Chicago Bears: Mid-free agency full seven-round 2021 mock draft
With the 145th overall pick, the Chicago Bears select Caden Sterns
The Chicago Bears select Caden Sterns (safety) Texas. The other top-three players on the board were Chauncey Golston (edge), Paris Ford (safety), and Elerson Smith (edge). The Chicago Bears go with another Texas player.
Now Paris Ford would be good value here as well. The decision to draft Sterns over Ford came down to one thing for me — speed.
Paris Ford looks good on tape, but he shows he is not athletic enough to play in the NFL. Remember Teez Tabor? Well, you should because he is on the Chicago Bears roster. Tabor showed on tape that he could play, but he ran an awful unofficial 4.75 40-yard dash. Now he’s a practice squad guy.
Paris Ford ran a 4.83 and 4.90 40-yard dash. He followed that up with a 28.5-inch vertical leap. Sorry, some team might draft him, but they shouldn’t. Caden Sterns ran a 4.40 with a 42-inch vertical leap. And yes, his coach is on the roster. They would already know what Sterns can bring to the table.
With him having a pro day early, some teams are likely to forget that he is the more athletic player on the field than Ford. Ford might be the better tackler, but Sterns is the multipurpose safety that can roam deep and come down in the box to cover man to man. Sterns is not a traditional box safety that should be used to stop the run. I hope I didn’t lose you. I know what that could mean for Eddie Jackson.
Yet, Sterns is a willing tackler. He isn’t the best at it. Let me draw you back in. Caden Sterns as a prospect is Adrain Amos — minus the bulk. Amos is built like a brick house. Sterns, like Amos, is known for properly body-hitting receivers when they come across the middle of the field and aren’t known for their tackling in the box (Amos is now).
If Sterns can work on his tackling as Amos did, he could become a clone or even better than Amos is now. It is a tall order but well worth the shot. Being instinctive is key when playing safety. Caden Sterns has all of that and a bag of chips. Pairing him with Eddie Jackson is something I can look forward to.