Chicago Bears mock draft: Round 5, #148 — Sterling Weatherford, S, Miami (OH)
Keeping up with the toughness that Poles and Eberflus want on their roster, we look at Sterling Weatherford. He is sure to become a favorite among fans and coaches. He is a big tackler and lowers the boom on the ball carrier.
Weatherford could play on sub-packages early on and with his high motor and hitting ability, he’ll be great on special teams. At 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, he has the size to shine as a zone coverage defender. He had 19 passes defended in his college career.
Weatherford shines inside 15 yards of the line of scrimmage. He runs down effectively and is a great help against the run.
Weatherford is one tough competitor. He wants to stop everything in his sights. He has good pursuit speed and seems to find the ball. When he stalks the ball carrier, he does a good job of shedding would-be blockers.
He then does a good job of squaring up the ball carrier and using great form to make sure he brings him down.
About his hitting ability, Weatherford doesn’t just try to bring the ball carrier down. He tries to run through him and tear him to pieces. We will see a lot of big hits coming from him.