Chicago Bears In Contact With Possible Next Harrison Smith

Most people suspect the Chicago Bears will focus on the offense going into the NFL draft. This is hardly a surprise given their significant moves in free agency have drifted towards the defensive side. Then again GM Ryan Pace does like to fancy himself somebody who takes the best player available. So one can't count out the possibility he'd grab a top defensive prospect if the right one were there.

So what about Jeremy Chinn of Southern Illinois?

This wasn't a name on a lot of radars when the college season ended but as tape evaluations ramped up and pre-draft events got going, the young safety quickly began to emerge as a hot candidate. The Indiana native has seven interceptions over the past two years and has shown himself to be around the football a lot. Aside from that, his 6'3 size makes him stand out at that position even more.

Clearly the Bears haven't been able to ignore him as Justin Melo of The Draft Wire revealed.

Chicago Bears have seen Chinn's like before

At least that is what Lance Zierlein of NFL.com makes it feels like. The longtime draft expert came away impressed with Chinn's game, believing it to be some of the most well-rounded for a safety in the entire class. When thinking up a comparison, he went for Minnesota Vikings star Harrison Smith.

"Safety prospect with compelling size, speed and athletic ability. He has man cover skills. Very willing and able as a tackler, but despite his diverse skill set, his effectiveness can wane when asked to multitask. Chinn is at his best when he's actively engaged and not sitting in space dissecting what comes next. His ball skills and athleticism are strengths that help define his value and teams will need to find ways to put him in position to utilize both without exposing his inconsistent field awareness."

Smith is one of the best safeties in the NFL. A five-time Pro Bowler, he has 23 interceptions and 13 sacks in his career. A constant thorn in the Bears' side. So try to imagine if they were able to put him next to Eddie Jackson. That would border on being unfair given the wealth of talent already on that defense. With Deon Bush being their only realistic option at the moment, grabbing Chinn in the 2nd round feels like a possibility they'll consider.