Senior writer Larry Mayer discusses who may start at cornerback opposite Jaylon Johnson, if nose tackle Eddie Goldman has returned to the Bears after opting out of the 2020 season and the last Bears quarterback to start all 16 games.
May 5, 2021
Florida had a big NFL Draft weekend, coming one short of tying the school’s seven-round record with eight players selected. Several more got free agent contracts shortly after the final round ended, giving the pro ranks a fresh infusion of Gators.
UF had ten players selected in 1978 when the draft stretched on to 12 rounds, though just half of them went in the first seven rounds. The 2010 Draft, featuring much of the core of the 2008-09 teams that went a combined 26-2, had nine players.
In the intervening years, Florida has had eight guys taken four times now. How does the 2021 group compare to the others? Glad you asked. I used a weighted system that assigns seven points for first rounders down to one point for seventh rounders to standardize a way to look at them to see how this latest draft class stacks up.
3 Detroit Lions veterans who are on the hot seat following NFL draft
Updated 12:01 PM;
Today 11:54 AM
Detroit Lions linebacker Jahlani Tavai (51) reacts after an incomplete pass in the second quarter of their NFL game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Ford Field in Detroit, on Sunday, September 15, 2019. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)Mike Mulholland | MLive.com
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Of course, adding more good players something this organization badly needs as it turns the page from one of the darkest regimes in Lions history also means some returning players will be displaced. That’s the harsh mathematics of a business defined by roster churn.
The 2021 NFL Draft is fast approaching. And it’s a big one for GM Ryan Pace, who enters the final year of the extension he signed in 2018. The same can be said for Head Coach Matt Nagy, the NFL Coach of the Year for his efforts in 2018, who aims to fix an offense that has been spinning its wheels since the start of 2019. Starting today,
we’re looking at some of the best prospects at various positions leading up to the Draft in search of fits for the Bears’ needs.
Today: Defensive backs
Need: Pretty darn high, especially when you consider they’ve lost two starting cornerbacks this season and haven’t adequately replaced either.