Chicago Bears Draft Profile: Terrell Burgess is box safety Chicago Bears need

Should the Chicago Bears draft Terrell Burgess, safety from Utah?

Utah has been producing NFL defenders for a few years now, and it led to Terrell Burgess waiting his turn to start. He spent his junior year in the slot as a part-time player, but by his senior year, he was their starting strong safety.

Burgess had an excellent season with 81 tackles, 7.5 going for loss, and a pick. The Chicago Bears are going to draft a safety at some point after losing Haha Clinton-Dix and replacing him with Jordan Lucas.

Would Burgess be a fit for the Bears, and when should they draft him?

Measurables

Burgess is a bit smaller in size, but he has NFL strength and has explosive athletic measurables. At the safety position, we have seen players in recent years a bit shorter make great plays as attacking athletic safeties.

Strengths

Going from the slot to strong safety, he is a great man cover player. He has light feet and does not have issues trailing quick receivers over the middle. He is good in coverage but is still more suited as a strong safety in the NFL. That is due to his attack and pursuit of the football. He takes precise angles and shows an understanding of where the football is going. You can tell that Utah gives him the freedom to be a playmaker and that they trust him to freelance and make plays. It is hard to watch any snap of Utah defense without seeing Burgess near the ball at some point.

Weakness

He is still undersized, and his biggest issues come when he slides into the box against bigger, stronger tight ends. Burgess can get bodied down the field, and at times will get washed away by bigger lineman when he gets too far into the box. Burgess also has just one year of starting experience.

NFL comparison for Terrell Burgess

There is a long list of NFL defensive backs with similar size and athletic metrics to Terrell Burgess. There are certainly some hits in this group, and there are some good player comparisons to take away as well. One of the best comparisons has to be Budda Baker, of the Arizona Cardinals.

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Baker is a slot/safety still with Arizona, which is similar to his role in college. Baker took a few years to adjust, but had his best season in 2019, and enters year four as a solid starter. Eric Weddle has the Utah connection, and played a similar role in their defense, being used all over the field. That may be a high upside comparison, but the playstyle is very similar with their nose for the football and coverage ability. Of course, there are some downside comparisons as Bears fans remember Brock Vereen well.

NFL.com compared him to Damarious Randall, another slot cornerback who moved to safety. Here is what they wrote.

"Burgess’ versatility, athleticism and feel for pathways to tackles in run support could make him a valuable middle-round pick with a chance to find the field early on in a variety of roles."

Pro Football Focus compared Burgess to Jimmie Ward. This is a very strong comparison, as well as Ward, has played everywhere from single high to the slot and in the box.

Fit with Chicago Bears

Burgess would come in and immediately compete with Deon Bush for starting snaps. He very well may have the edge from the start, but at worst, his special team’s ability would keep him on the roster. Burgess can play high if needed, which helps for versatility. However, he is a box safety and would mesh very well with Eddie Jackson. Burgess can run and chase downhill, knowing he has over the top help, and Jackson can stay deep knowing that Burgess can make the angle to the sideline.

On average, Terrell Burgess goes at pick 100 in mock drafts. The Bears pick 50th and not again until 163rd. This is one of the bigger questions when it comes to Burgess. If he fell to 163, he could be slam dunk pick. If the Bears have to trade up closer to 100, it is questionable. Perhaps the Bears could trade down a few picks in the second round and pick up an extra top 100 pick to draft Burgess? Nonetheless, he should be on their radar entering the 2020 NFL draft.