Chicago Bears Rookies: The Future Is Bright
By Flo Ottis
ILB Nick Kwiatkoski
The inside linebacker with the nearly unpronounceable name is a Bear to keep an eye on. He’s strong, tough, and aggressive. He finishes every tackle with authority. A former safety, Nick Kwiatkoski brings good instincts and feel in coverage to the table as well.
The 4th-round selection missed most of training camp and preseason due to a hamstring injury. He was also inactive against the Texans and Eagles in Week 1 and 2. But what he’s shown when active against the Browns in preseason, and in the last 3 weeks, his tackling was nothing short of spectacular. Sure, he’s only had limited snaps so far and not everything has been perfect, and even though he impresses as a fundamentally sound tackler, he’s had his raw moments. But boy oh boy, most of his snaps he’s looked like an extremely valuable asset to the Bears ILB core. Plus, having veterans Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan as mentors, he could turn out to be a lot more than just a depth piece in the future.
Stats:
@ DAL: 1 tackle
vs DET: 2 tackles