Chicago Bears Draft Profile: Kansas EDGE Lonnie Phelps
By Dakota Wayne
One of the biggest winners from the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl was Kansas defensive end/edge rusher Lonnie Phelps. Phelps is listed as a defensive end, however, due to his 6-foot-3, 244-pound frame, he’ll likely be an edge rusher. And with the Chicago Bears being among the league’s worst pass rushers after the loss of Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn, the time to address that hole is coming quick.
Could the Chicago Bears address their pass rush by drafting Lonnie Phelps?
Someone who could help that glaring need is Kansas Jayhawk and Senior Bowl stand-out Lonnie Phelps. Now, the Senior Bowl shouldn’t be seen as the end-all debate on whether he can produce in the NFL, but having an outstanding performance doesn’t hurt those possibilities.
In Phelps’ one year with Kansas, there were high expectations as a transfer from Miami of Ohio, and he didn’t disappoint at all.
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| *2019 | Miami (OH) | MAC | FR | DL | 11 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 2020 | Miami (OH) | MAC | SO | DL | 2 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| *2021 | Miami (OH) | MAC | SO | DL | 11 | 23 | 7 | 30 | 13.5 | 8.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| *2022 | Kansas | Big 12 | JR | DL | 13 | 45 | 12 | 57 | 11.5 | 7.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Career | Overall | 84 | 30 | 114 | 32.0 | 21.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||||
| Miami (OH) | 39 | 18 | 57 | 20.5 | 14.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||
| Kansas | 45 | 12 | 57 | 11.5 | 7.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
In one year at Kansas, Phelps ranked first among Jayhawks season in TFLs (11.5), sacks (7), and QB hurries (6). And although he was listed as a defensive end, he ranked fourth among Jayhawks that season in total tackles (57).
In Phelps’ one season with the Kansas Jayhawks, he was able to earn All-Big 12 honors, and simply put, he was one of the best players on the Jayhawks defense.
Phelps also ranked first in punt return TDs among the entire MAC conference in 2019 with one. Talk about an athlete.
Two nice pass rush reps back-to-back from @KU_Football edge rusher Lonnie Phelps Jr.
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) February 1, 2023
Used his speed to show good pass rush versatility here first winning inside, then out pic.twitter.com/9D16manUzj
In all seriousness, however, Lonnie Phelps helped his draft stock immensely by being one of the more talked about names after his performance in the Senior Bowl. And because of that, his draft stock is doing nothing but rising.
Next. Chicago Bears Draft Profile: Wisconsin DL Keeanu Benton. dark
It’s uncertain when he’ll hear his name called in the 2023 NFL Draft, considering the NFL Combine still has yet to happen, but one thing is clear. If the Chicago Bears want to ensure their pass rush gets better next season, Lonnie Phelps can do that.
Considering the holes of the Bears going into this off-season, however, it’s possible they go in other directions.