It’s already been established that the wider NFL media prefers to overlook the Chicago Bears. Yet the ways they keep finding to do are getting more and more ridiculous and blatant. Take a recent ESPN piece by Rivers McGowan. Taking a cue from Football Outsiders, he used a system of requirements to help projects certain young players around the league who are poised for a breakout. The list covers 25 names. Not only was defensive end Bilal Nichols not on the list. He wasn’t even an honorable mention.
To understand how big of a slight it actually is, let’s help illustrate exactly what’s being detailed. Here is the list of required qualifications to make the list. All of which Nichols meets:
- Drafted in the third round or later, or signed as an undrafted free agent (5th round)
- Entered the NFL between 2016 and 2018 (2018)
- Fewer than 500 career offensive or defensive snaps (361)
- Have not signed a contract extension
- Age 26 or younger in 2019 (22)
Where it gets blatantly obvious that the entire thing is a farce is at just the second spot in the rankings. Detroit Lions defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand was chosen for the #2 spot overall.
“Despite the subpar college career, Hand has become a force for the Lions. He had 14 hurries as a rookie to go along with three sacks and six defeats. (Defeats are defined here.) He played sterling run defense as well. Sometimes pro-level coaching and training can take an underachieving college player and raise him to the next level.”
So let’s get this straight. Hand made the list at #2 with three sacks, 14 hurries, and a good grade against the run (80.8). Nichols had three sacks, 13 hurries, and held a run defense grade of 75.8 against the run. Not to mention he played 94 fewer snaps last season than Hand, yet he gets left off the list entirely? I call shenanigans.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Bilal Nichols likely overlooked due to his school
All one really has to do to realize the writer of this piece didn’t dig too deep for his prospects is look at the schools they came from. The top 10 names on the list go as follows: Georgia, Alabama, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Michigan, N.C. State, Florida State, Oklahoma State, Alabama, Purdue. Those are all much more prominent programs in college football. One will note that the list doesn’t include any prospects from smaller schools.
That’s why Nichols, being from Delaware, likely wasn’t even mentioned.
What makes it even weirder is that he played on a playoff team. This should’ve elevated his profile while Hand played on the worst team in the NFC North. Then again this is nothing new for the Bears. They’re used to having their players get overlooked. If anything, Nichols will simply use slights like this as further motivation. He’s a serious contender to win the starting defensive end job opposite Akiem Hicks.
If he could do what he did with such limited snaps in 2018. Imagine what might happen when he’s on the field more.
