Nobody knows for sure who the Chicago Bears will target in the 2016 NFL draft, but one name is beginning to rise to the top.
It’s difficult to keep count of the different players that mock drafts have tagged going to the Bears with the 11th overall pick. Such is part of the process. Different scenarios breed different selections. It’s all about playing the board in order to get the best player possible. However, in the midst of all that mess, sometimes trends can appear. A singular name starts to become the favorite not just of fans but national experts as well.
That is becoming the case for the Bears. Who is the player in question? Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd. Viewed as one of the most athletic defenders in the 2016 draft class, Floyd is a high upside speed rusher with speed, agility and length. He’s viewed as the prototypical outside linebacker for a 3-4 defense, hence the connection to Chicago who are in the market for quarterback hunters.
As it turns out several top draft personalities are beginning to connect Floyd to the Bears. The two most prominent? Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay of ESPN. Both have separately declared their belief that he is everything Chicago needs on defense and would be well worth the pick at #11.
Kiper
"In fact, Kiper told ESPN 1000’s “Waddle and Silvy Show” he envisions sticking with Floyd at No. 11 in his next mock draft.“I’ll probably keep it there,” Kiper said. “There’s been talk of Leonard Floyd going one pick earlier to the New York Giants, so we’ll see how that all plays out…”“But if Floyd is there, I really don’t have him rated that high, but a lot of people in the league like him. Our own [ESPN NFL Analyst] Tedy Bruschi has a high grade on him and said he loves everything he sees from Leonard Floyd. I didn’t think he maximized that ability week in and week out at Georgia. He needs to get stronger in the weight room. But he’s a talent, and if he’s there at No. 11, certainly he would be under consideration.”“He put on the weight. He played at 230 pounds to 235 pounds at Georgia and he got bigger as the season progressed, and looked bigger at the combine and his pro day. He tested out tremendously athletic. He is one of the best athletes among the linebackers in this draft. When you go back and look at the tape, he does flash. I think the scheme in college may have prevented him from having more production…”"
McShay
"“I think Leonard Floyd belongs in the top 10 and could go even as high as No. 10,” he said. “I think he’d be a perfect fit for what Chicago’s looking for, in terms of a versatile linebacker that can be that outside linebacker, also can play some off the ball. He can drop into coverage on occasion, but what Floyd does best is rush the passer off the edge. Great initial burst, the ability to bend around the edge.”“I think while his production didn’t always match up, and the way they used him at Georgia may be different than the way he’s used in the NFL,” McShay said, “I just think he has a chance to be more productive in the NFL than he was even in college. I think for a ’34’ team in Chicago, that would be a really good fit.”"
What makes Floyd so attractive to the Chicago Bears specifically is his speed. With Pernell McPhee, Lamarr Houston and Willie Young they have three guys who win more with power. They aren’t known for their explosion. They need somebody coming off the edge who has burst like a Von Miller or Justin Houston. Floyd isn’t at that level yet but he has the potential for it.
Nothing is set in stone when it comes to the NFL draft. That’s proven every year. What some outside experts might see as perfect fits for a team, that team may not even be considering. Still, there is no doubt that Floyd should be in play for the Bears when they go on the clock.