When talking about the best off-ball linebackers in the NFL, people go to names like Darius Leonard, Lavonte David, Bobby Wagner, and Myles Jack among others. Not a lot of people bother to bring up the name Roquan Smith. Why is that? It's not like he isn't deserving. Through his first two seasons, the former 8th overall pick racked up 223 tackles, seven sacks, and two interceptions. This despite missing four games with a pec injury.
The production is there and the tape seems to back it up as well. There are stretches where it seems like Smith is literally everywhere. Offenses can't escape him. One man who has taken notice is Arif Hasan of The Athletic. The longtime NFL analyst believes the Bears linebacker is much better than he gets credit for.
Somebody offenses can't afford to ignore.
"Though it took a bit of haggling to get Roquan Smith onto the field at first for the Bears and a few more games to get his feet under him, he’s been a consistent force for their defense since then. He had another wonderful game, this time against the Indianapolis Colts, who have one of the most stacked rosters in the NFL. Though a bad missed tackle in coverage might stand out initially, his presence behind the line of scrimmage was enormous, and he was responsible for 13 combined tackles, including three for loss and eight total “stops”, which are tackles that put the offense behind schedule."








Loading comments...