Chicago Bears NFL Draft: 5 wildcard options at pick number 9
By Ryan Heckman
Wildcard options for the Chicago Bears at pick number 9: Joey Porter Jr., CB
The Bears could wind up needing another starting cornerback, should they decide to upgrade Kindle Vildor’s spot. Jaylon Johnson is locked in as a starter on the outside, and Kyler Gordon seems poised to play the slot where he looked more comfortable as a rookie last year.
That leaves Vildor starting opposite Johnson, unless the Bears draft a cornerback high. The obvious choice, if he’s on the board, is Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez. However, Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. would not be out of the ordinary by any means.
Porter has tremendous size at 6-foot-2. He offers great length and ball skills to break up passes regularly. Best of all, he might be the most physical corner of his class. He has ideal play strength and can reroute wide receivers better than any of his peers.
If the Bears went with Porter, they would have one of the best, youthful secondaries in all of football. There would be no position of weakness. Most experts have Porter going in the teens or twenties, but the Bears wouldn’t shock me if they took him ninth.