It was a surprise to many when the Chicago Bears drafted Zacch Pickens. The team had already selected a defensive tackle a round earlier, grabbing Gervon Dexter 53rd overall. Doubling down so quickly must've meant they really liked Pickens' ability and felt they needed to add more help on the interior defensive line. That isn't entirely wrong. Their defensive tackle position was undermanned throughout 2022. However, some analysts had misgivings about the pick when it happened. It centered around one big problem.
Pickens was a bad run defender.
Too many times on tape, he was spotted getting blown off the table or driven out of running lanes with too much ease. It was hard to understand why the Bears would be okay with that. This is where seeing the big picture comes in. Assistant GM Ian Cunningham came from Philadelphia last year to join Ryan Poles in Chicago. He helped build most of that roster that reached the Super Bowl. One of their best pickups was defensive tackle Javon Hargrave. He has been their best interior pass rusher over the past three years, collecting 23 sacks.
What many may not realize is he's terrible against the run too.
The Bears don't need Zacch Pickens to be great against the run.
Hargrave received 48.1, 30.1, and 49.0 in run defense grades since joining the Eagles. That is not good. It was also a big criticism of him coming out of college and why he fell to the 3rd round. Yet nobody talks about it because he's such a dynamic presence rushing the passer that it doesn't matter. It is eerie how similar Pickens is to him. His athleticism, length, and motor made him a constant nuisance for opposing guards and centers at South Carolina. This Tampa-2 system under Matt Eberflus is perfectly suited to exploit those strengths. It is what the Bears need most.
Stopping the run is important, but harassing the quarterback is more important. It's a passing league. If Zacch Pickens ends up allowing two or three big runs in a game but also has four pressures and a sack, most will say he had a good game. That is what happened with Hargrave over and over last year. If Pickens can become the QB hunter the Bears envision, they'll happily live with his faults as a run defender. You throw to win in the playoffs. Picken can be a great counter to that.
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