2018 NFL Draft: Chicago Bears may shy away from Harold Landry

As much of a difference-maker as Boston College edge rusher 
Harold Landry can be when healthy, injury concerns may force the Chicago Bears to steer away from him in the 2018 NFL Draft.

A day after the Chicago Bears drafted Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith with the No. 8 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, a boat-load of talent remains on the board for Ryan Pace in the draft’s second and third rounds.

Of course, they could stay at No. 39 in the second round and aim to add any number of amazing options. Imagine the thought of potentially being able to pick someone like cornerback Isaiah Oliver, guard Will Hernandez, receivers D.J. Moore or Courtland Sutton or an edge defender like Arden Key or Harold Landry.

Landry, in particular, generated a lot of first-round buzz heading into this week. In fact, more than a few of us thought he could be in play for the Chicago Bears at No. 8.

Curiously, however, Landry’s name wasn’t called in the first round. And now we might know a little bit more about why that happened, thanks to a tweet from NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero.

We already knew that Landry was hampered with an ankle injury in 2017, recording just five sacks last season after racking up a whopping 16.5 sacks in 2016.

And one of the knocks on his scouting report was that his 2017 effort level didn’t seem to match that of 2016.

Perhaps his body, and not his will to compete, was failing him.

Without knowing exactly what is ailing Landry, it’s hard to say for certain whether drafting him in the second round is a substantial risk or not.

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However, seeing the words “knee/back” as medical red flags should absolutely concern people in regards to their team selecting him in the draft. If these are chronic or degenerative conditions, Landry’s NFL effectiveness and longevity could be limited. By all accounts, these could represent more long-term issues than just battling a sprained ankle.

As such, I can’t see the Chicago Bears drafting him with the 39th-overall pick. Maybe the Bears could draft back in second round and take him later on or see if he slips to Round 3, assuming they were acquire a third-round pick in the aforementioned trade-back.

Of course, they could take him at No. 39 if they really wanted to. But at that point, they would almost be forced to draft another edge rusher in the middle rounds as insurance for him.

And anyway, if the Smith pick serves as an indication, the Bears seem to be targeting plug-and-play guys. Plus, they’ve had so many injuries at the linebacker position in the last few years that not being able to fully trust Landry’s health could be discouraging.

Next: Best available second-rounders for Bears

I don’t know that Harold Landry is completely off the board for the Chicago Bears just yet. It depends on what their own staff thinks of his health prospects.

However, the questions about his knee and back could keep the Bears away from him tonight.