Chicago Bears: Five potential first-round targets in 2021 NFL Draft
Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri
Nick Bolton has been criminally under talked about throughout the 2021 NFL Draft process. I know inside linebacker isn’t one of the sexiest of positions but we’ve seen the impact that big talents at the position can have on the right teams. Back in 2019, Devin White and Devin Bush Jr. went in the top ten and have been huge pieces to a couple of the league’s top defenses. Bolton has the stuff to be that type of energy-injecting piece for the Chicago Bears, as he too can make an impact in a multitude of ways.
In his two seasons as a starter with Missouri, Bolton racked up the statistics, totaling 198 tackles with 16.5 of them being behind the line of scrimmage. His energy and aggression are evident on every snap as he always seems to be around the football. A true tone-setter in the middle, Bolton is a physical tackler that has had a few eye-popping sticks in his career. His instincts in coverage are evident and while he is more of a natural zone defender, he has shown enough ability man coverage to make me think he could fit into any look.
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He is a little tight hipped and his processing will need to become more consistent at the next level but pairing him with Roquan Smith, who made significant strides in that department in 2020, would make for a nice duo on the inside for the Chicago Bears. I really like Bolton’s fit here and his fringe first-round projection could even allow the team to trade back to get him if they wanted to add more draft capital.