Hub Arkush: Edge rusher group has boom-or-bust potential

Eighth in a series of our updated post-NFL Combine draft prospect rankings, with comments on players who appear likely to be fits for the Bears.

By Hub Arkush

harkush@shawmedia.com

The three kids at the top - Chase Young, Yetur Gross-Matos and K'Lavon Chaisson are blue chip pass rushers - and Young is the best prospect in this Draft. He will probably only wait one or two picks if a quarterback or two to come off the board.

The rest of this group is loaded with boom-or-bust type picks likely to yield a handful of future double-digit sack artists.

The majority of the upper half of these prospects elected not to run at the combine hoping to fare better at pro days, many of which were canceled, so it makes them a little tougher to grade.

Pass rushers have become like cornerbacks, you can never have too many. But with what the Bears have invested in Khalil Mack and now Robert Quinn, it's unlikely they'll be shopping here until day three.

Jonathan Greenard: I got to spend about 20 minutes with Greenard at the combine and came away super impressed with how he carries himself and how badly he wants it. He transferred from Louisville to Florida for his senior year after the Bobby Petrino mess and made a huge impact against SEC competition. He is a four-down linebacker still developing as a pass rusher off the edge after a serious wrist injury cost him the 2018 season. Reminds me a bit of a bigger Lance Briggs built for the 3-4 but could play in a 4-3 as well. Will probably go middle to late third round.

Curtis Weaver: If you can get past the Shea McClellin comparisons, Weaver is a terror off the edge likely to become a professional pass rusher in the NFL. He struggles at times vs. the run, so he projects as a rotational guy who'll fit nice in sub packages. He should come off the board early on day three, so the Bears would have to move up to get him.

Oluwole Betiku Jr.: Born in Nigeria, Betiku came to the states as a sophomore in high school and went to USC as one of the top prospects in the country. But after losing his 2018 season to hip surgery, he transferred to Illinois, where Lovie Smith turned him into one of the top edge guys in the Big Ten. His Combine snub was a surprise, but he'll be a later day three pick with the tools to make a club and maybe eventually make a difference chasing quarterbacks.

Alex Highsmith: This is a traits guy who wasn't chased by anybody coming out of high school and had to walk on at Charlotte, but by his junior year, he became a force as a pass rusher and notched 31½ sacks over his last two seasons. Clearly a project, he fits the Ryan Pace day-three, small-school gamble tendencies we've seen work before.

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