Chicago Bears: 5 most important players for long-term success of the franchise

2. Leonard Floyd, OLB

Unsurprisingly, another recent first-round selection makes the cut here. The Chicago Bears traded up two spots in the 2016 NFL Draft to secure the selection of Leonard Floyd with the ninth overall pick. Primarily an inside linebacker in college, the selection of Floyd seemed odd at the time. That being said, the Bears put him on the outside as an edge rusher and Floyd immediately thrived as a rookie.

Floyd is a ridiculous natural athlete who shows big-time pass rush ability on the outside. In only 12 games as a rookie, he reached the quarterback seven times for a sack and also created a lot of natural pressure on the passer. Floyd was particularly productive late in the season for the Bears.

Floyd is a smooth athlete on the edge who shows an impressive array of pass rushing moves. His ability to reach the quarterback with consistency will likely make him a star in the Bears defense sooner, rather than later.

As great of a natural pass rusher as he is, Floyd does lack in his ability to contain the run game. He is an extremely slender defensive player who can get over-powered at the point of attack and it causes him to get lost in the middle against the run far too often. That is obviously something that he has to work on in order to take the next step.

He is not a perfect player but Floyd’s pass rush upside makes him among the most important players in the franchise going forward. He legitimately has the ability to single-handily reshape the Chicago Bears defensive unit.