Chicago Bears draft profile: Jonathan Greenard can provide edge depth

Should the Chicago Bears draft Jonathan Greenard from Florida?

Jonathan Greenard was a highly regarded recruit who started his career at Louisville. After a breakout 2017 season in which he posted seven sacks, Greenard broke his wrist and missed 2018.  His head coach got fired, and he was able to graduate transfer to Florida for 2019.

Greenard had by-far his best season, posting 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss in a year where he finished All-SEC. Greenard has a draft range that seems to fall anywhere from round 2 to round 5, as many wonder who this transfer player is.

The Chicago Bears added Robert Quinn, ensuring edge rusher is not a primary need. However, they need depth and Quinn is approaching age 30. Would investing in Jonathan Greenard fit?

Measurables

When looking at Greenard, the first thing you notice is his length. He has great length for the position. He also has good athleticism for a player who puts his hand in the ground and rushes, similar to Robert Quinn. His physical profile is much closer to Quinn than Floyd.

Strengths

His length pops out on tape, and he knows how to use it. His hand technique is dominant and his long-arm move gives him separation from tackles as he works to turn the corner. Speaking of worker, NFL.com described him as a worker-bee in his ability to grind out tackles until the whistle blows. When he has his hands on you, he controls the movement. This helps in setting the edge as a strong run defender.

Beyond that, he has consistently got better year, and year out, and came back from his injury to post career-high numbers in a new scheme.

Weakness

The biggest issue for Greenard is when it comes time to turn the corner. He can fight and use his length to create separation. He also has that worker-bee mentality to finish rushes off, but he is slow to turn the corner and get around to the quarterback. It usually is his strong ability to set an edge and push a pocket that wins.

His inside rushes are much more refined than when tries to get around tackles. He also had his best success against weaker tackles and disappeared when the competition got better.

NFL Comparison

When looking at some of the best physical and athletic comparisons for Jonathan Greenard, Derrick Morgan came up. This is a great comparison for Greenard. Morgan had a long career where he never reached 10 sacks, but had five out of six seasons in his prime where he went over six sacks. He was a consistent, worker-bee who had great success against the run, which gave him a long NFL career. Morgan also has that length that you can see from Greenard. Here is their physical comparison.

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Morgan was a first-round pick, but given his lower ceiling, he may have been over-drafted. However, Greenard is looked at as a mid-round pick. Getting the type of career out of Morgan that a team gets out of Greenard at his draft slot will likely be a draft value.

Fit with Chicago Bears

Greenard would provide great depth with the Chicago Bears. Quinn is a great pass rusher, is far below average against the run. Greenard could hold up on run downs, and cut into the work of Quinn. This could keep Quinn fresh to be unleashed on passing situations, which would also help extend his career.

The question with Greenard is when to take him. Many mocks have him going in the second round, but PFF gave him a fourth-round projection. If the Bears traded back in the second round and picked up an extra third-round pick, he could be a great fit.

However, the question is if they have a need for edge rusher depth with one of their two top fifty picks. Greenard could fall to round five, but that seems to be a stretch as well.

Nonetheless, he would be a great fit, if the Bears can figure out a way to get him on the roster.