The Bears selected Georgia inside linebacker Roquan Smith with the eighth pick in the 2018 NFL draft Thursday night.
Smith (6-foot-1, 236 pounds) is widely regarded as a menacing sideline-to-sideline tackler with terrific instincts, in addition to leadership skills that could make him the face of an NFL defense.
"Roquan Smith is the truth, man," said Louis Riddick, former NFL personnel executive and current ESPN analyst. "The kid is a player in every sense of the word. He should be a Pro Bowler very quickly.
"He is lightning off the spot, meaning his eyes are where they need to be. His (ability to) key and diagnose is exceptional. Very rarely does he take bad paths to the football. He takes on people hat-in-hand, meaning when he's taking on offensive linemen, you see their head snap back. He can run, and when he gets there, he gets there with bad intentions.
"He can cover. He can play (against) running backs. He can match up against tight ends. He may have some size issues, but there are ways to get by that with technique and leverage. There's nothing bad for me to say about Roquan."
