Chicago Bears: Five cornerback targets in the 2018 NFL Draft

Josh Jackson

As long as we’re talking about cornerbacks the Chicago Bears could take in the first round of the draft, why not talk about arguably the best cover corner in the draft?

That would be Iowa’s Jackson, who stood out repeatedly with his ridiculous ball skills this season.

Just generally, throwing the ball near him did not go well for opponents this season. Jackson defended 27 passes (!), including eight interceptions. In the process, he allowed a catch only 41.3% of the time and made a play on 25.7% of his targets.

That’s…really good.

He has the size you want at 6’2″ and a little over 190 pounds and should make people happy at the NFL Combine with his length. He plays the ball instead of just his man, and the instincts he shows to get to the football demonstrate that.

What’s not to like?

Well, for one thing, he only has 14 career starts (tell me where you’ve heard that before). He was also playing against guys from North Texas a lot of the time, though he also proved he could ball against big-time opponents.

And because he plays with ball-hawking instincts, he has a tendency to play a bit over-aggressively and fall for double moves.

However, one can’t help but feel as though Ed Donatell can certainly work with a guy like that.

Jackson’s just a playmaker, through and through, whatever the concerns about his inexperience. And you know that inexperience has never stopped Pace from taking a chance on a guy if he likes him.

I don’t know if I envision Jackson going to the Chicago Bears at No. 8 overall with all the top talent pushing into the top 10 (which means that Pace will take him there, I’m sure). But if they were to trade down into the middle of the first round, that’s a strong possibility.