2016 NFL Draft Rankings: 3-4 DEs
12.) Jonathan Bullard, Florida (6’3 | 283 | 4.86) – Made steady progress every season during his college career, topped off by an impressive senior season where he racked up 66 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks. Bullard has the size to play DE in the Bears 3-4 scheme and enough strength to slide inside on passing downs. He uses his height effectively to get in passing lanes and his long arms to shed blocks and make plays against the run near the line of scrimmage. Bullard is never going to lead the team in sacks, but he could be one of the best run stoppers in this draft class.
Bears angle: Borderline 1st round pick, who should step in a be a solid run stopper off the bat, which may be what the Bears are looking for with their 2nd round pick.
13.) Austin Johnson, Penn St (6’4 | 314 | 5.32) – Big enough to play multiple spots on the Bears 3-man front and put up impressive tackle stats in college for an interior linemen. Johnson plays with a non-stop motor and the strength to hold his ground against double teams. He also showed a knack for reading plays and always being around the ball, which should get him on the field early in his career. As a junior he reached his career high in sacks with 6 and won’t be an impact pass rusher at the next level, but can get enough push to collapse the pocket and may win the occasional 1-1 match-up and pick up a few sacks per season.
The knocks on Johnson are that he too often is satisfied with holding his ground against double teams and hasn’t develop any pass rush moves. The majority of Johnson’s plays were due to his above-average effort level and awareness instead of explosion off the line or pass-rush technique. That might not be as effective at the next level, but his motor should endear Johnson to the Bears coaching staff.
Johnson is strong enough to play right away, there is no worry about his effort level, and he has the versatility to play anywhere in the Bears front three or move inside in four man fronts.
Bears angle: He’s a bit of a reach in round two but a possibility.
14.) Shawn Oakman, Baylor (6’8 | 269 | 4.88) – An absolute physical freak who had somewhat of a down season in 2015, but was dominant the season before (11 sacks, 19.5 TFLs) and has the frame, athleticism, and strength to be as good as he wants to be at the next level. If you were building a 5-tech DE from scratch, Oakman would be better than what you came up with. He’s basically a create-a-player and if his technique and motor ever catch up with his natural ability, Oakman could be unstoppable.
Bears angle: Too risky for round 2, but too much potential to pass up in round 3
15.) Hassan Ridgeway, Texas (6’3 | 303 | 4.95) – When watching his tape, I made a long list of things I like about Ridgeway. He’s got an ideal build, impressive strength, surprising quickness for a 300-pounder, the ability to shed blockers almost at will, versatility to play well at both the 5-tech and nose tackle, long arms to neutralize double-teams, and he rarely lost a 1-1 match-up. So why isn’t he higher on this list?
Despite the skill-set of a first round pick, Ridgeway’s production never came close to the level it should have. He was waylaid by injuries ranging from minor to a troubling back injury, his lack of stamina rendered him ineffective or on the sideline for long stretches, his weight was an issue at times, and his technique needs a lot of work.
The talent and overall physical tools are there for Ridgeway to become a force at multiple spots on the Bears three-man front, but he needs to show more dedication to football and work with coaches to clean up his technique. There may not be a more talented d-linemen who drops to the 3rd-4th rounds, but Ridgeway needs some work before he makes an impact at the next level. He’s a classic boom-or-bust pick, but with some health, maturity, and coaching.. Ridgeway has Pro Bowl potential.
Bears angle: I’m sure Fangio would love to get his hands on guy with Ridgeway’s skill-set and one of the Bears two 4th round picks seems like the right spot to roll the dice. He’ll most likely be gone before than though.
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