Caleb Williams‘ name is all but stitched on a Chicago Bears jersey as the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, but what the organization does with the No. 9 pick remains to be seen.
However, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus may have offered a clue as to the position Chicago plans to target with its second selection in the top-10 picks of this year’s draft.
Even after acquiring Montez Sweat, in a trade with Washington ahead of the 2023 NFL trade deadline, Eberlfus and the Chicago Bears sound poised to add another pass-rusher on the opposite side of the front-seven.
“It’s important that we get that piece because you have to have the 1-2 punch,” Eberflus said, via the team’s official website. “It can be inside as well. You look at who affects the quarterback the most, I would also argue that the inside piece is also something that we should be looking at, and it’s important that we do that. Direct line to the quarterback. When they max protect, it’s a soft spot in the protection. We’re looking at all pass rushers. It can be inside, outside, all along the line. We’re having an open mind in that regard.”
Sweat made an immediate impact on the Bears’ defense, posting six sacks and 25 total tackles over the final nine games of the season, after arriving in the Windy City in exchange for a second-round pick.
Shortly after the trade, the Chicago Bears acted quickly to sign Sweat to a new four-year contract worth $98 million, in part, because the pass-rushers in this year’s draft class isn’t as strong as some in year’s past.
Chicago Bears’ Potential Pass-Rush Target
There might not be a pass-rusher worthy of the No. 9 overall selection in this year’s class, so it is entirely possible that general manager Ryan Poles and the Bears trade back, to add to what has been a bountiful war chest of future picks in recent years.
Penn State’s Chop Robinson is one of the most explosive and disruptive pass-rushers in this year’s class, even if he only posted 17.5 sacks over the past two seasons. Robinson’s athleticism and bend are off the charts, which give him serious upside in the right scheme and with the right players around him.
Meanwhile, Alabama’s Dallas Turner is coming off a stellar 10-sack campaign, and is viewed as the most disruptive pass-rusher in this year’s class.
If the Bears can resist the temptation to add a premier wide receiver to Williams’ arsenal, and wind up targeting a pass-rusher early in Round 1, Turner and Robinson could be on Poles’ radar.
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