Chicago Bears: Which top prospect falls to No. 8 after Colts-Jets draft trade?

Minkah Fitzpatrick

When we talk about top 10 picks in this draft, I keep getting the feeling that Fitzpatrick might be the guy that gets slept on the most.

He’s a jack-of-all-trades-type player that perhaps also carries the stigma of being a master-of-none.

I’m not sure if that’s totally fair, though. From what I’ve seen, he has the physical ability to succeed no matter where you put him.

He can play basically any secondary position you could want, a la Tyrann Mathieu with the Arizona Cardinals. And he has the size and speed to match up with big receivers as well as quick, speedy slot guys.

In fact, he suggested that slot corner might be his best NFL position when asked at the NFL Combine.

Ah…now that might trip a wire with some teams.

Lockdown outside corners are the guys that make the money in the NFL. Slot corners, while increasingly more important, can be a bit easier to find. As such, spending a really high draft pick on a guy who, while tremendously useful, might not be a top-notch outside player could bother some teams.

And with the nearly inevitable influx of top five quarterbacks, Fitzpatrick could fall victim to that perception. That said, maybe I’m just dreaming and he goes to a team like the Colts, who still need to build their defense.

Anyway, one can only hope he slips all the way to No. 8.

Sure, the Chicago Bears re-signed Kyle Fuller to a long-term deal and brought Prince Amukamara back on a three-year deal. Yes, the Bears have Eddie Jackson and Adrian Amos roaming at safety. And of course the Bears will also look for Bryce Callahan to continue his strong play from the slot.

But none of those positions are so rock-solid that Fitzpatrick couldn’t push for playing time. Particularly at safety, the Bears will also have a big decision to make with Amos, who could become a free agent in 2019.

Will Amos be worth the money he’ll probably want? And is he really so good that they can’t replace him with a rangier, more skilled player like Fitzpatrick?

The brutally honest answer to both questions is probably no.

As well as he played last year alongside Jackson, he’s far from irreplaceable, unless he somehow morphs into an unbelievable playmaker the likes of which he hasn’t been as a Bear.

Fitzpatrick could absolutely fill that void as well as provide insurance for Callahan, who often struggles to stay healthy.

Plus, if the Chicago Bears were happy with their secondary as is and wanted to trade the Fitzpatrick pick, someone would probably make that move. I imagine they’d get a second- or third-rounder out of it.

Still, if I’m the Bears, I take him, assuming that he and not the next guy on the list is there. He adds a lot of talent and value to a secondary that can still greatly use it.