Chicago Bears Draft Prospects: Outside Linebackers
Jaylon Smith (6-foot-3, 240 pounds) — Notre Dame
The 2015 Consensus All-American and Butkus Award winner had a great season. He recorded 115 tackles, and led the nation in solo tackles (69) and assists (46). He also had 9 tackles for loss, and 5 passes defended.
Smith, is one of the most NFL-ready outside linebackers in the nation. He has balance, burst and speed. He can diagnose plays quickly and tackles well. In fact, he may be the hardest hitter in this draft.
He is not just a hard hitter. Smith wraps up well, and has an eye for the ball. He uses good tackling technique, so when he wraps you up, you will be going down.
Smith’s combination of speed and power allow him to effectively rush the passer and drop back in coverage. It also helps him stay on the field. In the next level, he could be a three-down player. For this reason, he can be utilized in either the 3-4 or 4-3 scheme. Again, Fangio loves to move his pieces around, so having Smith would really help.
Smith was rated as the number two outside linebacker in the draft. The concern, of course, is the injury he sustained in the Fiesta Bowl.
Smith landed awkwardly after being pushed on a play, and had to be helped off the field. It turned out that he tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee. He had surgery, and decided to enter the draft now, even though he had another year of eligibility.
We have seen with Todd Gurley that a player can suffer that injury and still play at a high level. Gurley may win the NFL Rookie of the Year a season after going down. Also, Willis McGahee suffered a similar injury in his last collegiate game, and he had a solid career.
More from Da Windy City
- Juan Soto appears headed to the Yankees which is not a big blow Chicago Cubs offseason
- 3 takeaways from Chicago Blackhawks shootout loss to Nashville
- Chicago Cubs in the middle of chaos that is Shohei Ohtani’s free agency
- The Chicago Cubs are on a roller coaster of emotions chasing Shohei Ohtani
- Chicago Bears quietly compiling list of head coaching candidates
Smith’s head coach at Notre Dame, Brian Kelly, gushed over Smith, and feels he’ll have no trouble recovering from surgery. He said Smith was “one of the most dynamic football players I’ve coached in 25 years. I think he’s a generational player at his position. He’ll recover fine from (the injury). We saw (former Georgia and current Rams RB) Todd Gurley have an ACL and MCL (injury); obviously, it didn’t affect his status. The NFL will be lucky to get a young man like this.”
Before the injury, I would have Smith as a top ten draft pick. Some teams may balk with the injury, but Gurley was picked tenth, and we saw how that turned out. I hope the same for Smith. He is truly a great player.
These are the players who could be available for the Chicago Bears. Many see Jack as a viable choice. For my money, if they go for an outside linebacker in the first round, they would be better served to choose Jaylon Smith. I think Deion Jones may go in the second round. If they go elsewhere in the first, choosing him would be a great value.
Next: Chicago Bears Position Review: Outside Linebackers
What do you think? Let us know who you would draft at outside linebacker in the comments below.