Chicago Bears Set to Meet Massive Alabama OT DJ Fluker
Sep 1, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide tackle D.J. Fluker (76) reacts on the sidelines against the Michigan Wolverines at Cowboys Stadium. Alabama beat Michigan 41-14. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bears coaches and scouts aren’t just in Indianapolis for the famous shrimp cocktail; they’re busy evaluating talent. They set up a face to face with meeting with DJ Fluker, the massive offensive tackle who’s considered one of the top offensive tackle prospects.
Fluker showed up at the Senior Bowl at 355 pounds, which raised a few concerns, but he’s back down to 338 pounds, a lot closer to his playing weight. He is touted as a right tackle, but some teams may consider him for left tackle or even guard. He just wants to be part of a winner:
"“Any team that wants to win a championship, any team that wants to win on every Sunday, that’s the type of team that I want to go to,” he said. “The team that has the attitude, `I will not be denied.’ The guys that want to go out there and actually work hard, actually want to do something special — win a Super Bowl, win a championship — that’s the type of team that I want to be a part of.”"
Fluker is widely considered a right tackle prospect, so if the Bears are seriously considering taking him in the first round, it might spell the end of Gabe Carimi’s days with the Bears or at the least push him into a backup or swing tackle role.
Here’s a clip of Fluker talking to the media at the NFL Combine on Friday. He fared decently in the bench press, putting up 225 twenty-one times in the first drills of the 2013 Combine. That’s a respectable total for an offensive lineman, especially a lineman with long arms like Fluker.
I am a bit concerned that Fluker struggled in pass protection out of the RT spot for the Tide. He looked a step slow at times as you can see from this game against Michigan in the 2012 season:
What do you think? Could Fluker be a good fit for the Chicago Bears? Would you rather take Fluker to fill the RT spot or see the Bears take a different position in Round 1 and address the O-line in a later round? Let’s see some comments and