The Bears selected Delaware defensive end Bilal Nichols in the fifth round with the 145th overall selection on Saturday.

Nichols (6-4, 306 pounds) was a first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection last season. He made 56 tackles, including 6 1/2 for loss, and five 1/2 sacks in 11 games. He also had an interception and four pass breakups.

“I would like to thank the Bears organization for believing in me,” Nichols said during a conference call.

The Bears need depth on their defensive line after Mitch Unrein’s departure in free agency. Nichols’ size makes him a candidate to be one of the Bears’ five-technique ends in their base 3-4 defense.

In the next 48 hours, @_BNichols92 will add another chapter to his story. A story about defying odds and overcoming obstacles. Here's how it started...#BleedBlue302#BlueHens pic.twitter.com/W9tehetWz6 — Delaware Football (@DelawareFB) April 27, 2018

Beyond Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman, the Bears are expecting Jonathan Bullard and Roy Robertson-Harris to be staples up front in coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense.

Nichols said that he played in 4-3 and 3-4 defenses at Delaware. General manager Ryan Pace said he’ll play end.

“Both of those [defenses] I feel like gave me a chance to show my versatility,” Nichols said. “I feel like it’s very key because a defensive lineman should be able to play both schemes.

Nichols’ best season came last year when he primarily played in a three-man front.

“About the three-man front, I really love the fact that you’re putting a lot of pressure on your [defensive] linemen to make plays and stop the run,” Nichols said. “And that’s something that I loved about it. We really had the dogs up front, and we had the ‘D’ line to generate things down. That was something I really enjoyed about being in that front.”

Offensive quality control coach Brian Ginn played a role in the Bears’ evaluation of Nichols. He coached quarterbacks, receivers and tight ends at Delaware — which also is coach Matt Nagy’s alma mater — before joining the Bears this year.

“Coach Ginn, he’s an awesome guy,” Nichols said. “He was one of the guys who helped recruit me at Delaware. Unbelievable guy. Great guy. Me and coach Ginn have a great relationship.”

In his annual draft guide, CBS Sports’ Dane Brugler said that Nichols “looked natural as a two-gapper, flashing the power, anchor and instincts to stack, shed and make plays on inside runs.” Brugler and NFL.com’s draft evaluation of Nichols also highlighted his non-stop motor on plays.

“I’m willing to do anything for the team,” Nichols said. “Wherever they’d love to put me, I’ll be more than happy to play.”