Bears Draft Picks 2018: Grades and Analysis for Each Selection
The Chicago Bears enter the 2018 NFL draft from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, sitting in a position of luxury.
General manager Ryan Pace and the front office aggressively moved on Mitchell Trubisky one year ago, and then followed by attacking the offense's biggest need in free agency this offseason via the addition of wideout Allen Robinson.
All of which means the Bears can take a best-player-available approach starting with the eighth pick Thursday night, while at the same time massaging needs such as those along the offensive line and in the form of pass rush on the defensive side, among others.
Below, we'll update with analysis, grades and reactions after the Bears make each pick throughout all seven rounds of the draft.
Bears 7-Round Selections
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The Bears enter Thursday with seven picks, though two of them fall in the fourth round.
Here are the current picks:
- Round 1 (8): Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
- Round 2 (39): James Daniels, OL, Iowa
- Round 2 (51): Anthony Miller, WR, Memphis
- Round 4 (115): Joel Iyiegbuniwe, LB, Western Kentucky
- Round 5 (145): Bilal Nichols, DL, Delaware
- Round 6 (181): Kylie Fitts, Edge, Utah
- Round 7 (224): Javon Wims, WR, Georgia
Pace and the Bears are an interesting team to watch right out of the gates—and not just because of the Trubisky move last year.
The front office could look to sell the eighth pick to the highest bidder in a quarterback-heavy class, recouping some of the picks lost and then some in what is a deep class along areas of need such as offensive line and the secondary.
Alternatively, the Bears could stand pat and hope someone such as Notre Dame offensive lineman Quenton Nelson falls in their lap.
Either way, the Bears will look at better protecting Trubisky, getting him some more weapons and adding high-upside disruptors to chase opposing quarterbacks relentlessly over four quarters.
Round 1 (8): Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
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Grade: A+
This couldn't have worked out better for the Bears.
While a Quenton Nelson in front of Mitchell Trubisky might have been nice, the top 10 is about team-changing players, and this is a deep class along the offensive line.
There's only one Roquan Smith.
Smith is a defensive centerpiece for coordinator Vic Fangio—a 6'1", 236-pound force with sideline-to-sideline athletic ability and the intelligence to read and diagnose what's happening before putting a stop to it. He's also improved in coverage throughout his collegiate career, making him an every-down presence right away. When the only weakness is size, it's clear Smith is a good prospect with a ceiling he's still growing into.
Maybe Smith isn't a "generational" prospect or Brian Urlacher. But he's the new prototype of what the NFL requires from its linebackers and could carve out quite the legacy for himself at Soldier Field playing in front of a line already bolstered by Akiem Hicks and a productive pass rush spearheaded by Leonard Floyd.
Round 2 (39): James Daniels, OL, Iowa
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Grade: A+
Pace and the Bears front office did it again.
It's hard to know why Iowa center James Daniels fell to the second round—but it's a great-looking value.
Daniels is a 6'3", 306-pound prospect with incredible athleticism for a guy playing on the interior, meaning he's a dream for offenses wanting to run pull blocks and otherwise. There's room on his frame to add muscle too.
A quote from an NFC team college scouting director says it all, per NFL.com's Lance Zierlein: "The Iowa guys are always going to be quick and proficient, but you have to see them tested against power because they are usually going to be a little smaller too. This guy has decent size, and I think he's got pretty good functional power. He would come in and challenge for best center in our division right away."
Daniels is a perfect fit in Chicago. He'll allow Cody Whitehair, though successful as a center during his rookie year, to slide to guard and massage the loss of Josh Sitton. Kyle Long will still hold down his normal spot, making for a nasty zone-blocking interior for Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen to run behind on every down.
Before the draft, it looked impossible for the Bears to land Smith and Daniels. But the latter fell, and the Bears are already one of the draft's biggest winners as a result.
Round 2 (51): Anthony Miller, WR, Memphis
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Grade: A
The Bears didn't have another selection until the fourth round, yet just couldn't help themselves when they saw Anthony Miller still on the board.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bears coughed up a 2019 second-round pick and one of their fourth-round picks this year (No. 105) to strike up the deal with the New England Patriots.
It's hard not to get excited about the immediate impact Miller will have in the Chicago offense. He's a 5'11", 201-pound weapon with experience all over the field. Last year, he posted 1,462 yards and 18 touchdowns on 96 catches with Memphis.
Miller got called the most underrated wideout in the 2018 class by NFL.com's Chad Reuter, who wrote the following: "There hasn't been a lot of buzz around Miller this offseason. Those that paid attention during the fall, though, know that he's a tough customer who can make defenders look silly in the open field. He could be a Randall Cobb-type receiver and probably won't be picked until the second round or early in the third round."
Long story short, Miller is a chess piece of a weapon for the Bears as they do their best to make sure Trubisky succeeds. Miller moving around on the same offense as Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel should help in that pursuit—and Miller's arrival doubles as insurance if Kevin White gets hurt yet again.
The investment cost here was worth it if the possible franchise quarterback progresses nicely alongside his new weapon.
Round 4 (115): Joel Iyiegbuniwe, LB, Western Kentucky
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Grade: B
The Bears were expected to go back and address linebacker at some point in the draft, though they've hit on a polarizing prospect in Round 4 with Western Kentucky's Joel Iyiegbuniwe.
Polarizing, meaning analysts don't really know what to do with him. He's 6'1" and 229 pounds of solid athletic potential, yet NFL.com's Lance Zierlein has him pegged as a sixth- or seventh-round prospect.
Zierlein's colleague Daniel Jeremiah, though, listed Iyiegbuniwe as a top sleeper: "Iyiegbuniwe is an undersized player with exceptional quickness and range. He makes plays sideline to sideline and explodes through the hips on contact. He has the agility to match up in man coverage with tight ends and running backs. He's worthy of a late second- or early third-round selection."
It's hard to knock the Bears for this pick either way. Iyiegbuniwe looks like a good representation of where the NFL is heading when it comes to linebackers. He's not a big thumper on the inside poised to stop the run; rather, he's almost like a bigger safety who can man up well on receiving targets in sub-packages.
That sounds like a specialist role in 2018 and beyond, but one that is more important than ever. If Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio liked the move and wanted it to happen, odds are Iyiegbuniwe could turn into a valuable pick in hindsight.
Round 5 (145): Bilal Nichols, DL, Delaware
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Grade: B
Bilal Nichols was one of those names from a smaller school with immense upside often linked to the mid-rounds, so it makes sense Pace was all over it in the fifth round.
Nichols checks in at 6'4" and 306 pounds with superb testing numbers and 10.5 sacks over his last two collegiate seasons. The athleticism here is something the Bears can possibly use all over the defensive line.
NFL Network's Mike Mayock really started helping Nichols' name spread during Shrine Game practices: "He flashed. He's 300 pounds and has the body type and strength for the position. He has some movement skills, but I don't see it consistently enough out here or on tape. I'd like to see his motor run a little hotter, but I like his ability."
The task for Fangio and the Bears staff now is figuring out how to unlock the potential built into an NFL-ready frame. He's not going to bump Akiem Hicks or Jonathan Bullard for playing time right now, but he's already key depth for a unit that was dangerously thin over the past two seasons.
Thanks to the upside and value here, the Bears get yet another strong grade with Nichols.
Round 6 (181): Kylie Fitts, Edge, Utah
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Grade: C
It was a matter of time before Pace and the front office went out and got some athletic upside in the form of a pass-rusher.
Utah's Kylie Fitts almost perfectly fits the bill here too much. He's an immense risk because he's had problems staying healthy throughout his career, yet he is usually one of the best looking athletes when he shows up to workouts.
Case in point, Fitts had a composite score in the 82nd percentile at the scouting combine, blowing up with 31 reps on the 225-pound bench press, broad jumping 117 inches and running a 20-yard shuttle in 4.19 seconds, among other impressive numbers.
Fitts has explosive upside for the Bears as a rotational rusher, but the biggest question has always centered on his health. He's going to be a sub-package nightmare for opponents if he can stay healthy, but there's a reason he dropped to the sixth round, probably about three rounds later than where his athletic traits should have had him selected.
Round 7 (224): Javon Wims, WR, Georgia
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Grade: B
While the Bears already addressed the hole at wideout with Anthony Miller, trading up to do so, adding Javon Wims to close out the draft class wasn't a terrible idea.
Wims is a nice possession receiver prospect at 6'3" and 215 pounds who caught 45 passes for 720 yards and seven touchdowns last season, averaging 16 yards per catch. There's serious upside here if he can refine the route running, but sure hands and an ability to use his body to make catches, well, catches the eye.
Here's what Kyle Crabbs of NDT Scouting had to say while comparing Wims so the sure-handed Brandon Lloyd: "Length as a receiver and some special catches in traffic. Wims looks to be a touch tighter than Lloyd was out in space, but their abilities to adjust to the football are uncanny."
Wims has a serious shot at making the final roster, though he'll be trying to fend off guys like Josh Bellamy and Tanner Gentry. The value and possibility of a seventh-round pick making the roster though makes it a nice selection.
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