Part 3 of an 11-part series previewing the NFL Draft and analyzing the Bears’ needs.
Bilal Nichols was an unknown when the Bears drafted him in the fifth round out of Delaware last year. The most obvious hook was that he went to the same college as coach Matt Nagy.
“For his size [6-4, 290], he’s athletic,” Bears general manager Ryan Pace said after drafting Nichols. “The toughness and rugged style he plays with stands out We just feel like he has a lot of upside, specifically as an inside rusher, which we value, too.”
What Nichols offered was versatility. He played in a 4-3 and 3-4 defense at Delaware and was equipped to play tackle and end. Coming into a well-established Bears defense under Vic Fangio, that versatility came in handy. After being inactive in the opener against the Packers, Nichols quickly emerged as a rotation player in Fangio’s defense, then became a starter for most of the second half of the season. He finished with 28 tackles, three sacks, seven quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and five tackles-for-loss.
Finding Nichols with the 145th pick of the draft — a small but not insignificant contribution to Bears general manager Ryan Pace winning the Executive of the Year Award — is a big reason why a defensive lineman would be a luxury pick in this year’s draft.
The Bears are pretty well set not only with playmakers in defensive end Akiem Hicks and nose tackle Eddie Goldman, but also depth with Nichols, Roy Robertson-Harris and Jonathan Bullard. And only Hicks (29) is close to 30. Goldman is 25. Nichols will turn 23 on Sept. 14. Robertson-Harris will turn 26 on July 23. Bullard, who faces a battle for his roster spot in training camp, is 25.
And in an offseason with a huge departure at the top in Fangio, the return of defensive line coach Jay Rodgers could end up being significant. Rodgers received a lot of credit for his work with all the defensive linemen — from Hicks on down — last season.
While defensive line is not a priority for the Bears in this draft — especially if they remain with just five picks — it’s a deep position in this year’s draft, particularly at tackle.
A defensive tackle hasn’t been taken in the top-10 since 2011, when the Bills took Alabama’s Marcell Dareus at No. 3. The previous year, Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh and Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy went 2-3 to the Lions and Buccaneers, respectively.
Alabama’s 6-3, 303-pound Quinnen Williams, who had 19.5 tackles-for-loss and eight sacks last season, is likely to go in the top four and could be the first defensive tackle to go No. 1 overall since Ohio State’s Dan Wilkinson (to the Bengals) in 1994.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Grading the Bears’ need: Very low. Bears have quality and decent depth. On the other hand, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Ryan Pace took a flyer on a player he feels has slipped too far. This front seven makes almost anybody a potential surprise contributor.
On the roster: Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Bilal Nichols, Roy Robertson-Harris, Jonathan Bullard, Nick Williams, Abdullah Anderson.
The five best draftees: Alabama DT Quinnen Williams; Houston DT Ed Oliver; Mississippi State DE Montez Sweat; Michigan DE Rashan Gary; Clemson DT Christian Wilkins.
Keep an eye on: Notre Dame’s Jerry Tillery (6-6, 295) is rated a notch below the elite prospects but has intriguing size, speed and quickness and could blossom in the right defense. He didn’t have eye-popping numbers last season (seven sacks), but he played through a labrum injury he suffered against Stanford in September and is coming off surgery to repair it.
Close to home: East St. Louis product Terry Beckner was the No. 1 player in the state and one of the top prospects in the nation when he went to Missouri. Torn ACL injuries his freshman and sophomore seasons derailed his career, but he overcame those setbacks to re-establish himself as an NFL prospect. He’s projected as a mid-round pick.
“It didn’t do anything to me but make me stronger as a person,” Beckner said at the scouting combine. “I’m a hard-working kid. I play with violence. Pass-rushing and run-stopping. [I’m] someone who’s going to come in and work from Day One.”
