Chicago Bears: Which edge prospect fits best at No. 8 overall?
Harold Landry, Boston College
If you want the polish and possibly immediate production, Landry might be the best bet out of all the linebacker prospects, save perhaps inside linebacker Roquan Smith. Since Smith is an inside linebacker, of course, we’ll leave him out of this for now. That said, the time will come to talk more about him.
Landry helped drive a Boston College defense that ranked in the top 25 in the nation against the pass in 2017 (57th overall).
And as a pass-rusher, he’s been about as a steady as they come over the past few years. And his play has garnered him several honors (First-Team All-ACC, Second-Team AP All-American in 2016, third-team All-ACC in 2017).
If you want a guy who can bend the edge instead of just trying to bowl someone over, Landry’s your guy. His quickness, speed and ability to change direction in space also make him a solid edge defender in general. He’ll play the position with a bit more discipline than the rawer prospects on this list, for example.
Nice strong inside move from Harold Landry. Low pad level and good drive through Mitch Hyatt to dip under for the QB hit which forces an interception pic.twitter.com/nRh8gyY1a1
— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) February 5, 2018
On the other hand, Landry might not entirely fit the profile that Ryan Pace and the Chicago Bears are looking for at a pick as high as No. 8.
Though he has great movement skills and good speed (4.64-second 40), he’s not overly special in other athletic aspects.
He’s described often as “long” but isn’t extremely so with arm length under 33 inches (not that that’s somehow poor). And he’s more moderately than very explosive as an athlete, which doesn’t quite fit with Pace’s first-round pick profile.
Also, he’s on the short side for an outside linebacker/defensive end (6-foot-3), which could cause some struggles against long-armed tackles. That said, maybe his quickness helps negate that to an extent.
Boston College DE Harold Landry vs. FSU (‘16 tape)...There’s the speed off the ball. And the ability to turn the corner. That fits with Landry’s 10-yard split time (1.59) & 3-Cone (6.88). pic.twitter.com/VaKisHIQA2
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) March 25, 2018
While I wouldn’t utterly despise the Bears if they took Landry at No. 8, I don’t view him as a potential home run as a prospect. And the Bruce Irvin comp doesn’t make me feel better about that.
As such, I’d prefer if the Bears went someplace else with this pick. But if Pace loves him and thinks he can provide the best compliment to Floyd, I’d be willing to let it play out. Either way, Landry’s a good football player who should have some success in the NFL.