Chicago Bears: How free agency affects the NFL Draft
By Usayd Koshul
1. The Bears still need to draft a safety
Despite signing Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in what can be considered the Bears’ best free agent signing of 2019, there’s no guarantee that Clinton-Dix is going to be with the Bears beyond 2019. The reason for this is simple: Clinton-Dix signed a one-year deal that only lasts for the 2019 season.
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The Bears will need to find a long-term solution at the safety. With just five draft picks, the team will need to make the most of what they have if they decide to select a safety. Luckily for Ryan Pace and co., the 2019 NFL Draft features plenty of talent at the safety position. When the Bears are on the clock with the 87th overall pick in the third-round, safety could be one of the first positions the team decides to address.
The plan to be executed here is this: Draft a safety who can sit and learn behind Ha Ha Clinton-Dix for one year before eventually taking over as a starter in 2020.
Some names that the Bears would be wise to keep an eye are Darnell Savage Jr. (Maryland), Amani Hooker (Iowa), Johnathan Abram (Mississippi State), Taylor Rapp (Washington), and Marquise Blair (Utah). All five would fit nicely into the Bears defense.
Of the four names listed above, the highest on the Bears draft board should be Savage and Hooker. Both have been listed by many as names to watch on day two of the NFL Draft and would make for being ideal starters next to Eddie Jackson in a few years.