Chicago Bears Draft Scout: Alex Bars
The Chicago Bears met with right guard Alex Bars at the NFL combine. What does he bring to the table?
Despite signing Kyle Long, the Chicago Bears have a need for depth at guard. Bringing in Harry Hiestand from Notre Dame last season it is no surprise to see that the Bears met with a Golden Domer on the offensive line in Alex Bars.
Bars played right guard across from Quenton Nelson most of his career, although he has played a little left guard and right tackle. Unfortunately he tore his ACL in September and while he looked clean in the medicals, he did not compete at the combine.
What does Alex Bars bring and when would he be a good fit for the Chicago Bears?
Strengths
Bars has great size to him. He does a great job of anchoring, and holding his ground against bigger players. On top of that, he is not afraid to get out on the move and roll players over, like the play linked here.
Bars is a smart player and uses angles and technical aspects to lead the way in the run game. He is a most more punishing run blocker, which is where he excelled in college.
Weakness
The obvious question comes to his movement skills coming off of an ACL injury. At the earliest the Bears would hope to get him out there a little bit in training camp. NFL.com also notes that he lacks core strength, can be clunky out of his stance, and can be thrown off balance.
Measurables:
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Skinny
Bars makes sense for the Bears, at a certain price. He does not have much upside and may miss a lot of his first offseason. However, he knows the scheme Hiestand and company want to run. Also with a nod of approval from Hiestand, the player clearly has the understanding down.
The Bears need a young backup, and Bars can slot right in at that. Is his upside starter level? Maybe not. Even still, with his injury and upside questions, he is a fifth or sixth round shot with a chance to even still be around in the seventh round.
The Bears could add depth and try to move on from Bryan Witzmann with Alex Bars. If he does not pan out, it was a low draft cost. However, on the other side, Hiestand could pull more out of him than expected.