Eddie Goldman: Chicago Bears Draft Profile

The Chicago Bears had one of the best overall drafts in recent history and signed some interesting undrafted free agents as well. Over the next week BearGogglesOn will be breaking down the Bears’ draft picks and the UFAs with a legitimate shot to make the 2015 roster. With a new management team taking over the leadership of the Bears and the Bears transitioning to new schemes on both sides of the ball, there will be significant roster turnover. Rumors are already circulating about some veteran players and recent draft picks that may not be on the roster in 2015. With all of the turnover in the front office and coaching staff, there is more of an opportunity than usual for rookies to make the team.

DT Eddie Goldman, Florida State

Attributes:

Height | Weight: 6’4″ | 336 lbs

40-time | 20-yard shuffle: 5.27 seconds | 4.87 seconds

Vertical | 3-cone drill: 26″ | 7.62 seconds

Overview:

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With the Bears switching to a 3-4 defensive front, one of the needs going into this year’s draft was a prototypical run-stuffing nose tackle to anchor the new scheme. Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton were drafted last year to provide depth as rotational tackles in Mel Tucker’s defense and will likely continue to be rotational players at either DE or DT with Vic Fangio taking over as Defensive Coordinator. Jeremiah Ratliff is a bit long in the tooth and the injuries have slowed the 4-time pro bowler, so he seems to fit the mold of an aging veteran who can mentor the incoming Goldman until eventually ceding the starting nose tackle position to him. Coming out of FSU Goldman was projected by some to be a mid-first round pick but slipped to the Bears at #39 overall in the second round, so they filled a need and got great value.

Stats / Highlights:

2014 All-ACC, Sports Illustrated and Associated Press first team selection
62 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 6 sacks (36 games/27 starts)
Led FSU with 4 sacks in 2014
As sophomore in 2013, helped FSU become the #1 scoring defense

Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

Strengths:

In terms of being a run-stuffer, Goldman is exactly what any team would want out of 3-4 nose tackle. He’s big, strong & stout at the point of attack and per NFL.com’s draft analysis “plays the run like a full-grown man”. That statement alone should have Bear fans salivating as the presence of full-grown men (in terms of ferocity & strong play, not dates of birth) has been sorely lacking the past couple of years.

Like many DTs, Goldman doesn’t boast flashy statistics or a lengthy highlight reel from his time at Florida State, but he did his job well enough to help them to a National Championship in 2013 and close to another one in 2014. Being on a high-profile team, which the Jameis Winston-led Seminoles certainly were the past couple of years, should adequately prepare him for high-scrutiny life in the NFL.

Goldman also seems like a player who rises to the occasion, making big plays in big moments for his team. Look no further than his forced fumble in the 4th quarter of FSU’s game vs Clemson last year. The score was tied with about a minute and a half to play and Clemson driving inside the FSU 20. Without Goldman’s strip, its first and 10 at the 15 and Clemson likely wins, derailing FSU’s title hopes and ending the nation’s longest winning streak. Instead he makes the play that forces overtime and for good measure, he records a sack in OT and blows up a subsequent 4th and 1 play. All of which eventually results in a FSU win. Big time players make big time plays, and the Bears may just have a playmaker on their hands.

Weaknesses:

Despite Goldman being adept at run-stopping and disruption, he doesn’t have much in the way of pass-rushing ability as evidenced by his marginal total of 6 sacks during 27 starts at FSU. This weakness in Goldman’s game is one that the Bears can certainly live with, however, as his prime directive will be to clog up the middle and take on multiple blockers — allowing the linebackers behind him to move more freely and make plays.

Another potential knock on Goldman is inconsistency as he’s had games where he’s been dominant, and others where he’s been invisible. This is a somewhat common trait for many players coming out of college and it’s not necessarily the type of thing that defines a player, at least not yet. I’m excited for Vic Fangio to get his hands on him and help Goldman maximize his talent.

Bears Fit:

I can’t remember another year in recent memory where the Bears were lauded more often than panned for their choices on draft day, and I believe the Eddie Goldman selection to be a big part of that. Despite talent that ranked him as high as a mid-1st round selection, the draft unfolded in a way that he fell to the Bears in the 2nd round. Goldman filled a need and was a pick of high value measured against their draft board, and apparently that of many other teams.

The Bears’ defense has been just plain awful the past couple of years and hopefully the Eddie Goldman selection is a step in the right direction. The switch to a 3-4 is underway and the process of bringing in the types of players that fit the scheme and/or the preferences of Vic Fangio has begun. Goldman could be that centerpiece, both literally and figuratively, around whom a formidable defense can be built.

While it’s not reasonable to think one man can alter the fortunes of a bad defense by himself, the reclamation project has to start somewhere. Any football fan knows how vital it is to be strong up front on either side of the ball and without that, just about any other best-laid plan will fall apart. Eddie Goldman has the potential to be that rock in the middle and maybe, just maybe, allow the other guys around him to live up to the potential we haven’t yet seen.

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