Jonathan Allen
Allen has received a ton of praise by scouts and the media. Some consider him the second-best defender in the draft behind Myles Garrett. He could easily be there when the Bears make their pick but should they take him? Do they need a defensive tackle? Would he be the best player available at number three?
Some of what scouts like about Allen is his ability to explode into blockers and knock them backwards. He is dominant on the line of scrimmage and asserts his dominance with pure power. He stays with opposing blockers and moves through them to get to the play. Allen’s hand use is superior to most and he uses them constantly (by constantly keeping them moving).
In a league where rushing the passer is an important skill, Allen is going to be someone who consistently gets to the quarterback. His sheer power pushes him up the field quickly as he moves through the pocket and takes down the quarterback. He can rush the quarterback from different positions on the line (from the interior and at the end of the line). That gives him the versatility to play end or tackle.
Allen has a lot of playing time under his belt as well and general managers will like all that experience.
There isn’t much of a downside to Allen other than he does let blockers push him around at times and can get locked in on blocks. Stronger and more powerful blockers can take him out of plays especially in the run game.
Allen could be the consummate defensive player and he would be worth taking at number three. In fact, many draft prognosticators have the Bears taking him with their first pick in the draft. Chicago couldn’t go wrong taking him. He would make their defense instantly better. Imagine Allen and a healthy Eddie Goldman. The possibilities are endless.