Denzel Ward
Like Alabama, another team that has had success sending defensive backs to the NFL over the last few years has been Ohio State. In the first round alone last year, OSU had three defensive backs (Marshon Lattimore, Malik Hooker, and Gareon Conley) drafted into the first-round. Two of those three were players that were high on the Bears draft board and would have filled in a need immediately. This year, Denzel Ward will continue that tradition.
Like Minkah Fitzpatrick above, Denzel Ward is another player who can be an effective, long-term option for the Bears as a defensive back.
However, in terms of his height, he may not be the ideal guy the Bears target due to what Vic Fangio covets in a cornerback. What Fangio likes are long cornerbacks. However, Ward is listed at just 5-foot-ten.
He is, however, one of the toughest cornerbacks in what is a deep class of cornerbacks. Although he’s just 5-foot-ten, one thing that Ward does is play bigger than his size.
Another two assets that Ward brings to the table are speed and speed and good footwork. He also rarely allows any separation from the receiver. Ward’s height could be an issue at the next level as there is a chance that he struggles when he’ll have to deal with bigger wide receivers.
At the next level, it’s likely that Ward ends up being a man-cover cornerback. Last year, the Bears allowed only one wide receiver, Antonio Brown, to pass the one hundred yard receiving mark. Considering the Bears had to face guys like Julio Jones, Mike Evans, DaVante Adams, and Alshon Jeffery, that’s an impressive stat. It also further proves that perhaps the Bears won’t be targeting a cornerback in the first round.
Regardless of what happens, Ward deserves consideration as he’s got everything it takes to play at a high level in the NFL.