Bears Are Meeting With Most Frightening Behemoth of 2018 Draft

Back in 2014, the Chicago Bears draft community was crushed. Even though they ended up with Kyle Fuller, who has become a solid football player, their dreams came one pick shy of coming true. That year the Bears knew they needed an upgrade at defensive tackle. Somebody who could rush the passer up the middle. All eyes were on Aaron Donald out of Pitt. He fit the mold as perfect as any prospect seen in years. It almost happened. Donald fell to #13 with the Bears looming right there at #14. Then the Los Angeles Rams stole it all away, picking him instead. It was a somewhat confusing move since the Rams weren't hurting for defensive line help. GM Les Snead later offered a simple explanation. When a part of your team is considered a strength, you should take every chance to keep it that way. Drafting Donald was a no-brainer to that end. Now suddenly here the Bears are again. It appears the defensive line has become a strength of their team headlined by Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman. Even with the talk of the offensive line, linebacker or defensive back is it possible they may take that lesson Snead taught four years ago to heart?

Chicago Bears draft conversation now expands to include Vita Vea

Vita Vea is one of the intriguing mysteries of the 2018 draft class. He comes from a program that has produced a lot of top tier defensive talent in recent years, including Marcus Peters. Vea is every bit of 340 lbs with outstanding power. This makes him an obvious nose tackle option, which the Bears don't require due to Goldman. So the question becomes can he play defensive end?

Hicks is a perfect example of a 3-4 end. He's big at 6'5", 325 lbs with 35-inch arms. Vea matches him in the frame and is even heavier. There's one problem. His arms are only 32 5/8 inches long. That is far less than ideal for that position. Length is considered a major key so the Bears would be gambling that he has enough other strengths to make it a non-issue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1MmhnSa_UY What stands out about Vea most is his athleticism and burst. Men that size shouldn't be able to move with the quickness and speed he can. Not only does he command extra blockers as a run defender, he can split double teams to attack the quarterback as well. It's hard not to get excited about what a combination of him, Goldman and Hicks could do. Given the Bears have concerns about their pass rush, this is one potential solution that hasn't been considered enough. Vea has issues but most of them are coachable. Vic Fangio is back and remains one of the best coordinators in the business. This is the sort of situation where he can turn a good prospect like Vea into a monster.