The Bears traded away their No. 60 overall pick in the second round Friday, getting a third- and fifth-round pick from the Titans for their troubles. The Bears picked Stanford tight end Sam Roush No. 69 and hold Pick 144 Saturday afternoon.
Roush caught 49 balls for 545 yards last year and was named second-team All-ACC. He joins last year’s first-round pick, Colston Loveland, and veteran Cole Kmet. Bears coach Ben Johnson is among the NFL’s leaders in using multiple tight end sets. Johnson ran “13” personnel, which uses three tight ends, on 8.5 percent of the Bears’ downs last year.
“If you ask coach (Ben Johnson), it’s the more, the merrier …” player personnel director Trey Koziol said. “In the tight end room, we can play all those guys.”
Roush has experience at both the in-line position as a catching threat, Koziol said.
The Stanford alum said the Bears have an “incredible tight end room,” saying “there’s a lot I can learn from them.” He’s already familiar with tight end Jim Dray, who played collegiately at Stanford
Roush said he’s prepared to play special teams and help with run-blocking as a rookie. Football is in his blood. His great-uncle is Pro Football Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen. His maternal grandfather, Phil, who is the late Merlin’s brother and also a former NFL player, was with him Friday night.
The Atlanta-born Roush moved around the world, living in Asia, with his father’s business before settling in San Jose, Calif., where he played high school football. He holds a Stanford degree and is working on a Master’s in computer science.
The Bears held Pick 60 after dealing receiver DJ Moore to the Bills. By moving back, the Bears filled a gap that existed before the draft began. They weren’t scheduled to have picks in either Round 5 or Round 6 until making the move Friday night.
Three picks before they made the trade, the Bears picked Iowa center Logan Jones No. 57 overall.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles is known to trade back on the second and third day of the draft to collect picks. He’s in his fifth draft and has only made one prominent move up on draft day, trading for cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.
The Bears made Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman their first-round pick Thursday night. They picked Iowa center Logan Jones No. 57 overall in Round 2.
