Chicago Bears: How Bilal Nichols will help Roquan Smith

The Chicago Bears addressed a need on the defensive line with the selection of Delaware tackle, Bilal Nichols in the fifth round.  However, his impact will extend beyond the defensive line and help new star linebacker Roquan Smith.

The Chicago Bears needed to address a need on the defensive line. And no, I am not just talking about edge rusher.

Rather, I am referring to an overall glaring need on the defensive front. Mitch Unrein is gone, Jonathan Bullard is still an unknown, and Eddie Goldman has had some trouble staying on the field.

Enter Bilal Nichols, a 6-foot-3, 306-pound defensive tackle out of the University of Delaware.

Nichols wasn’t on the radar of many Chicago Bears‘ mock drafts, so it was a bit of a surprise when the Bears selected him in the fifth-round. Obviously, the Bears selected Nichols, for the impact he will have on the defensive line.

However, it is the impact Nichols will have on Bears’ first-round pick Roquan Smith that might be the most important.

Nichols will mitigate Smith’s biggest weakness

After the Bears selected Smith, the pundits and experts were effusive with their praise. Smith has tremendous instincts and is unbelievably fast from sideline to sideline. Therefore, when he gets to the ball-carrier, he doesn’t miss. Instead, he drives them into the ground with the ferocity of quintessential Bears linebacker.

However, the one weakness repeated by those same experts was his difficulty shedding blockers due to his smaller stature. Smith stands approximately 6-foot-1 and weighs 236 pounds. Due to being a bit undersized, he relied on his instincts and speed to outmaneuver “would-be” blockers in college.

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While I certainly don’t want to overstate the significance of this, it will be something he’ll have to adjust to in the NFL. However, considering the success Vic Fangio had with similarly sized linebackers like Patrick Willis and Navarro Bowman, I’m not that concerned.

With that in mind, there are things the Bears can do to mitigate that weakness. However, the most important thing they can do is stack the defensive line with monsters who occupy space and offensive linemen.

Remember, when the Bears drafted Brian Urlacher he had the same perceived weakness. However, the Bears addressed it by inserting Alex Brown, Ian Scott, Adewale Ogunleye, and Tommie Harris in front of him.

The hope for the Bears is that Nichols, and the rest of the defensive line, can have the same effect. Nichols, who played tackle in college, will switch to defensive end in the 3-4 scheme. In doing so, he will join stud defensive end, Akiem Hicks, in an effort to solidify the defensive front. Ideally, Nichols will draw a lot of attention from opposing offensive lines and can engage multiple linemen.

Furthermore, if Nichols is able to do that, and with Hicks doing the same on the opposite side, Smith should be able to roam free. In other words, if those offensive linemen are occupied with Nichols and Hicks, then they are not getting to the second level to block Smith. As a result, Smith can use his greatest strengths (instincts and speed) to attack the ball-carrier without obstruction.

Now, what you noticed in the above highlights is Smith flying around the field making plays. While he was doing that, the defensive line was engaged with the opposing team’s offensive line. It goes without saying that this is when Smith is at his best. Fortunately, one of the things Nichols does best is take-on double teams and space.

Next: Is Bilal Nichols an Akiem Hicks clone?

Bottom Line

In drafting Bilal Nichols, the Chicago Bears are getting a player that can be a run-stuffer, and get to the quarterback.  However, they also got a player who will help the team’s top draft pick be the superstar they envision.