Chicago Bears Mock Draft: Khalil Mack trade transforms franchise

The Chicago Bears look to develop a late-round pass rusher

Trading Khalil Mack leaves a huge void in the Bears’ defense, and there’s no way they can replace him easily, especially not with a rookie sixth-round pick. However, it’s going to take an army to replace Mack and Jordan Smith is a nice flier to take late in the draft to help in doing just that.

At one point, Smith was a Florida Gator but was suspended, along with several teammates, due to a credit card fraud situation. He worked his way back after attending Butler Community College and then finding a home at UAB.

Make no mistake, he was at Florida for a reason. The 6-foot-7 linebacker is an athletic freak and definitely burst back onto the scene once making it to UAB. Smith tallied a total of 89 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, an interception and a pass defensed over 21 games there.

As a pro, he’ll need to polish his technique and work on figuring out a few specific pass rush moves that work best for him. He’s relied on raw athleticism up to this point, and not having much of a plan of attack against NFL offensive linemen will bring him back down to earth. Still, his freak-of-nature frame should be fun for Bears coaches to work with.