2017 NFL Draft: Chicago Bears 7-round mock
Antonio Garcia
Offensive Tackle, Troy
One of the biggest weaknesses of the Bears’ was their offensive line. Their 28 sacks don’t look terrible, but they allowed defenses to pressure their quarterback consistently. In the third round, the Bears will get a potential future starter in Antonio Garcia.
He’ll likely require a little bit of time to adjust to the NFL. Garcia’s coming out off an up tempo offense, which isn’t pro style. However, he has a lot of great tools. At 6-foot-6 and over 300 pounds, Garcia has ideal height. He’s also very athletic and his conditioning is remarkable for an offensive lineman. Garcia will need to bulk up a little bit, as he’s just over 300 pounds. He needs to get himself into the 310-320 pound range. That shouldn’t affect his explosive athleticism, which is his greatest asset.
Garcia has the tools to start right away. Sure, he’ll likely have some learning pains. But Garcia is better than their other options at left tackle. He should develop into a quality starting left tackle. At the very least, Garcia should slot in nicely on the right side. He’s a prototypical tackle because of his athleticism and great length. Garcia did very well against speed rushers in college when he had to face them.