Bears rookie Bilal Nichols putting in serious work in days leading up to training camp

Share

Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace has enjoyed a lot of success in the mid-to-late rounds of his three NFL draft classes since 2015, ranging from Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen to Adrian Amos and Eddie Jackson. All four critical players were selected in the fourth or fifth rounds.

Whether one of his 2018 day-three picks has a similar impact this season is a great unknown, but one player who has a shot at a decent amount of reps is fifth-round selection Bilal Nichols, the powerful defensive lineman from the University of Delaware.

Nichols will compete with Jonathan Bullard and Roy Robertson-Harris for defensive end duties opposite Akiem Hicks. He's a long way from earning for a starting job, but if Bullard and Robertson-Harris struggle to make the most of their opportunities, the door to playing time will be wide open.

Nichols is making a big jump from the FCS ranks and one of the issues that most commonly plague smaller-school players is the speed and strength of opposing offensive linemen. Nichols is training hard to prepare for that:

Nichols was a first-team All-CAA selection as a senior for the Blue Hens. He started 11 games and registered 56 tackles, 6.5 for loss, 5.5 sacks, an interception, four pass break-ups, and blocked a kick on special teams. 

Contact Us