NFL Draft: Re-grading every first round pick from the 2018 NFL Draft
57. . LB. Chicago Bears. Roquan Smith. 8. player
NFL Draft: Re-grading every first round pick from the 2018 NFL Draft: Number 8 overall, LB Roquan Smith
The Chicago Bears believed they had it all figured out. After drafting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in the first round in 2017, they assumed they had their offense set for the next decade-plus. All that was left was shoring up an already strong defense. To do that, they called upon the University of Georgia inside linebacker Roquan Smith.
Fast forward to today, and the Trubisky experiment went extremely wrong. He was inaccurate, unaware in the pocket and not a leader of men. In the case of Smith, on the other hand, he was exactly what they were looking for.
Smith immediately made an impact in year one, racking up 89 solo tackles and 121 combined. He also managed to sack the quarterback five times. He was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team and appeared to be on the up and up. The following year saw a small slippage in his play but this past season, he was a monster. His 98 solo tackles ranked second for his position, while his 139 combined pegged him at sixth.
Smith isn’t a huge interception guy but he can get his hands on the ball when need be. For whatever reason, he has yet to be named to his first Pro Bowl but that could be more due to his lack of team success than anything else.
With the Bears offense now being led by fringe starter Andy Dalton, it appears they could struggle on that end of the field again. As for their defense, with Smith and of course all-world outside linebacker Khalil Mack, all signs point to them being just fine for the next decade.
Grade: A-