Chicago Bears: 2 players Ryan Pace must target this offseason

NFL Draft – Solomon Kindley (OG), Georgia

If there was one thing Kirby Smart, Sam Pittman and company could do at Georgia, that was recruiting some of most elite-level talent on the offensive line in the country.   They also do an impeccable job of developing that talent.

One of my favorite targets in this incoming draft is offensive guard, Solomon Kindley.  Kindley was overshadowed in the postseason awards after the Bulldogs regular season concluded.  Andrew Thomas, Trey Hill and Ben Cleveland all got more recognition for the 2019 campaign than Kindley did, but draft insiders and scouts did not let his season go unnoticed.

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Many draft boards now have Kindley locked into that 1st-2nd round grade, with some falling into the 3rd round.  Personally, I think that Kindley is going to fall into that mid-second round range which would be an ideal pick for the Bears if he were land at their pick.  Scouts and draft insiders consider Kindley to have superior run blocking skills with slightly above average pass protection.

Many in the scouting and draft community are also communicating that Kindley wants to drop some weight to an already 6’4, 330-pound frame.  If he can drop this weight before the combine, I feel like this should only make his draft value soar.  As of this writing, Kindley does not appear to be one of the juniors that are invited to any postseason all-star games, so his Georgia Pro-Day and his workouts at the NFL Combine are going to be pivotal to his draft stock.

Will Nagy take a shot at an offensive lineman this early in the draft?  My gut feeling would say yes.  Kindley possesses the intangibles you need in this scheme.  We have noticed all year that if the Bears’ running game can get off to a good start, it opens up so much in the playbook for this offense.

As we mentioned, Kyle Long’s health is a very important factor that must be considered.  It is imperative that the Bears have a contingency plan if Long cannot stay injury-free in 2020 and Kindley definitely fits the mold.