Bears Must Select Beasley

With the 7^th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select Vic Beasley? Yes, Beasley is the most appropriate pick for the Bears’ first round selection. What he brings to the table, for the undoubtedly bleak Chicago defense, is something special and something we don’t see quite often. This is someone who successfully followed through the maturation process both on and off the field while at Clemson University.

His versatile skill set, having arguably the best combination of power and speed out of every pass rusher in the draft, really elevates his draft stock for Chicago’s 3-4 defensive scheme. For a Bears’ defense that doesn’t have a bevy of experience in playing outside linebacker, investing in another pass rushing threat would be something worth considering. Beasley had claimed the career sack record at Clemson University, accumulating 33 in his four years there. His consistency throughout his years really defines the player you expect him to be. With his past 3 years of accounting for 8 sacks in 2012, 13 in 2013, and 12 in 2014, you can expect him not to let up after having a breakout year. This was a defensive end who also accumulated 52.5 tackles for loss in that three year span.

Photo by Dave Bryan

Playing in a tenacious ACC conference and succeeding against star studded offensive linemen, like FSU’s proble first round selection Cameron Erving and Louisville’s 4^th to 6^th round prediction Jamon Brown, Vic had his skill set tested to the utmost degree. In both games, his ability to make some noise and wreak some havoc while sacking the quarterback was very much apparent. That’s not mentioning taking on out of conference 4^th to 6^th round selection Corey Robinson from South Carolina and 2^nd to 4^th round selection out of Oklahoma Tyrus Thompson, who he had no problem throwing aside.

Vic Fangio, the newly appointed Defensive Coordinator of the Bears, is expected to revise the defense and orient it to the 3-4 scheme that the Bears aren’t really accustom to. Beasley’s ability to vary his technique from standing up outside the tackle to lining up in the 5 technique as a defensive end would induce a lot of relief for the team going forward defensively. His impact he brought to Clemson football, as a result of his versatility, speaks volumes to what he can do and is predicted to do on the NFL level. The void he can fill in is at the very least the void Julius Peppers had when he was in his prime in Chicago from 2010 to 2012, and that is at the very least if he pans out the way he is predicted to. While he has some mistakes to revise, including his balanced footwork, his ceiling still appears to be even higher than what future hall of famer Julius Peppers’ was.

At 6’3 and 245 lbs. Beasley is the kind of build that you want in an outside linebacker and immediately draws comparisons to a Von Miller. Although Beasley was an All American at Clemson and college football fans were well aware of his name, the NFL really developed a liking for this player in this past NFL draft, where he really set the mark. He finished 3^rd in bench press out of everyone, with 35 reps, 1^st in the 40 yard dash out of every linebacker, with a 4.53, and 3^rd out of every linebacker in vertical jump with 41 inches.  To rank amongst the highest in each category, whether it be out of his position or out of the entire combine, emphasizes the need for someone to select him that needs an outside linebacker more so now than ever. With the lack of comfort Jared Allen has at Outside Linebacker and an unexperienced starter in Pernell McPhee, Beasley can easily step in with his versatility and youth to take the game by storm for Chicago.

Photo by David J Phillip

The Bears need to invest defensively in the first round, and their biggest void right now is at outside linebacker. Beasley is the most suitable candidate for solidifying that position for Chicago and closing the gap on the defensive holes that their defense has been comprised of in the past two years. He personifies a brute force that makes quality athletes shy away from his domineering presence. Whether it’s his uncanny quickness or his unbearable bulldozing strength, Beasley will get the sack or tackle for loss in one manner or another. If you’re going to start somewhere Chicago, why not start with him?