Chicago Bears: It’s Leonard Floyd’s time to shine

Characteristics

Height: 6’4″
Weight: 251lbs
Age: 26
Experience: 3 years

College: Georgia

Leonard Floyd was extremely effective at Georgia. He did not put up huge sack totals, but he was also not asked to rush the quarterback every play. During his final season as a Bulldog, Floyd would split time as both an inside and an outside linebacker.

If you look at his 2015 stats, you will notice he only had 4.5 sacks, but he also had 8.5 tackles for loss. His tackle total went up too, which is indicative of playing more on the inside during that season. Floyd also added three pass deflections and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.

In his two prior years, Floyd finished with 6.5 and 6 sacks. What you do not see on paper though is his presence as a pass rusher without the finish. He was a constant disruption in the backfield, and although that does not always equate to sacks, disrupting a play behind the line of scrimmage is a big deal.

Floyd proved his athleticism at the NFL Combine too. He ran a 4.60 seconds 40-yard dash. This was important as the pass rusher put on necessary weight before the Combine but did not show a decrease in speed. Floyd’s on the field play coupled with his Combine results were enough for Ryan Pace to draft him in the first round.

NFL: Bears

The Chicago Bears needed a more consistent pass rush when heading into the 2016 season. Ryan Pace and the Bears decided to take a chance on Leonard Floyd at ninth overall. Floyd was said to be a situational pass rusher going into his first season of the NFL and he did not disappoint.

As a rookie, Floyd started in 12 games and finished with seven sacks. He was put in positions to succeed. On top of the sack total, Floyd had six tackles for a loss and nine QB hits. From a turnover standpoint, Floyd forced a fumble, recovered a fumble for a touchdown and generated a safety.

Unfortunately for Floyd, he has struggled with injuries. His numbers have come in spurts at times too. During his second season, these things continued. Floyd was able to generate 4.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss and 12 QB hits. He recovered another fumble and forced yet another safety. Floyd’s season was limited yet again though as he sustained a knee injury and only played 10 games.

Last year Floyd went into camp with a club on his hand. He was able to start in all 16 games though, which was a big upgrade for him. Although he played in 16 games, Floyd only sacked the quarterback four times. He hit the quarterback 11 times though, which is an underrated stat. In comparison, Khalil Mack had 18 QB hits last season.

The Bears do not need Floyd to be as good as Khalil Mack, but they do need him to be a consistent disruption for opposing offenses.