Malik Hooker (15-1)
What makes Malik Hooker, another safety, more likely an option than Adams? The simple fact that he checks more boxes. Hooker is not only bigger, but he’s faster on tape with some of the best ball skills seen at that position in years. He started just one season for Ohio State but managed to snag seven interceptions and return three for touchdowns. He is everything the Bears have wanted at the position.
Hooker is rare. Players with his skill set don’t come around often. That makes taking him at #3 more viable. The Bears know there is no way they somebody like him later in the draft or in many drafts to come. He fits that profile of “impact” guy that Pace said he wants, and at a position the team has been weak for years. The tricky part is defensive backs almost never go in the top three, and Hooker is also rehabbing from injuries.
