Myles Jack might be a longshot to fall to the No. 11 pick of the 2016 NFL Draft, but the Bears will be ready if it happens. The former UCLA star linebacker, who's expected to be a top-10 pick, met with the club Thursday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The meeting came exactly four weeks before the draft commences in Chicago, and on the very day that NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah suggested that the club's position at No. 11 isn't exactly ideal given the dropoff in talent between the players that will go at the top of the draft and those that won't.
"In this draft, I think there are eight to 10 guys that you feel great about, and (the Bears are) just outside that range where you're going to have to probably rely a little bit on faith and your coaching staff and developing players," Jeremiah said during a media teleconference. "Because a lot of them have some holes once you get outside that first group."
If there's one thing Jack's game doesn't have, it's holes.
Although Jack likely won't run a 40-yard dash prior to the draft as he continues to recover from a knee injury, the linebacker is considered among the elite prospects most readily capable of making an immediate impact in the NFL. He's also one of the most versatile athletes in the draft, something Jack himself illustrated recently when he revealed that the Chargers project him as an NFL defensive back. There was talk around the time of UCLA's pro day (March 15) that Jack would participate in a personal pro day to run the 40-yard dash and complete the combine drill checklist, but that won't happen. He'll return to Indianapolis later this month for a medical recheck of his knee. Jack showed NFL scouts a 40-inch vertical jump at UCLA's pro day.
As for the Bears, they likely will have to trade up for a chance to draft Jack.
Most NFL Media mock drafts project Jack to the Jaguars with the No. 5 overall pick, and none see the linebacker falling past the 49ers at No. 7.
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