Projected Roles & Stats for Bears Rookies (Part 1)
It’s been a week since Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace completed his second draft with the team and on paper it could be even better than the 2015 draft which included five players who should start for the Bears in 2016. I doubt five players from this year’s class will earn starting gigs this season, but they all have a chance to contribute in some phase of the game for the Bears.
I’ll be breaking down the projected roles for each of the Bears rookies this year and also try to guess their 2016 stat line. Part one will cover the Bears first four picks in detail with the rest of the rookies covered in part two.
First Round (#9 overall) – OLB Leonard Floyd, Georgia
Grade: B
Not many teams use a top ten pick on a player they don’t expect to start as a rookie (unless it’s a QB), but not only did the Bears do just that, they also traded up to get him. At 6’6 and just 244 pounds, Floyd doesn’t have the necessary strength to be a 3-down OLB as a rookie in the NFL. That doesn’t mean he can’t provide value for the Bears next season.
NFL teams are passing the ball more than they ever and the percentage of pass plays continues to increase each season. More pass plays leads to more sub-packages on defense, packages that include a 3rd corner and OLBs who are better rushing the passer than stopping the run. That’s exactly who Leonard Floyd is right now.
Floyd will need to add muscle and gain experience in coverage before he can be effective playing every down on defense, but he has the natural athleticism and explosiveness off the edge to make an impact rushing the passer as a rookie. He has arguably the quickest first step off all the edge rushers in the draft, the ability to bend almost parallel to the ground while rounding the corner, long arms to keep blockers off of him, and the closing burst to finish plays.
Floyd was built to rush the passer and even without ideal strength could cause plenty of problems for opposing blockers in 2016. The Bears just don’t have anyone like Floyd on their roster and really haven’t since Mark Anderson burst on the scene as a rookie pass rush specialist with 12 sacks in 2006.
The Bears had some OLBs who put up decent sacks numbers last season (McPhee, Houston, Young) but they are all power rushers, not players opposing teams had to game-plan for. You didn’t see teams keeping in an extra blocker because they were worried about Willie Young.
Floyd could change that as early as the 2016 season. His speed off the edge is potentially elite and on obvious passing plays, when Floyd is let loose to rush the QB… He has the talent to be disruptive right away. Floyd may not have the strength yet to finish a lot of plays, but his explosiveness off the edge should get him to the QB first, disrupt the pocket, and result in more sacks for the rest of the defense.
I expect the Bears to limit Floyd’s snaps this season to situations where he can focus on what he does best, getting to the QB. There is plenty of time for him to bulk up and become an all-around impact player, but the Bears need a dangerous edge rusher right now and Floyd has that potential despite less than ideal strength. With his height and long arms, Floyd should also be able to disrupt passing lanes as well.
He adds a new dimension to the Bears defense, a much needed one, and should see enough snaps in 2016 to make a significant impact.
Projected Role: Pass-Rush Specialist
Projected Stats: 38 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 25 pressures, 4 batted passes
Next: Cody Whitehair