The Chicago Bears selected Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith with their first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. That’s the first of seven picks that will be made by GM Ryan Pace and his staff over the next three days at the big event, which is being held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Smith is a skilled, athletic linebacker who fits well into a defense that needed help in the middle. He starred with the Bulldogs as a junior by recording a team-high 137 tackles and 6.5 sacks in 15 games. The Bears will be hoping he can continue the legacy of stellar linebackers in Chicago that includes Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary, Brian Urlacher and others.
The Browns used their two top-five selections to pick Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield and Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward. Penn State running back Saquon Barkley went to the Giants with the No. 2 pick and USC QB Sam Darnold went to the Jets with the No. 3 pick. The Broncos took advantage of NC State pass rusher Bradley Chubb falling and took him with the No. 5 pick
Smith ended up being the Bears’ pick after potential targets like Chubb, Ward and Notre Dame offensive lineman Quenton Nelson went off the board with earlier picks. Following an offseason largely focused on offensive additions, Pace couldn’t help but acquire a potential impact piece at linebacker with the eighth pick.
Here are the Bears’ 2018 NFL draft picks. This list will be updated throughout the next three days.
Bears 2018 draft picks
Round 1, Pick 8: Linebacker Roquan Smith, Georgia
Round 2, Pick 39: Center James Daniels, Iowa
Round 2, Pick 51: Wide receiver Anthony Miller, Memphis
Round 4, Pick 115: Linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Western Kentucky
Round 5, Pick 145: Defensive tackle Bilal Nichols, Delaware
Round 6, Pick 181: Outside linebacker Kylie Fitts, Utah
Round 7, Pick 224: Wide receiver Javon Wims, Georgia