Chicago Bears: Two local 2019 NFL Draft prospects to consider
The Chicago Bears are going into this NFL draft coming off of a strong season, and they should look no further than one local university for a late round steal.
The Chicago Bears, as we all know, were one of the elite teams in the National Football League in 2018. Many project them to be very good again next season. The division is suspect and they are not losing any core pieces.
Every team, though, needs to improve every offseason no matter how good they were the previous year. Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL which is why improving is so important. There is good depth in most NFL Drafts and the Bears will need to take advantage.
The reason Chicago needs to take advantage of later round depth is due to trading away their first and second round picks. Their first-round pick was included in the trade for Khalil Mack and their second-round pick was traded away at last year’s draft in order to select Anthony Miller. They are going to need some late round magic if they plan on using the 2019 Draft to make a serious impact on both their present and future.
Obviously, in the later rounds there are guys that are not as highly regarded as the guys in the early rounds but in every sport, there are always later round steals. There is one conference in college football that seems to pump out late round steals all the time. They are also known for a rare first-round guy throughout history as well.
That conference, of course, is the Mid-American Conference, otherwise known as the MAC. The MAC has schools all throughout the midwest and in our case, Northern Illinois University is one we like to highlight. No school in the MAC has been more consistent as of late than NIU.
As defending MAC Champions, there are of course a few guys hitting the NFL Draft and could be potential picks for the Chicago Bears. The last NIU graduate to make an impact in the NFL? Look no further than the division rival Detroit Lions. One of their best receivers is Kenny Golladay. There is also Jimmie Ward, a first-round selection and now a safety for the San Francisco 49ers.
As far as this group of Huskies to look at for the NFL Draft, there are two standouts. One is on offense and one is on defense. These guys can make a serious impact. Let’s start on the defensive side.