Chicago Bears Round 2, Pick No. 52
After getting the quarterback of the future, the Bears need to protect that expensive asset at all costs. They do this by selecting their tackle of the future in Dillon Radunz out of North Dakota State. Tasked with protecting fellow NFL Draft prospect Trey Lance, Radunz has come a long way since becoming a Bison and proved at the Senior Bowl he can make the jump from FCS to the NFL. Radunz is my fifth-highest graded offensive tackle in the 2021 NFL Draft class.
Radunz was a two-year starter for the FCS powerhouses in Fargo, North Dakota. After redshirting as a freshman, he suffered an injury that allowed him to only play one game in 2017, but he became the full-time starter in 2018 protecting the left side of the offensive line. He started every game in 2018 earning himself second-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference. 2019 is when he truly broke out starting every single game and earning himself first-team All-American.
Radunz is a well-built offensive tackle that consistently does everything right (simply put). He does a great job in pass protection of shutting down the pass rush, but that is his main weakness as he allows more athletic pass rushers to get by him. His best ability though is in the run game as he absolutely mauls defenders with his strength and determination. Radunz always finishes his blocks and plays until the whistle.
Radunz could be an immediate contributor for the Bears as a right tackle. With Charles Leno locking down the left side, Radunz could become the mauling right tackle the Bears can have David Mongomery can run behind. Germain Ifedi is still there in case Radunz isn’t NFL ready, but I believe Radunz will be good to go immediately.