2020 NFL Draft: Chicago Bears get stellar cornerback duo

The Chicago Bears came away with a stellar CB duo in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Chicago Bears did not have a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft thanks to the Khalil Mack trade.

Although the Bears are certainly not lamenting the fact that Mack is on their roster and a cornerstone piece of their franchise right now, it’s always tougher to navigate the NFL Draft without a first-round pick.

It’s even tougher when you only have two picks in the top 100 and no picks in the third or fourth round.

All things considered, the Bears actually came out quite nicely.

Chicago Bears 2020 NFL Draft haul

• TE Cole Kmet, Notre Dame
• CB Jaylon Johnson, Utah
• EDGE Trevis Gipson, Tulsa
• CB Kindle Vildor, Georgia Southern
• WR Darnell Mooney, Tulane
• OT Arlington Hambright, Colorado
• OG Lavhavious Simmons, Tennessee State

Cole Kmet was considered by some to be the best tight end in the 2020 NFL Draft class. Jaylon Johnson was projected by many to be a first-round pick (including me).

Those top two picks should help the Bears right away, but I wanted to highlight two selections that I absolutely loved by Chicago, which were the picks of Utah’s Jaylon Johnson and Georgia Southern’s Kindle Vildor.

Johnson has starter traits as an outside cornerback but for the Chicago Bears and Chuck Pagano’s defense, I think he can play both inside and outside as need be.

He has the size and athletic ability to mirror any type of receiver in man coverage, and he also does a good job reading the quarterback’s eyes in zone coverage. His diverse background in multiple coverages gives him a chance to compete for a starting job immediately as a rookie, but he may not have to flex inside as a nickel very often thanks to Kindle Vildor, one of ‘my guys’ in this draft class.

Vildor, playing at Georgia Southern, certainly didn’t receive the fanfare he would have if he had otherwise played at a power five school, but he has a really fun reel of tape and big potential as a nickel corner in the NFL.

Vildor had a knack at Georgia Southern for finding the football, and he has tremendous confidence in man coverage, sometimes a little too much.

Vildor shows the mirror skills and requisite athleticism to play inside as a nickel at a high level in the NFL.

While Kindle Vildor shows some outstanding athletic traits for his position, Jaylon Johnson has pretty average to above-average metrics across the board.

Regardless of their athletic profiles, both of these players have the kind of experience at the collegiate level to get early playing time with the Chicago Bears, and with that experience has come a level of confidence at the position that only comes the more time you spend on the field.

Both Vildor and Johnson have shown in their time at the collegiate level that they have a very natural feel for the game, which helps them limit really ugly reps.

I think both of these guys have the upside to be longtime starters in the NFL and they should contribute immediately in Chicago.