Chicago Bears Grading the Pick: Roquan Smith
The Chicago Bears selected Roquan Smith, linebacker from Georgia. How would you grade the pick?
Roquan Smith has been a much discussed prospect tied to the Chicago Bears for sometime now. He has been much discussed on the site from our draft profile, to our film room breaking down the differences he presents from Tremaine Edmunds. We made the case for Roquan Smith. Heck, we formulated a 7-round mock draft around Roquan Smith. You should know the player by now. So how is the grade?
Need?
Yes. Listen,I like Nick Kwiatkoski as much as the next guy. I also understand how limited he is. Roquan Smith next to Danny Trevathan is an implosion of speed and reactionary movements. Both can call plays, both can run sideline to sideline and both can control the defense from the middle.
Value?
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Check. Most everyone had Roquan Smith as the top overall player on the board at the time. My personal rankings had Roquan Smith second overall behind Quenton Nelson. There is an argument that the positional value of a tackle or pass rusher should have pushed Smith down. However, for an elite level prospect ranked so highly by so many, he outweighs the positional.
Player?
As highlighted, check. He is the fastest player in the draft. Maybe not in timed speed, but in reactionary speed. Many worry about his size and shedding blocks. In the spread out nickel league, that should be less of an issue as he roams freely in space on most occasions. That is also a minor issue that has to be mentioned when poking and prodding at these players to find weaknesses. He is elite in his position, he has Hall of Fame upside and he fits the scheme. You know what this gets