Chicago Bears 2020 NFL Mock Draft: Midseason Edition
By Usayd Koshul
4. Round Five, Pick 143: DE Josh Uche, Michigan
At some point, the Bears may need to begin thinking about a replacement for Leonard Floyd considering 2020 is set to be Floyd’s final season with the Bears unless they ink him to a new contract extension. But even then, the Bears could benefit from adding some fresh depth behind Floyd and Khalil Mack.
Enter Josh Uche, who’s put together two solid seasons at Michigan in 2018 and 2019. Since becoming a regular part of Michigan’s defense in 2018, Uche has notched 13.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss. Uche wins with three things: Speed, bend, and hand placement. He’s flexible at the hips and his ability to turn the corner quickly is the biggest reason he wins a lot of one-on-one battles.
It’s truly hard to project where Uche will be drafted in April but he just recently accepted an invite to the Reese’s Senior Bowl which means the Bears will have an opportunity to get an extended look at him.
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One aspect of his game that Uche can improve is by learning to be a more effective tackler. There are times where due to inconsistent technique he has trouble bringing ball carriers down. At best, it will take Uche at least a full year as a rotational player in the NFL in order to realize his potential and clean up some of the issues he has as a prospect.