Chicago Bears: Kevin White a home run at No. 7

The Chicago Bears have had recent success in the early rounds of the NFL Draft. Last season, the Bears drafted cornerback Kyle Fuller at 14th overall. Following a successful season that included three interceptions in a span of two primetime games, he now sits at the top of Chicago’s cornerback depth chart.

The 2013 NFL draft saw the Bears take guard Kyle Long in the first round, who has been very effective on the line and even earned a Pro Bowl selection in his rookie year.

Alshon Jeffery–drafted at No. 45 in the 2012 NFL Draft–has been an absolute beast for Chicago, and is now one of the league’s top receiver.

Now, at the 2015 NFL Draft–in front of the hometown faithful in Chicago–the Bears took the best player on the board at the time, West Virginia wide receiver Kevin White.

The Bears could have gone a few directions here. They could have taken Vic Beasley to give defensive coordinator Vic Fangio a great pass rusher in the 3-4 or giant defensive tackle Danny Shelton to give Fangio the large anchor that he needs.

Instead, they went with both a huge need and the best player on the board and took the former-JUCO White.

The moment NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell uttered the name “Kevin White”, the crowd went absolutely wild. It sounded like the Bears had just won the Super Bowl.

After White was drafted, he said he wants to “turn this city around”–and that he’ll do.

With the rumors that tight end Martellus Bennett might be on the move, it was even more important that the Bears take White with the N0. 7 pick.

White will now have the opportunity to line up opposite of the feared Alshon Jeffery, and will bring the presence of a truly NFL-ready player to the table. He also doesn’t have much baggage off the field, and is a good replacement for the recently-traded Brandon Marshall–a player with his fair share of issues.

At 6’3″ and 215 pounds, White runs a tremendously-fast 4.35-40 yard time and will present a dangerous combination of speed and power when on the field. He has some of the best hands in this draft, and will go to desperate lengths to get to the ball.

He is just what the Bears need. He will give Jay Cutler a consistent target down the field to ease the pressure off of Jeffery. The two could quite possibly be one of the most notorious wide receiver duos in the league in a couple of years.

Bears general manager Ryan Pace kicked off his first NFL Draft at the position with a bang and a whole bunch of cheers following the White announcement.

Bravo, Mr. Pace, on the best possible pick you could have made to help this team get back into relevancy.

Next: Chicago Bears: 5 Best Offseason Moves

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