Five linebackers the Chicago Bears draft should target

Oct 25, 2014; Fort Worth, TX, USA; TCU Horned Frogs linebacker Paul Dawson (47) during the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Paul Dawson

This is the smallest guy we will cover in this post. Standing a hair under six feet tall, Paul Dawson makes up for his lesser stature with much bigger play.

He played in one of the tougher conferences in college football. He played for a team who always thought, for better or worse that they were in every game. He was a big reason why they were. TCU improved from only two wins in conference in 2013 to eight wins out of nine in 2014.

He shows leadership on the field and level of understanding for the game that is unmatched among his peers. He’s simply a smart player.

He’ll always play with a chip on his shoulder and can add a bit of that old Bears swagger the fans have been used to from the linebacker position in the past.

Some sites have him listed as an outside linebacker. Don’t be mistaken. This guy was meant to lead a defense from the middle. He’s a part of a style of play in the NFL that has just begun to show its effectiveness. Using a smaller man in the middle to evade blockers for pressure on the quarterback as well as sneaking inside to stop the run.

The revolution has already begun towards the smaller man. This is the middle-linebacker of the future and who will have one of the longest careers in the NFL coming out of the 2015 draft.

The best part is, you can wait on him. He’ll be there in round three and there’s still a chance he falls to the fourth. You will have a good feeling when you need to draft the best linebacker out of the Big 12.

Next: A Michigan Standout