Bears keep adding to 'D', take WVU's Kwiatkoski in 4th round

By foxsports
Published

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) The Chicago Bears continued to add to their defense, drafting West Virginia inside linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski with their first pick in the third round after trading up four spots with the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday.

The Bears took him 113th overall after sending the 117th pick and a sixth-rounder to Los Angeles. They then added a pair of defensive backs with their final two picks of the round - Miami safety Deon Bush at No. 124 and Northern Iowa cornerback Deiondre Hall at 127 with their third selection of the fourth round.

The 6-foot-2, 243-pound Kwiatkoski is known for his toughness and explosive play and could contribute on special teams. He led the Mountaineers with 86 tackles and was a second-team, all-Big 12 pick last season.

The hard-hitting Bush had an up-and-down senior season. He broke up six passes but had no forced fumbles after recording five as a junior.

Hall had six interceptions as a senior at Northern Iowa and 13 in his career.

The Bears continue to retool their roster after going 6-10 in their first season under general manager Ryan Pace and coach John Fox.

They were busy before the draft, addressing weaknesses at inside linebacker by signing Danny Trevathan from Super Bowl champion Denver and former Indianapolis Colts player Jerrell Freeman. They also added to their offensive line by signing former Arizona Cardinals right tackle Bobby Massie among other moves.

The Bears added athleticism on the edge in the first round when they took Georgia outside linebacker Leonard Floyd with the ninth pick after trading up two spots with Tampa Bay on Thursday. On Friday, they took Kansas State guard Cody Whitehair after trading down twice in the second round and went with Florida defensive tackle Jonathan Bullard in the third.

They are counting on the 6-foot-6 Floyd to boost the pass rush after tying for 22nd in sacks, even though he did not put up big statistics in college. Floyd had 4 1/2 sacks last season. But the Bears think his numbers will go up because he won't be moving inside and outside or dropping backs the way he did in college, where he had 4 1/2 sacks a year ago.

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