Jonathan Bostic to Bears: How Does LB Fit with Chicago?
Published by Jon Dove on April 26, 2013
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears entered the 2013 draft needing to address the issues within the linebacking corps. They decided that Florida’s Jonathan Bostic would be a good fit. Bostic features the athleticism, quickness and experience to make an immediate impact.
He is a versatile linebacker capable of playing either in the middle or on the outside. However, his best fit will be at the middle linebacker spot. Bostic uses his quickness to attack the line of scrimmage and penetrate the pocket.
That speed also allows him to make plays from sideline to sideline. He brings added value because he does a good job in coverage. He is the type of athlete capable of covering the deep middle and sticking with tight ends/running backs.
It’s constantly discussed that the NFL is becoming more and more dominated by the passing game. This is why defenses must have linebackers capable of holding up in coverage. Bostic’s success in this part of the game means that he doesn’t have to come off the field in passing situations.
There are too many linebackers in the NFL who are two-down players because they’re a liability in coverage.
The one issue with this pick is that there were other options available at this spot. Kansas State’s Arthur Brown, Rutgers’ Khaseem Greene and Connecticut’s Sio Moore were all still on the board. Each of these prospects showed more promise than Bostic.
As far as his rookie season is concerned, Bostic will be competing with D.J. Williams at the middle linebacker spot and James Anderson at outside linebacker. He’ll need a strong training camp to enter the season as a starter.
I thought the above tweet was very interesting. The fact that Phil Emery said he leans towards SEC talent scares me. I hope he isn’t making his assessments based on where a player went to college.
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