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Roquan Smith was quietly one of the NFL’s best inside linebackers in 2020. The former eighth overall pick by the Bears had a breakout season, where he garnered Second Team All-Pro honors. Although, there’s an argument to be made that he should’ve been First Team All-Pro.
Last season, Smith totaled a career-high 139 tackles, including 98 solo tackles, 18 tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, four sacks, seven pass defenses, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Smith also got a career-best grade from Pro Football Focus.
Smith has been getting recognition this offseason as among some of the league’s best young talent. That includes NFL.com’s All-Under-25 Team, where Smith joined Fred Warner at inside linebacker.
The Bucs’ Devin White was also considered for this spot, but Smith wins out because he was more effective in coverage than the darling defender of the 2020 postseason. Smith set career-high marks in tackles and tackles for loss in 2020, joining White as the only two players with 125 or more tackles and four or more sacks last season. The difference between the two players is in Smith’s larger body of work and his stellar coverage numbers, which landed among the league’s best.
While GM Ryan Pace has missed on most of his first-round draft picks since 2015, Smith is the first that appears set to earn that coveted second contract. Earlier this offseason, the Bears exercised Smith’s fifth-year option, guaranteeing he’ll be in Chicago next season. And the expectation is that he’ll soon be negotiating a new contract to remain a foundational piece of the Bears defense for the foreseeable future.
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