The final say for whom the Chicago Bears decide to make their top pick in the upcoming NFL draft rests with GM Ryan Pace. That much has been made clear over the past two seasons. At the same time it doesn't mean others won't have their opinions heard when the time comes. From the personnel directors to the scouts and head coach John Fox as well.
One man they're sure to listen to is defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. After all, he's gotten more results from the players he's been given the past two years than anybody else on the coaching staff. His defense looks like it might be a couple moves away from becoming one of the best in the league. It's a matter of finding the right pieces.
It will be hard to know what they are unless they ask Fangio himself. Provided they do that, there is a strong chance they're going to be hearing one name a lot. Likely because he'll remind the old coach of somebody he had great experiences with before.
THE LEGEND
Sports Mockery did an in-depth exploration of Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas not too long ago. Easily one of the fastest risers in the 2017 NFL draft, many in the scouting community have fallen in love with what the young man can do. So much in fact that he may be in play for one of the top five picks this coming April. That includes the Bears. Of course the man Thomas will have to impress most is Fangio. Admittedly not something that's easy to do. However, Fangio might well try to blackmail somebody in the front office to make that pick once he hears who Thomas is compared to. Lance Zierlein is one of the prominent draft analysts for NFL.com. He loves what Thomas can do, and wasn't shy about thinking big in terms of likeness to former NFL greats.NFL COMPARISON: Justin Smith BOTTOM LINE: Explosive defender who combines strength, quickness, and a muscle-car motor to drive him around the field making play after play. Has the hands and feet to be a quick-win specialist and the size to fit as a 4-3 or 3-4 defensive end who can reduce inside for pass-rush downs. He has all the athletic traits to become a high-impact player and possesses more than enough skill and talent to believe he will continue to elevate his game as a pro. Thomas has the potential to become the best defender from this draft class and a future all-pro.It doesn't hit any closer to home for Fangio than Justin Smith. His greatest successes as a defensive coordinator were in San Francisco where he fielded one of the best units in football for a four-year stretch. The lynch pin to everything during that run was Justin Smith. He not only impacted their run defense, it was his non-stop motor and strength that often squeezed the pass pocket as well. Aldon Smith wouldn't have dominated in his early career without the presence of Justin. [video width="854" height="480" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/‘Top-100-Players-of-2014’-Justin-Smith.mp4"][/video]
