Chicago Bears 2019 NFL Draft: Late round safety targets
By Ryan Heckman
Mike Edwards, Kentucky
Mike Edwards is a prime example of a prospect getting split evaluations by certain outlets. Right now, he is projected to go anywhere from the third round, all the way down to the sixth. If he’s there in the sixth round, I would expect Ryan Pace to do what he can to move up and grab Edwards.
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As some of you may know, Kentucky has a stellar secondary and all will enter the NFL this year. Edwards has one of the better chances at sticking around a while due to his versatility. He plays strong enough to be considered a slot specialist or a strong safety.
One of Edwards’ best traits is his instinctive intuition when playing up towards the line of scrimmage. He is more than willing to blitz, and he’s great at it. Edwards is also a finisher when it comes to helping out in run support.
Edwards is a kid who is constantly in on the tackle. His last three seasons, Edwards has posted at least 82 tackles, with 100 coming back in 2016. He’s also got tremendous ball skills, finishing with six, seven and eight pass breakups in 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
Physically, he could improve a bit. Adding a little more muscle and working to improve his play speed would benefit him. He’s not fast enough to stick with the real quick receivers, but if the Bears use him correctly, he may not have to.