Chicago Bears key on offense early in pre-Combine 7-round 2020 mock draft

Okay, so I said the Chicago Bears wouldn’t take an edge rusher in the draft. Well, I meant to say they wouldn’t pick one to be a starter. They still need to add depth since Aaron Lynch likely leaves via free agency.

The Bears get a player with their last pick who may actually see some meaningful snaps and contribute on defense. Alex Highsmith is the type of blue-collar player who’d be a good fit in Chicago. He’s had to work hard for everything he has.

Highsmith wasn’t highly recruited coming out of college. In fact, he decided to walk on in Charlotte and made the team. He redshirted his freshman year and was a little-used reserve in 2016. Before the 2017 season, he earned a scholarship and he blossomed from there. He became a playmaker for Charlotte. In 2018, he was a first-team All-Conference USA. He did it again in 2019, but he also became a third-team All-American.

Highsmith has the ability to get into the opponent’s backfield. He recorded 21 sacks and an incredible 47 tackles for loss. His football IQ is great. He’s able to see and diagnose a play quickly and make the stop.

At 6-4 and 248 pounds, Highsmith has good size but has room to add mass and strength. If he does that, he could compete for a starting job. He does a good job of evading would-be blockers (he has great footwork and a wicked spin move to go with a plethora of other inside-outside moves) but when a lineman latches onto him he’s done. If he can increase his strength he can shed blockers better and take his game higher.