Bears add to defensive talent with second and third round draft picks
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Bears focused on the defensive side of the ball during the second and third rounds of the NFL Draft on Friday.
With the No. 53 overall pick, the Bears selected Florida defensive tackle Gervon Dexter. The 6-foot-6, 310-pounder started all 13 games as a junior last season, posting 58 tackles, four for loss, two sacks and an interception.
The Bears entered the second day of the draft with three picks: No. 53 and No. 61 in the second round and No. 64 in the third round.
But the Bears traded away the No. 61 pick, and a fifth round pick (No. 136 overall) to the Jacksonville Jaguars to acquire their No. 56 overall pick.
With that No. 56 pick, the Bears selected Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. At 6 feet, 200 pounds, he recorded 28 tackles and two interceptions in 11 starts, earning Third-Team All-ACC honors.
At the start of the third round, the Bears selected defensive tackle Zacch Pickens out of South Carolina, No. 64 overall. Pickens, 6-foot-4, 290 pounds, recorded a career-high 42 tackles last season, along with two-and-a-half sacks in 12 starts.
The Bears began their draft taking Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright on Thursday, a likely boost to the offensive line which struggled last season to protect quarterback Justin Fields.
Other draft notes
Illinois safety Jartavius Martin was drafted by the Washington Commanders with the 47th overall pick in the second round on Friday. Martin was the second Illini picked in the draft, alongside Devon Witherspoon who was picked No. 5 overall by the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday.
Martin started all 13 games for the Illini last season, recording 64 tackles, three interceptions and 11 pass breakups.
Then in the third round, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Illinois safety Sydney Brown at No. 66 overall. At 5-foot-10 and 210 pounds, Brown was a First Team All-Big Ten pick on the nation's top scoring defense. He picked off six passes, recorded 59 tackles, a sack and seven pass breakups in 12 starts last season.
