The Chicago Bears General Manager and head coach just recently got to the Senior Bowl after a long hiring process. The team is behind others, and this week will go a long way into how quickly the team can catch up. The Senior Bowl is a great chance to meet and greet prospects and see them up close and personal.
With that in mind, these five positions have the most talent this year and need to be watched closely.
5. Offensive Line
Ryan Poles is a former offensive lineman, and the Chicago Bears are expected to build through their line much more than they did with Ryan Pace. This is a good start, and it helps that Poles will be at the Senior Bowl to take it all in.
We wrote about some of the best players in the draft at the Senior Bowl. If you want to read about Bernard Raimann, Darian Kinnard, Trevor Penning, or Daniel Faalele, check this out. Beyond that, there is still plenty of talent.
The interior has plenty of names. Marquis Hayes from Oklahoma, Lecitus Smith from Virginia Tech, and Dylan Parham from Memphis are some of the top interior names that should be on the board for the Chicago Bears selections. This will be a big week for trench play, and we will see if the Chicago Bears took a liking to any players this week.
4. Defensive Line
The offensive line has talent that has many excited. However, almost all reports out of Mobile are that the defensive line is having the better week. That can make sense, as you could probably argue that the edge rusher group is the best of the bunch.
The two Penn State edge rushers are making a name for themselves as is Jermain Johnson from Florida State, he may have played himself out of the Bears’ potential as he locked in first-round status.
Myjai Sanders, Kingsley Enagbare, Cameron Thomas, and Dominique Robinson are all pass rushers who have been able to show out this week. What makes them so impressive is that there are different styles of rushers for whatever your preference is. There are speed rushers and power players. Some are part-time rushers, and some can shift inside if needed. Others can play in space.
Beyond the edge rush group is a strong interior class. Perio Winfrey of Oklahoma has made noise, but plenty of other names have made their presence felt. Logan Hall from Houston has been one of the top performers, and Devonte Wyatt and Phidarian Mathis have gone from the SEC to making these practices look easy.
Other defensive linemen with strong weeks include Haskell Garrett, Travis Jones, and Otito Ogbonnia. Up and down the line you see talent putting out a strong performance on the defensive line. This will be a must-watch position.
3. Quarterback
There are two ways to look at the quarterback competition at the Senior Bowl. The first is that this group of quarterbacks is one of the most talented that the Senior Bowl has ever had. Six or the top seven quarterbacks are working out this week, which never happens.
The counter is that so many quarterbacks are working out because none of them have separated themselves, and this year is a cluster at the top. Sure, the Bears are not going into the Senior Bowl excited to watch the young quarterbacks in a way that every other team is.
Still, they should be happy that they found their man last year, and do not need to differentiate the players this year. Malik Willis has dominated from a physical perspective, but many wonder how quickly he can read defenses.
Kenny Pickett had his physical talent tested in the rain. Desmond Ridder looks too thin, Carson Strong looks too slow, and Sam Howell has been up and down. It is a great class, but a class with so many questions.
2. Tight End
The Chicago Bears have a tight end in Cole Kmet, but he is doing the Will Smith meme as he looks around an empty room right now. There is a case to sign Jesse James and bring him back as the second tight end.
There are also plenty of tight ends at the Senior Bowl to keep an eye on. This is another position that has a tight end for whatever you want.
If you want a blocker, you can find Jake Ferguson and Jeremy Ruckert. If you want a seam stretcher, the guy for you is Trey McBride. If you want a move tight end who will motion into the flats and play chess, that is Isaiah Likely.
No matter what your style, the Senior Bowl has an option for you. Another name in this group is Cole Turner, who showed up bigger than expected and maybe a complete tight end.
1. Linebacker
The Chicago Bears are going to need to find a partner next to Roquan Smith. Whether that be the draft or free agency, they need some help in the linebacker room. There are some big names at the Senior Bowl that could at least get mentioned as options.
Darrian Beavers plays with mean intentions. He is a downhill thumper who blitzes plenty but that could be a nice compliment to Roquan Smith. On the flip side, Chad Muma plays light on his feet and can move around in space.
Brian Asamoah from Oklahoma has lit up practices as well, flying from sideline to sideline to show off the range. Channing Tindall, Damone Clark, and Troy Anderson cap off a group that does not have a big name who will go round one, but has a long list of draftable players who can contribute.
If the Chicago Bears are going to draft any player from the Senior Bowl, you would think that the variety of linebacker options makes this a position they will target.