The Chicago Bears 2018 rookie class has made some nice contributions to the season thus far. What’s amazing is a number of its key members have barely played so far this season. Second round pick James Daniels didn’t see action until the fourth week. Seventh rounder Javon Wims didn’t even dress until that game as well. Fourth rounder Joel Iyiegbuniwe and sixth rounder Kylie Fitts haven’t played at all.
Yet the Bears are 3-1 and starting to dominate. Imagine what might happen if this young group starts to ascend beyond where they’re at right now. One thing is for sure. They’ve already begun to see signs of the potential. None more so than #8 overall pick Roquan Smith. He was the only one of the draft class to crack the new NFL.com Top 25 rookie rankings, coming in at #15.
What’s incredible about this isn’t that Smith made the rankings. That should’ve been expected. He was one of the most highly-touted picks in the entire class. A “slam dunk” to many evaluators. It’s the fact that he made the list despite a ton of disadvantages to start the season.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Roquan Smith proves talent stands alone about Chicago Bears 2018 rookie class
Think about it. Smith participated in the minicamps and OTAs, and then he wasn’t heard from again until late August. He held out for months over his rookie contract. This forced him to miss all of training camp and the preseason. So he came in way behind schedule. If that weren’t bad enough, shortly after starting practices, he tweaked his hamstring. This forced him to miss more valuable reps.
That’s why Smith wasn’t the starter against the Green Bay Packers in the opener. Yet, despite it all, he found a way to have an impact. He sacked DeShone Kizer on the very first play of his NFL career.
Smith has 18 tackles, a sack and a pass defense through his first three starts. Given his lack of preparation and inexperience, that’s impressive. As the game continues to slow down for him in the coming weeks, there’s no telling how much better he’ll get. The Bears have high expectations for him. Vic Fangio is notorious for molding great inside linebackers. Given this start, it’s possible Smith may be on his way.
