Chicago Bears: 7-Round 2018 mock draft in late January
Round 4: Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville (5-11, 195 pounds)
Last season, the Bears hit the lottery by picking Eddie Jackson in the fourth round. He had first-round talent, but a leg injury turned teams away and he dropped on the Bears’ lap. The same could happen with Jaire Alexander.
In 2017, Alexander suffered a knee injury and a broken hand. He’s another player with first-round talent, but some teams just automatically drop a prospect who has an injury. Even with the injuries, Alexander was one of the top cornerbacks in the nation. On 60 targets in 2017, he had five interceptions and nine passes defended.
Alexander plays with an air of confidence that borders on cockiness. He feels he can make any play and plays an aggressive style of football. He is a ball hawk who uses his hands well to redirect a receiver without getting called for interference. Alexander’s intelligence on the field is great. His ability to read the quarterback’s eyes is exceptional, and he understands routes and how to undercut them and pick the ball off.
On plays targeted to him, Alexander allowed the lowest passer rating in the nation. Here is what Pro Football Focus said about him:
"Alexander saw the field for only 314 snaps this season for Louisville, but when he did, he was lights out. He was targeted every 7.8 snaps he spent in coverage and allowed just 0.29 yards per his 148 coverage snaps, the second-lowest mark among all draft-eligible cornerbacks. On the season, he made more plays on the ball than he allowed passes to be caught, allowing just five receptions while intercepting a pass and recording five pass breakups. Alexander’s 17.7 passer rating when targeted was nearly 10.0 points clear of No. 2 among draft-eligible cornerback and just 0.1 away from the national low among all cornerbacks this season."
If the Bears decide to resign Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara Alexander would be the finishing touch to make the unit a very strong one. Also, Alexander helps in the return game. He’d be a great tandem with Cohen on punt returns and can be the primary kick returner.
Alexander could go earlier, which is why I believe Pace could pull off a trade to go up to the third round. In any case, Jaire Alexander would be a good pickup for the Bears.