Ohio State cornerback Marshon Lattimore seems to be flying up draft boards and was recently predicted to land as high as the #2 pick by NFL.com. The averaged sized (6-1, 192 lbs.) DB from the Big 10 has already been pegged as a future “top cornerback” in the NFL by a pro personnel director.
“I’ve studied the top cornerbacks coming out and he’s the best I’ve seen. He’s so athletic that he can just post up under the receiver’s chin and shadow him all over the field. And he’s tough, too. He’ll be one of the top cornerbacks pretty quickly.” — Pro personnel director for AFC team
This information should have the Bears salivating with the third overall pick. Tracy Porter, the best cornerback currently playing for the Bears, is getting old and regressed last season. Kyle Fuller, the former first round pick, is a cut-candidate after failing to impress John Fox’s coaching staff for the last two years. Cre’Von LeBlanc was an interesting rookie to watch, but his initial draft stock had a huge note attached to it reading “too small to play outside” and scouts accurately predicted he wouldn’t be drafted.
In a division that features arguably the best physically talented quarterback in the league and a former number one overall pick, it’s clear the Chicago Bears desperately need help in the defensive backfield. The team only had eight interceptions in 2016 resulting in one of the worst totals in the league and they were the eighth worst team in football when it came to fantasy points given up against opposing receivers.
