Is former Georgia defender Roquan Smith Chicago’s next great LB?

That’s certainly what Bears coaches and fans are hoping for. Following in the path of Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher won’t be easy, but that’s why Chicago drafted Smith No. 8 overall.

Butkus, the Bears legendary LB, was already linked to Smith prior to the draft. Smith won the 2017 Butkus Award, given annually to college football’s best LB, and it was only fitting he wound up in a Chicago uniform.

The former hard-hitting LB is already impressed with Chicago’s newest addition.

“He’s just a very nice, humble kid. It’s kind of refreshing to see that compared to a lot of these other kids that come out thinking they are all-world,” Butkus told ESPN. “Roquan is a down-to-earth kid and that should serve him well there in Chicago.”

After Smith won the Butkus Award, the legendary LB reached out to him via text.

“I sent him a text,” Butkus said. “He responded immediately. He’s just a very nice, humble kid. It’s kind of refreshing to see that compared to a lot of these other kids that come out thinking they are all-world. Roquan is a down-to-earth kid and that should serve him well there in Chicago.”

If Smith can win over legends, he’ll win over the locker room in a hurry.