Chicago Bears Mock Draft 3.0: Trade brings Round 2 steal
By Ryan Heckman
Round 7, Pick 238
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. CB. Alabama. Saivion Smith. 7. player. 57
Go ahead and stop me if you’ve heard this before: Alabama knows how to churn out NFL-caliber defensive backs.
Look at the Bears as we speak, with both Eddie Jackson and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix back there as the starting safety tandem. Drafting a former Crimson Tide defensive back is never a bad idea, and in the seventh round? Lord have mercy. I don’t care what the experts say, I trust Nick Saban and how he builds a defense down in Tuscaloosa.
Saivion Smith is an interesting prospect, because he was only with Alabama for a year. He played football at a community college in 2017 after playing as a reserve for LSU in 2016. Last year, Smith was brought into Alabama as a starter but lost his role almost immediately. He ended up starting 12 games after taking back his role due to an injury ahead of him.
His size is ideal, standing at 6-foot-1 and weighing about 200 pounds. Smith has average speed for a corner, but is big enough to handle most wideouts in man coverage. While he might not be an every-down starter immediately, Smith would serve himself well being groomed for a couple of years under Pagano and, at the very least, become a staple as a backup and on special teams.
Next. Bears Draft: Under-the-radar running back prospects. dark
Smith still led his team in interceptions with three in 2018 while defending five passes and scoring a defensive touchdown. In Chicago, he’d have no pressure right away and could focus on his development overall. He has the physical traits, but it’s his mental game that needs work. As a seventh-round pick, though, Smith could pan out to be a smart selection.