Speed in Middle Rounds for Bears

Receiver Tyler Scott, cornerback Terell Smith and linebacker Noah Sewell bring speed advantage to their positions.

The need for more speed proved big on both offense and defense for the Bears during the final day of the NFL draft.

After their selection of running back Roschon Johnson in Round 4, they came back at No. 133 near the end of the round with Cincinnati slot receiver Tyler Scott, then came back with Oregon linebacker Noah Sewell and Minnesota cornerback Terell Smith in the fifth round.

Both Scott and Smith ran 40-yard dash times in the low 4.4s and Sewell was at 4.6, a good speed for a 246-pound linebacker who also bench-pressed 27 reps at 225 pounds.

Sewell is the brother of Lions tackle Penei Sewell, and it sets up a nice rivalry.

"Oh, it's going to be one heck of a matchup," Noah Sewell said. "We both compete. We're always competitive and I'm going to make sure I win a couple of reps."

Sewell could get in the running for starting strong side linebacker, a role where Jack Sanborn looks to be the favorite at the moment. With Oregon, he was in the middle.

Scott will be pressed for finding a role in a receiver corps with Chase Claypool, DJ Moore and Darnell Mooney. One thing he does have is great quickness and ability to run after the catch as a 5-foot-9, 177-pound receiver.

"I mean just because you have speed, that doesn't make you a deep threat or it doesn't make you great at running routes," Scott said. "Knowing when to use it I think is a key point, knowing how to set people up, just having people feel your speed."

Scott started out in high school as a running back which is apparent in his YAC ability. He loved studying Bears great Gale Sayers as a runner.

"Gale Sayers is old school but I just loved his running style," Scott said. "It was just so elusive, it was so fluid the way he seen things. It was kind of like he just learned to elude obstacles."

Like with Scott, Smith was a high school track sprint champion. Scott's specialty was the 400 meters, Smith's the 100.

"He's big (6-foot, 204), he's tough, he's shown a lot of resilience, too, throughout his career," Bears scout Trey Koziol said. "He just fits the mold of what we’re trying to be, which is a big, physical offense up front. It's a piece that I think just meshes well with the philosophy of what we’re trying to build here."

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