Even as free agency mayhem is off and running, it appears the Chicago Bears haven't relaxed in their preparations for the NFL draft. While no true big fish names have surfaced as clear targets for them, a number of players they might end up grabbing on Day 3 continue to pop up. A truly interesting one emerged on Monday when Justin Melo of SB Nation revealed that the team had lunch with cornerback Lamar Jackson at the Nebraska pro day.
This is an interesting name, and no not because he shares it with the reigning NFL MVP. Jackson finished with a strong senior year for the Cornhuskers, nabbing three interceptions, 40 tackles, and a sack. How does he stand out? In a word: size. Hovering between 6'2 and 6'3, Jackson is one of the biggest corners in the draft. Something Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano tends to covet.
"Long and physical corner that consistently plays up to his weight class. Willing to crowd receivers early, leverage their release and make it difficult to release into their routes. Very effective getting his hands on opponents in the contact window and redirecting their intentions in their route stems.
Has developed his ball production and he has the length needed to both disrupt at the catch point and increase his margin for error as a pattern matcher. More than willing to be physical on the perimeter as a run defender and tackler."
Chicago Bears have reasons to like Jackson
Size isn't his only asset though. Jackson had himself a pretty solid performance at the scouting combine last month. He ran a 4.58 in the 40-yard dash, which isn't terrible. He also delivered a 36.5-inch vertical jump. So in addition to being long, he has hops too. His stats say he has a solid nose for the football as well. With cornerback being such a deep class this year, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Bears were able to secure him in the 4th or 5th rounds.
Ryan Pace does have a knack for nabbing solid defensive backs in that range. See Adrian Amos and Eddie Jackson. So this would be exactly the sort of move he'd make. An athletic and talented kid with a few question marks who could easily develop into a starter in the right system. A name worth watching as the draft draws close next month.
