Chicago Bears: 5 OL options to watch at NFL combine

Ezra Cleveland, T, Boise State, 6’6″, 311 pounds

Some Bears fans will be turned off by Ezra Cleveland, but something tells me that Cleveland will be a player the Bears may have interest in. He profiles similarly to Charles Leno. Of course, Leno was a seventh-round pick, while Cleveland is projected to go in the middle rounds.

Still, the two both come from a similar blocking scheme at Boise State. Leno was a long, thin lineman who had great movement skills but did not have the pure strength to get scouts’ eyes.

Cleveland is cut from a similar cloth. They have similar bodies, and the same strengths and weaknesses coming out of the draft. The difference would be that Cleveland is a bit longer, weighed a bit more coming into the NFL, and had a bit more college experience. This is what will make him higher than a seventh-round pick. That, and the idea that speed is the name of the game, and that goes for the offensive line as well. Do not get it wrong they need to have power, but pulling lineman and pass protecting is more prominent than ever, and footwork is important.

If Ryan Pace has been higher than consensus on Leno, he likely will be high on Cleveland as well. Let’s see how close the two Boise State products test.