Bears Take Roquan Smith in NFL Draft; Leonard Floyd, Twitter Hyped for Chicago

The Chicago Bears used the No. 8 overall pick to select one of the top defensive players in the 2018 NFL draft in Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith. 

Prior to the draft, Fox Sports' Skip Bayless offered a strong endorsement of the Bulldogs star:

The Bears have now taken a Georgia linebacker in the first round twice in three years. Smith's former teammate, Leonard Floyd, is happy to see him come aboard:

The Sun Sentinel's Omar Kelly looked disappointed Smith didn't fall to the Miami Dolphins at No. 11:

Here's how others reacted to the pick:

Smith racked up the accolades last season, being named a consensus All-American, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and the Dick Butkus Award winner as the best linebacker in the country. He finished his junior year with 137 tackles, 14 for loss, 6.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries while ranking 10th in the Heisman Trophy voting, per Sports Reference.

The linebacker can cover the entire field against the run and is an outstanding blitzer who can get to an opposing quarterback in a hurry.

Meanwhile, he also excelled against the pass, earning Pro Football Focus' second-highest coverage grade among linebackers in this class.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller provided a simple analysis of Smith:

Miller listed him as his No. 2 linebacker in the class, comparing him to Panthers star Thomas Davis.

At 6'1" and 236 pounds, Smith is a little undersized for the position, but he is strong enough to shed blockers if needed. In most cases, though, he simply beats everyone else to the ball-carrier thanks to his elite speed and athleticism.

Adding in his instincts to accurately read counters and screens, Smith is as quick to the ball as anyone.

The former Bulldog has the tools to be an impact player as soon as Week 1 for the Bears, with the potential to make multiple Pro Bowl appearances down the line.