Ohio State Mock Draft: Where Will These 10 Buckeyes Get Drafted?
Marshon Lattimore, CB, Chicago Bears, Round 1, Pick 3
Malik Hooker will not be the first Ohio State Buckeye off the board, instead the privilege will go to Marshon Lattimore, whom the Bears will pick at No. 3.
Chicago addressed its secondary needs this offseason by signing Prince Amukamara, however, this is the third team for the 27-year-old corner since he was drafted in the first round by the New York Giants in 2011. He was a consolation prize for the Bears, who targeted Stephon Gilmore. Amukamara signed a one year deal.
The future at the corner is still murky, but Lattimore would change all of that. At 6-1, 193 pounds, Lattimore is regarded by some as the best cover corner in the draft.
Chicago also signed Marcus Cooper, who previously played for the Chiefs and Cardinals, to a three-year contract. Along with Lattimore, the Bears could be looking at their future corners for the next few seasons, writes Da Windy City’s Dan Schmelzer.
"However, besides Marcus Cooper, none of them are likely to be long-term starters for the team. Adding Lattimore to the mix would give the Bears an elite young playmaker at the cornerback position who could lead the secondary into the future. A cornerback duo of Lattimore and Cooper would have a ton of natural upside and give the Bears secondary a chance to compete. If they both hit their potential, the secondary would go from a major weakness to an actual position of strength."
Prior to free agency, the Bears appeared poised to take a quarterback, but the signing of Mike Glennon gives Chicago the option of drafting a developmental prospect, or waiting until 2018.
Like Hooker, Lattimore doesn’t have a ton of experience. He started just one season, and only played in 16 total games from 2015-2016. But his combine numbers ( 4.36 40-yard-dash) (38.5 vertical jump) and 11-inch board jump), and an impressive pro day will make it hard for the Bears to pass him up.