Ziggy Ansah franchise tag means Chicago Bears must go all in on Tremaine Edmunds
By Ryan Heckman
With one big named edge rusher off the board, it’s time the Bears make one player their focus for the draft.
Tuesday afternoon, the Detroit Lions made it official placing their franchise tag on veteran pass rusher Ezekiel Ansah, assuring the Chicago Bears will not be able to pursue him in free agency next month.
With Ansah off the table, the next best option to fill the void opposite Leonard Floyd is clearly found via the 2018 NFL Draft.
One of the highest graded players coming out of this year’s class is none other than linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. The Virginia Tech standout will likely be a top-10 pick, however many experts have him labeled as one of the top five overall players available.
tremaine edmunds is going to be a sick WLB pic.twitter.com/nQalLn0LxP
— Tyler Morales (@TylerMorales0) February 14, 2018
Because it is such a quarterback-needy group of teams picking ahead of the Bears, Ryan Pace may very well have a shot at drafting Edmunds at number eight overall. But, if word gets around that teams ahead of Chicago really like him, Pace needs to do whatever it takes to secure Edmunds on his roster.
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Many experts have found it hard to compare Edmunds to anyone in particular in the NFL, but most agree that he has future All Pro written all over him.
Edmunds has a rare mixture of both size and speed at the linebacker position and can cover a heck of a lot of ground in a hurry.
What makes Edmunds intriguing is the fact that he can play either inside or outside linebacker comfortably. Whatever position he plays as a pro, there is no doubt he will be able to do anything the coaches ask of him.
One of the reasons Edmunds makes a lot of sense for the Bears is because they are looking to get younger at the position. Having already released Jerrell Freeman and Pernell McPhee, Pace and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio are ready to move forward with their youth movement.
But, in order to do so, they need some help. They will likely approach free agency with linebacker near the top of their priority list, along with receiver. But, the draft presents such a must-have player in Edmunds that it is imperative the Bears get their hands on him.
Pace has been known to surprise everyone on draft day, never being afraid to make a trade. If it comes to that scenario, I have no doubt Pace will make the right move if Edmunds is atop their board. Rest assured, many Bears fans are hoping he is.