Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
After adding a dynamic weapon in West Virginia wide receiver Kevin White to their offense in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears brought their focus back to the defensive side of the ball, and selected Florida State defensive tackle Eddie Goldman with the 39th overall pick.
Chicago spent the offseason adding personnel along the defensive line that would fit their new-look 3-4 alignment, mainly with defensive ends Jarvis Jenkins and Ray McDonald. However, with those changes came a lot of re-positioning of players along the front seven. Former defensive ends Jared Allen, Lamarr Houston, and Willie Young are now outside linebackers, and Will Sutton and Ego Ferguson are listed as defensive ends.
This leaves 11-year veteran Jeremiah Ratliff as the only defensive tackle on the Bears depth chart. Ratliff still has the skills to be productive, but age and injury are the things that could prevent the former Pro Bowler from completing a full season in 2015. The addition of Goldman definitely will take the pressure off of Ratliff and the rest of Chicago’s defensive line.
In order to have success in the 3-4 scheme, there must be a space-eater in the interior of the D-line. Goldman’s 6-foot-4, 336-pound frame is just what Chicago’s defense needs, and could be a great complement to Jenkins and McDonald when it comes to stopping the running game.
Seeing that Chicago passed on Washington nose tackle Danny Shelton in the first round, they did the next best thing by pulling the trigger on this selection. With four more pick left for the Bears in the draft, I believe that Goldman will be the first of many players added to this defense.
Clyde A. Speller is an NFL writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClydeASpeller.
