The Bears traded up in the first round to pick quarterback Mitchell Trubisky last year, but they stayed put at No. 8 this year to add a piece to their defense.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced linebacker Roquan Smith as the newest member of the Bears a little less than an hour into the first night of the draft in Dallas. It’s the third time in the last five years that the Bears have gone for a defensive player in the first round with Smith joining cornerback Kyle Fuller and linebacker Leonard Floyd in that group.
Smith starred for Georgia last season as they made a run to the national title game. He had 137 tackles, 14.5 tackles for losses and 6.5 sacks as a player who could make plays all over the field while remaining on the field for all three downs.
He should slide right into a starting spot on the inside of Vic Fangio’s defense in Chicago and they’ll hope for the same kind of production as he moves to the pro level.
