Chicago Bears: 7-Round 2020 mock draft post-Senior Bowl
Clemson. 2. player. Scouting Report. Offensive Guard. John Simpson. 879. Pick Analysis
The Chicago Bears offensive line spent too much time in 2019 getting outmuscled and thrashed. The mean and nasty lineman that is synonymous with the franchise hasn’t been seen in some time. We got used to seeing it with Kyle Long but it was less and less as his injuries piled on and now he’s retired.
The Bears offensive line needs to go back to that nasty player who will try to knock the opposition into the ground and get the other linemen in place and turn them into nasty players as well. They need to add some fear to oncoming defenders.
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One player who can do that is John Simpson. He measures in at 6-5 and weighs 330 pounds and he has all the strength behind that body. His hands are sledgehammers and he wears rushers down when he continually pounds their chest for four quarters.
When he hits and knocks a defender off-balance, he quickly goes in for the kill. He opens gaping holes for the running back to get through and in pass blocking he looks for other victims when he knocks the one in front of him down.
Simpson has a quick first step and that helps him in a couple of ways. When he gets to the defender quickly, he’s able to turn that into power. Additionally, he can get off the line quickly on pulls and get to the block quickly.
Simpson does a good job with the mental part of the game. He anticipates and adjusts to blitzes quickly and helps his teammates get well if they start struggling. This is important when he’s involved in combo blocks. He can make up for his line mate’s mistake. The Bears’ offensive line seemed like a loose combination of players not working together. Simpson can help change that.
Just as Long was a fan favorite when he played, Simpson will win the fans and his coaches over. While he has that nasty streak on the field, his coaches and teammates at Clemson say he’s a teddy bear off the field. He always has a big smile and he’s personable. He’d fit in great in Chicago.