2018 NFL Draft: Top three draft needs for the Chicago Bears

Edge Rusher

If the Chicago Bears land in the top 10 and stay there, this is the direction I most expect them to go. Here’s why.

Though Floyd looks the part of a dynamic player at outside linebacker, the Bears haven’t had any consistency opposite him.

Pernell McPhee will likely never be what he was in 2015 again, with his balky knees sapping his explosiveness and limiting his playing time. Willie Young, though he’s been productive for the Bears, turns 33 next year and has missed much of this year with a triceps tear (IR). And Sam Acho and Isaiah Irving are backups, not solutions to this problem.

For my money, I’d have to think North Carolina State’s Bradley Chubb is at the top of the list for the Chicago Bears as an edge rusher. Having watched quite a few of his games over the last few weeks, he should be, anyway. He’s a monster.

Furthermore, his profile as a power rusher would seem to parallel the dynamic that a healthy McPhee has with the speedy/athletic Floyd. Knowing what it’s like to watch those two feed off one another and help make each others’ jobs easier, I’d LOVE to see Chubb starting opposite Floyd.

If they opted to go someplace else with their first pick, someone like Florida State’s Josh Sweat could interest them as a long, athletic pass rusher later on.

Adding another difference-making pass rusher could help this defense continue the ascent it has begun. At this point, it seems impossible that they won’t at least attempt to do so.