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ILB Denzel Perryman, Miami
A tough, sideline-to-sideline run stopper with great play recognition and instincts. He has good short area quickness, closes on the ball well, is a big hitter, and has shown the ability to shed blockers in traffic. Coming into the season his pass coverage skills were in question, but Perryman improved significantly in coverage to the point where it’s no longer considered a weakness. At only 6 feet tall, he will always be at a disadvantage against tall TEs, but that is the only weakness I can find in Perryman’s game.
The Bears are thin at ILB with no established starters and unproven players like Jon Bostic and Christian Jones atop the depth chart right now. Perryman would give the Bears a hard-hitting run stopper in the middle who could contribute right away.
ILB Eric Kendricks, UCLA
Played in the middle for the Bruins and was their defensive captain and leading tackler for three years in a row. Kendricks was ridiculously productive during his 4 years at UCLA with 440 tackles. He is a sideline to sideline run stopper who has great instincts and diagnoses plays quickly. Kendricks is also a sure tackler who rarely misses after initial contact. He is a big hitter with enough speed and instincts to cover WRs but struggles at times with his back to the ball. His lack of size is the main knock on Kendricks, but he’s really a good football player who I think is a 3-down NFL LB. After passing on Chris Borland last year, presumably because he’s too short, hopefully the Bears won’t make the same mistake this year.