Zacch Pickens Eases 'Huge Problem' for the Chicago Bears
One of the biggest stories in professional football this offseason has been the excellent job the Chicago Bears have done at revitalizing their roster. The team has made tremendous strides toward building a playoff-caliber roster but still possesses a few gaping holes. The pass rush is one of those glaring weaknesses on the Bears' roster.
The expectation for the team heading into the draft was that the Bears would use one of their many picks to address this issue. While the team did not use their first-round pick on defense, instead opting to take OT Darnell Wright, the Bears focused heavily on the defensive side of the ball on day two of the draft.
With the 64th pick, the Bears selected DT Zacch Pickens, a former star in the South Carolina Gamecock's defensive front. Pickens started the draft cycle a lot lower on many people's draft boards, but an excellent showing at the NFL combine and the senior bowl helped push Pickens to an early third-round pick.
A five-star and one of the top players in the country coming out of high school, Pickens' flashed at multiple points the physical and athletic tools to be an elite defensive tackle and totaled 7.5 sacks and 131 tackles through four years with the Gamecocks. Pickens is an athletic big man with the potential to be a consistent disruptor in the league. The Bears need more disruptiveness, particularly in the pass rush, where Pickens excels.
As mentioned before, Pickens tested great at the NFL Combine, one of the reasons why he wound up a 3rd round pick. His 40-yard dash time, 4.89 seconds, is great for a defensive tackle, especially someone who stands at 6-4 291 pounds. He is also primed to be a "human explosion" off the line, testing great for the vertical and broad jumps.
Pickens is a talented football player who, with the right coaching at the professional level, can develop into a monster on the line of scrimmage. He has all the tools and athleticism to excel at the next level; it's just a matter of when.
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