Before free agency even kicked off, Bears fans were clamoring for Jarvis Landry to join the team. Fed up with years of ineptitude at the wide receiver position, fans were clamoring for GM Ryan Pace to be aggressive and go after Landry once he hit the market. Then, the Dolphins threw a wrench in the plans, placing the franchise tag on the talented wide receiver.
However, even with the tag, the Dolphins made it clear that they were open to trading Landry if the price was right.
I’m told that there has been at least 2 teams that have been communicated to since the #Dolphins gave Jarvis Landry’s rep permission to pursue a trade. https://t.co/Zzg47zjEpD
— Josina Anderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 2, 2018
Following the trade rumors, which involved Jordan Howard, it was apparent that the majority of fans weren’t interested in breaking the proverbial bank for Landry, for a variety of reasons. It seemed that the consensus was to sign Landry if he hit the market, but most didn’t think it was worth trading for a guy that was already going to demand a lot of cash. Pace apparently agreed.
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While the Bears may have “missed out” on Landry, it seems like another Landry might be a perfect fit for the Chicago Bears. This time on the defensive side of the ball.
Tank Williams, a former NFL safety turned writer for Yahoo Sports, recently released a mock draft and had Harold Landry going to the Bears at #8 overall.
Harold Landry is a defensive end out of Boston College. Put on the tape of this guy and you’ll watch him destroy quarterback after quarterback. His junior year was absolutely insane, where he amassed 16.5 sacks, 50 total tackles and a whopping 22 tackles for loss. Oh yeah, and throw in an interception in there just for the hell of it.
There was talk of him coming out early and entering the NFL Draft last year, but he decided to stay and play his senior year. At the time, Landry was generating buzz as a top 3 pick in mock drafts before making the decision to stay…and he would’ve been worthy of the selection based on his production.
So, why isn’t he generating the same buzz now this year?
His senior season was marred by injuries. He had an injury in the Louisville game this year that hindered his performance. When he tried to push through the pain next week against Virginia, he aggravated the injury immediately and ended up being shut down for the season. His production was certainly down compared to last year, but he still racked up 5 sacks in 7 ½ games played is nothing to be ashamed about.
So, with all that being said, why are mock drafts constantly pushing him down into the 20’s to teams like the Rams or Titans? Could it be the injury concerns? Could it be the lack of production his senior year?
Harold Landry showed up to the NFL Combine and put on a show. He ran a 4.64 40-yard dash (Leonard Floyd ran a 4.64), put up 24 reps on the bench press, had a 6.88 3-cone drill, which was tied for first among all edge rushers, and showed fluidity in his movements and great acceleration.
Looking at this year’s draft in terms of pass rushers, which is arguably the Bears biggest need now, there’s not a whole lot to be excited about. Bradley Chubb is most likely going to be off the board by #8 and Arden Key from LSU has his own questions surrounding him. The competition for Landry though is UTSA’s Marcus Davenport. Incredibly raw, but has all the traits there. He played against lesser competition and, while he played well, didn’t post jaw-dropping numbers.
As a Bears fan, I’d rather go with someone who has put up the big numbers on defense, shown he’s a man among boys against big competition and has the ability to be a double-digit sack artist in the NFL. The one question Ryan Pace will have to ask himself is if Landry at #8 is too high?
For a player who’s drawn a comparison to Vic Beasley, you take him. No matter where in the draft. We’ll see if Pace has the willingness to pull the trigger.
