5 prospects Chicago Bears should avoid in 2022 NFL Draft
1. Kellen Diesch, OL, Arizona State
Kellen Diesch is a player who had an excellent, and even caught my eye as someone that could be shooting up draft boards after his elite workout. Still, when you uncover why Diesch was such a sleeper coming into the NFL combine there is still plenty to be worried about.
To start, his arm length came in at the 11th percentile. It is better than McCreary and Jones is in the 0th with just 10 names or so, but still, he is well below average in a position that relies on a length just as often.
The length can scare you off but beyond that is the tape that shows a player who is a project. He was a high-end recruit at Texas A&M, but could not crack the starting lineup over Dan Moore, a fourth-round pick to the Steelers last year.
Diesch transferred to UCLA in 2020, but because of COVID could only start two games. Therefore, Diesch used his extra year of eligibility to get his first real year of starting snaps in.
So, Kellen Diesch has started 17 games. He redshirted one year at A&M and was awarded an extra year so those 17 starts came over six seasons.
That also means that Diesch will enter the NFL as a 25-year-old rookie. Diesch has quick feet but still has to work out issues with improving his handwork that leads to holding far too often.
Next. Running list of Bears pre-draft visits. dark
If Diesch were 20 years old with elite athleticism and only a handful of starts to go with short arms, you could bet on him. However, Diesch is raw, he is at a length disadvantage, and he is 25 years old, meaning he is probably not going to be ready to start until he is 26 or 27. Ryan Poles is signing veterans at his age. This is not the player that you bet on with your first draft.