Chicago Bears: Projected Lineup Flaunts Draft Success

Pretty much from the start the Chicago Bears were getting high praise for their efforts in the 2016 draft this past spring. Seems it’s expect to impact right away.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that rookies should be expected to contribute as potential starters from the beginning. That’s just the nature of the NFL these days but more than that the Bears were a 6-10 last year. So it’s not like their roster was loaded to begin with. Most of the positions on the depth chart are wide open, making it far easier for a young player to step up and get the job without much obstacle in his path.

Those are the expectations for this year. What looks like a strong rookie class headlined by several underrated linemen are projected to log significant snaps, even under an old school coach like John Fox who has a reputation for not liking to start rookies if it can be avoided.

ESPN Chicago writer Jeff Dickerson released his projected lineup and showed no hesitation in his admiration for how quickly this class will contribute.

"Left guard (Cody Whitehair): First-team All-Big 12 selection at Kansas State went 56th overall in last April’s NFL draft, and could also compete at center.Defensive end (Jonathan Bullard): Taken in the third round after leading Florida’s defense with 17.5 tackles for loss, the most by a Gator since ex-Bears defensive lineman Alex Brown had 18 in 1999.Safety (Deon Bush): Fourth-round choice out of Miami, finished collegiate career with 168 tackles, five sacks, nine forced fumbles and four interceptions."

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The biggest omission to some is 1st round pick Leonard Floyd, who comes with a lot of hype and expectation for helping the Bears’ inconsistent pass rush. However, it makes perfect sense. Floyd wasn’t used in a pure rushing role at Georgia, and his body makeup reflects that. It will take time for him to hone that craft and would be much better served as a situational rusher. Besides, the team still has veterans Lamarr Houston and Willie Young who combined for 14.5 sacks last season.

Whitehair and Bullard, being the teams’ 2nd and 3rd round choices can’t be considered big surprises in their bids to crack the starting lineup but Bush on the other hand can be. He’s facing a rather stiff competition with fellow rookie DeAndre Houston-Carson and second-year man Harold Jones-Quartey (who started at the end of last season) also vying for the job. There is no questioning his talent, but Bush also brings a reputation for wild inconsistency with him from Miami.

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