Chicago Bears Draft: Players worth trading up for
By Ryan Heckman
Safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Florida
Another prospect having different projections at the moment is Chauncey Gardner-Johnson out of Florida. The versatile defensive back has been mocked within both the first and second rounds over the past month or two, and he’s talented enough for Pace to make a move up and grab even in the early-to-mid second round.
More from Da Windy City
- 3 takeaways from Chicago Blackhawks shootout loss to Nashville
- Chicago Cubs in the middle of chaos that is Shohei Ohtani’s free agency
- The Chicago Cubs are on a roller coaster of emotions chasing Shohei Ohtani
- Chicago Bears quietly compiling list of head coaching candidates
- Chicago White Sox News: Erick Fedde signs two-year deal
Right now, the Bears are fine at safety. They are, of course, returning Eddie Jackson at the free safety spot and brought in Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to replace Adrian Amos as the strong safety.
Beyond those two, Deon Bush and DeAndre Houston-Carson will serve as depth. Gardner-Johnson would be an upgrade from both of them and couldend up replacing Clinton-Dix next year.
What I love about Gardner-Johnson is the fact that he offers an ability to play up in the slot. Obviously, the Bears signed Buster Skrine to do that, but Gardner-Johnson is great playing up in the box.
He is one who loves the action. He will gladly help in run support and is good at it. But, he can also play single high if needed. That’s probably the area I’d be most worried about, though, and I would assume Chuck Pagano keeps him more in the box.
Having performed well at the Combine with a 40-yard dash of 4.48 seconds and a 36.0-inch vertical jump, Gardner-Johnson helped his stock a lot.