The Chicago Bears signed defensive end Aston Whiteside to a deal on Saturday, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, which continues their recent trend of taking interest in prospects from Abilene Christian University. Former Bears safety Danieal Manning and current wide receiver Johnny Knox -- two Abilene Christian products previously drafted by Chicago -- have both turned into very solid professional players, so now the Bears are hoping they've landed another contributor by picking him up after the Dallas Cowboys dropped the undrafted free agent DE earlier in training camp.
The National Football Post had a quick write-up on Whiteside for the NFL Draft, and here is what that report had to say:
The 6-2, 265-pounder is able to create a burst off the edge, counter off his speed rush and keep his pad level down while changing directions. He also displayed some violence when asked to shed with his hands and was a tough block one-on-one.
Lovie Smith is always looking for another speed rusher to line up at DE in his Tampa-2 scheme that relies on pressure from the front four, so now it's up to Whiteside to prove he belongs on the roster heading into the regular season.
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