Chicago Bears could sweep Rookie of the Year awards

Roamin’ Roquan

No matter what site you look at, Smith is listed as one of the favorites to win the award on the defensive side. And he should be as the No. 8 overall draft pick. Beyond simply being a high draft choice, Smith was regarded by many as either the most talented, or most pro-ready defensive player in the draft.

I fully expect Smith to stuff the stat sheet and put up impressive numbers this season. In his final season at the University of Georgia, Smith racked up an impressive 137 tackles in 15 total games. Part of the reason he had so many is due to his knack for always being around the football.

His speed and tremendous instincts aid him considerably in always being in the right place at the right time. The biggest concern for Smith coming into the NFL was his size. Even at Georgia, he ran into trouble when offensive linemen got to the second level as he had difficulty shedding those blocks.

Luckily he will have Akiem Hicks, and Eddie Goldman eating up space on the line allowing Smith to roam free. As a result, the conditions are in place for him to record an insane number of tackles. The reality is if he can get to his spot, he is not going to miss the tackle. I know I’ve mentioned this before but it’s worth repeating — last season Smith missed only one tackle in run defense.  Just one out of 74 opportunities.

With those aforementioned instincts, if he can throw in a couple of interceptions to go along with 80+ tackles, he will put himself in prime position to be named Defensive ROY. Will he be able to? We find out starting in a little over a week.