Read pretty much any other article on our site and you’ll see the need the Bears have for pass-rushers. It’s been well-documented. Leonard Floyd, Aaron Lynch and Sam Acho are the only OLB’s on the roster at this point after the releases of Pernell McPhee and Willie Young.
That’s why, going into this NFL Draft, so much talk has been centered around who the Bears could target for pass rush help with the #8 overall selection. The only problem is that Bradley Chubb is the only player who seems to be worthy of that high of a selection in a thin edge-rusher class and he’ll likely be gone by the time the Bears are on the clock.
That’s why eyes turned towards Harold Landry, an edge-rusher out of Boston College, who finished with 16.5 sacks his junior season. An injury-plagued senior season lead to only 5 sacks and he saw his draft stock plummet. However, after a solid combine where he proved he’s back to full health, Landry’s stock has started to rise again.
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The question remains though: is Landry a reach with the #8 overall selection?
With mock drafts coming across your computer screen furiously at this point in April, there’s a lot of speculation out there as to where Landry might end up if he’s too rich of a pick for the Bears. The popular location should terrify Bears fans.
Many mock drafts, including this one by Jonah Tuls of NDTScouting, have Landry suiting up in that hideous green and yellow next season.
Here it is. My latest two-round mock draft with trades involved via @NDTScoutingLLC. Yell at me why you don’t like your team’s pick: https://t.co/gksa8pp7Jp
— Jonah Tuls (@JonahTulsNFL) April 5, 2018
This has to be the Bears’ nightmare scenario. The Packers are also in need of edge-rushers and are actively looking for help to bring down Mitchell Trubisky. If the Bears go another route, such as Denzel Ward, this leaves them susceptible to letting Landry (a player commonly compared to sack artist Vic Beasley) fall right into the waiting and open arms of the Green Bay Packers.
Many draft experts are viewing Landry at #8 to the Bears as too high of a price to pay. For a player who has 16.5 sacks in one season in college, and has shown all the traits on tape to be a phenomenal player off the edge, the price might be just right.
Combine that, with the fact that if they don’t draft him he might terrorize Trubisky twice a year for the next decade, and Landry just might become the Bears pick at #8.
Would Landry be considered a reach? Or would it be worth it to make sure the Bears most hated rivals don’t snag him?