I think Ogbonnia Okoronkwo could be the steal of the draft. Many project him in the fourth or fifth round, but I believe he has as much talent as any edge rusher in this draft. If he is available in the fourth round, they absolutely need to pick him up.
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Scouts talk about his lack of height, but Okoronkwo has NFL traits. He explodes off the snap and gets to the backfield quickly. He is powerfully built to bull rush blockers.
Okoronkwo already possesses a variety of moves to get into the backfield. He can rush you, he can make a move to the inside, he has good hand placement, and he has a terrific spin move.
As I said earlier, the Bears probably make a move to get back into the third round where other, higher-rated edge rushers may be, but they could take another player there and pick Okoronkwo in the fourth and be absolutely happy.
According to Anthony Chiado, author of the Optimum Scouting Draft Guide, Okoronkwo is an underrated prospect. Chiado uses analytics, similar to those in baseball, to rate prospects.
In his analysis, Chiado notes that Okoronkwo pressured quarterbacks at a rate of 25.4 percent. That ranks him second to Marcus Davenport. Additionally, Okoronkwo was almost always blocked (he went unblocked just 3.6 percent of the snaps he played).
Here is what else was said about Okoronkwo:
"The countermoves reveal Okoronkwo’s ability to do more than just explode out the gate and beat a left tackle to the edge. The Optimum Scouting analysis quantifies Okoronkwo’s ability to work through blocks and find alternate routes to the quarterback, two important skills for success as an NFL pass-rusher."
If the Chicago Bears decide to wait a little for their edge rusher, they’ll do well by going after Okoronkwo.