 100% classify this guy as a physical freak.

Do you like speed? Do you like strength? Do you like ridiculous quickness on top of that? Yeah, Kylie Fitts has got it all going physically. Still, because of injuries, his best year was in 2015 when he had 41 tackles with seven sacks. That is a really good year for a sophomore, but because of injuries, he never improved on it. So I went to the 2017 tape and checked out his game against West Virginia to see if he had the ability to turn his athleticism into actual football skills.

You can definitely see his strength on tape as he is able to move linemen that get in his way, but he didn't really show the moves to take advantage of a guy back-pedaling on him.

As for highlights? Well, there really wasn't anything of note. You could see the athleticism as he moved well and showed explosiveness on certain occasions, but it never turned into anything in regards to production.

Conclusion
Kylie Fitts has the greatest chance of any Bears draft pick to never see the field in Chicago. That being said, with his athletic traits, his potential is through the roof. There are already reports that he was tearing it up at minicamp, and this doesn't surprise me at all. If he can just stay healthy, he's probably athletic enough to at least become a situational pass rusher. If he can take advantage of health and refine his technique, he could be one of the great steals of this draft. In the sixth round, you really couldn't ask for any more than that.