Chicago Bears and San Diego Chargers 2016 NFL Draft Needs
By Jon Dove
Tonight’s Monday Night Football matchup of the Chicago Bears and San Diego Chargers isn’t drawing much excitement thanks to both team’s poor record. However, this game will offer an opportunity for each team’s fan base to pinpoint some weaknesses.
The Bears have a wide-range of areas that need to be upgraded in the offseason. However, the most glaring holes come on the defensive side of the ball. They need help in the secondary, along the defensive line and in the pass-rush department.
All three of these needs rank pretty evenly on the priority level. However, the lack of a pass rush outside of Pernell McPhee is starting to take its toll on the defense as a whole. The secondary has been asked to hold their coverage for long stretches which in turn has resulted in some big plays.
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Chicago is trending towards having a pick within the top-10 of the 2016 NFL Draft. This will give them some intriguing options to upgrade the pass rush. The ideal fit might be Ohio State’s Joey Bosa who is a disruptive player that would fit as a five-technique.
Bosa is projected as a top-5 pick which means Chicago might have to lose a few more games to get in range to land him.
The San Diego Chargers are suffering through yet another slow start to the season which seems to be the status quo for this franchise. This year might be a little different because the injury bug has really taken its toll. The offensive has been hobbled all year and now Keenan Allen is out for the season.
Despite the injury issues, San Diego’s porous run defense has allowed 5-yards per carry so far this season. The Chargers are in luck because the 2016 NFL Draft features several elite run defenders. Alabama’s A’Shawn Robinson and Penn State’s Austin Johnson are the top two run defenders on my list. Both players should be available when the Chargers are on the clock– especially if their season continues in this direction.
Robinson and Johnson feature the skills needed to fill San Diego’s need at nose tackle. The Chargers will have a tough time finding themselves back in the playoff picture if they fail to improve their ability to shut down the running game.