2017 NFL Draft: Chicago Bears seven-round mock draft

The Bears invested quite a bit of money into the tight end position, handing Zach Miller and Dion Sims big contracts. Even so, they still need to shore up the position. Miller never played a full season and he turns 33 in October so I’m not sure if his health situation improves with age. Sims has concussion problems so that is a concern with him.

As we saw in 2016, once Miller went down there was no dependable big tight end target who could help in the red zone. The Bears were one of the worst red zone touchdown scoring offenses in the NFL. The quarterback needs that safety blanket he can turn to in the red zone.

Smith can be that red zone target. He can also be a dependable target anywhere else on the field with his good speed, athleticism and great strength due to being a weightlifter in high school.

Smith is dynamic with the ball. He has great feet and his lateral movement is excellent. Once he puts the moves on linebackers, he is off and outruns them. He puts his strength to good use when he blocks.

Smith needs to trust his hands more. He uses too much of his body to make catches and sometimes that causes the ball to bounce off of him.

Smith can play in a backup role while Miller and Sims start games. Should one of them break down, however, he can step in and be a dependable target for the Chicago Bears offense.