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Chicago Bears: Is Malik Hooker Worth the Third Overall Pick in 2017 NFL Draft?

By Khari Thompson

December 31, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes safety Malik Hooker (24) celebrates after intercepting a pass against the Clemson Tigers during the first half of the the 2016 CFP semifinal at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
December 31, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes safety Malik Hooker (24) celebrates after intercepting a pass against the Clemson Tigers during the first half of the the 2016 CFP semifinal at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Could the Chicago Bears take a chance on the electrifying Malik Hooker with their third-overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft?

Despite shoring up the secondary via free agency, the Chicago Bears still must find impact defensive backs in the 2017 NFL Draft. This class is deep at safety and corner, and starters may be available on Days 2-3 of the draft. That said, you’d best believe the Bears are looking hard at the top defensive backs in this draft.

In particular, many have linked safety Jamal Adams to the Bears with the third overall pick, citing his NFL-readiness and hitting ability. Adams would likely be a Week 1 starter at safety and could bring an intimidating presence to the back end of the defense.

But what if the Bears wanted to draft a different kind of playmaker at safety with a top first-round pick? I’m talking, of course, about Ohio State’s Malik Hooker.

I did a write-up on Hooker in January, exploring the traits that have many comparing him to all-time-great safety Ed Reed. While Hooker hasn’t played a down in the NFL, the similarities made between their styles of play aren’t for nothing. His ability to cover the field, sideline to sideline, is unmatched in this draft and perhaps even in the NFL. And, when healthy, Hooker may well be more explosive as an athlete than Reed was coming out of Miami.

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But it’s his outstanding instincts and nose for the football that really remind people of Reed when they watch him. Sometimes, it looks like he knows where the football is going before anyone else does. That’s the real reason a guy can cover 20-30 yards to intercept a pass. And for people who view the fact that some of his seven interceptions in 2016 came off tips as a negative? Well, the fact that he was there in the first place is the difference between an interception and an incompletion. And that’s a HUGE difference.

More impressive is the fact that he’s already developed such a knack for ball-hawking despite his limited football experience. For one thing, he only started for one year at Ohio State. Plus, he’s only been playing football for about five years, period. Some of his inexperience manifests itself in his struggles with tackling and pursuit angles at times. Though he is an explosive, willing tackler, maintaining discipline when open-field tackling can tough for him.

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Also, Hooker is currently rehabbing from surgery, which casts doubt on his draft position. He had surgery to repair sports hernias and a torn hip labrum in January and missed the NFL Combine workouts. However, as NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport has reported, Hooker should be back in time for NFL training camps. In fact, he has been exercising for his rehab since at least March.

Here, it’s worth noting that Hooker has met with the Bears privately, so they’re likely up-to-date on his health situation. Sure, the injury history of the Bears’ past draft picks probably makes selecting him a scary idea. If you take him, you want to be as sure as can be that he’ll be available and be the guy he was pre-injury.

But if Bears team doctors think he’ll fully recover by training camp, he should absolutely be on the Bears’ radar. Yes, safeties have relatively less value compared to that of an edge rusher, defensive end, or quarterback. But, assuming he’s 100%, Hooker has a ridiculous ceiling. I’m talking future, perennial All-Pro safety. Just think: the Bears haven’t had an All-Pro safety since Mike Brown did it twice (2001, 2005).

To be clear, he would need to add bulk and improve his tackling, as Vic Fangio wants safeties who are “interchangeable”—being good in the box as well as in coverage. In that sense, Adams more closely resembles Fangio’s duo of Dashon Goldson and Donte Whitner from his San Francisco days already. Of the two, Adams is clearly the more well-rounded of the two players.

But, as good as Adams is, Hooker’s production in his lone year as a starter was just special. Keep in mind that Hooker scored three defensive touchdowns in 2016 alone.

Adams never managed one touchdown in three years. While that doesn’t make Adams any less of a player, you have to admit that that’s uncanny playmaking from Hooker. Kinda reminds me of someone, actually. If the Bears want to return to the glory days of defensive touchdowns, Hooker’s resume crushes the competition.

Bottom line: if the Chicago Bears want a dynamic playmaker at safety, there is simply no one more dynamic than Hooker. That includes Adams, Obi Melifonwu, and Jabrill Peppers. Truthfully, if Hooker had been healthy at the Combine, we might not even be talking about Adams at number three right now. His elite athleticism, movement ability and ball skills probably would’ve shut Indianapolis down.

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Should the Bears want to select him without trading down within the top-ten, they have to take him third overall. And If it looks like he’ll be 100% by training camp, the Bears just might be tempted to select one of this year’s most special defensive prospects in the 2017 NFL Draft. After all, wouldn’t you at least think about it if you had a shot to possibly draft the next Ed Reed?

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