NFL Draft 2016: Five worst picks of the first round

Leonard Floyd, Outside Linebacker — Bears, Pick No. 9

As Laremy Tunsil was falling down the first round and as Myles Jack was also still on the board, there was a palpable excitement in Chicago when the hometown Chicago Bears made a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to move up to the No. 9 pick from the No. 11 slot. Everyone was expecting big things from the hometown team given the events leading up to that point. And then they provided arguably the most anti-climactic moment of the first round by taking outside linebacker Leonard Floyd out of Georgia.

There are obviously a number of things to consider when you’re looking at this pick by Chicago. First off, the Bears have a pretty damn good track record when it comes to picking and developing linebackers, which is intriguing when you consider the unique size and skill-set that a high-upside prospect like Floyd brings to the table. But there’s also the fact that Floyd has been a player that has really shot up draft boards relatively recently to consider. He went from being a late first-rounder to being considered a top-15 type talent.

Not liking this pick by the Bears has nothing to with reaching to take a player in regards to pre-draft value. However, I don’t prefer teams using a top-10 pick on late-risers in the draft as the likelihood of that player being more smoke than fire always feels higher than it normally would. In the same light, teams giving up another asset to trade into the top-10 to pick that player makes me like that type of pick even less—even if they though the Giants wanted Floyd at No. 10. The crux of the matter is that this pick felt like the Bears giving up an asset to move to ensure they got a player who doesn’t totally seem worth it.