Chicago Bears 2017 draft position profiles: Cornerbacks

Jalen Tabor, Florida (6-foot-0, 202 pounds)

Whoever gets Tabor will likely get the steal of the draft. He possesses the most talent of any cornerback in this year’s draft. However, he also possesses the spottiest record.

Florida needed to suspend Tabor on more than one occasion due to his off-the-field behavior. He missed the 2016 season opener because he got into a fight with a teammate.

As is the case with many of these talented, volatile players, a team has to believe they have the ability to rein in the behavior and keep the great play on the field. Normally, that does not work, but the number of success stories grows each season (look at Tyrann Mathieu and Noah Spence).

Tabor’s off-field shenanigans will have him drop in the draft. He is a top-ten talent who may go in the second or even third round. He is saying all the right things now, however. How he performs in the interviews will go a long way to determining how high he will go in the draft.

Tabor has the toughness to fight any receiver on the field. He has great ball skills. Of his 8 interceptions at Florida, he returned 3 of them to the end zone, so he can smell the end zone and get there. That was a struggle for the Bears defense. They ranked dead last in forcing turnovers in 2016 and ranked 20th in defensive touchdowns scored. They need big plays to give the offense a short field or extra points.

Tracy Porter may be a key to this. He is a consumate professional, and he could show the young talent how to be not only a good professional but also a good person.

If I were the Bears, I would stay away from Tabor. There are plenty of talented corners available who don’t have the troubles. Of course, if he drops to the fourth or fifth round…