Most of the focus of this year's draft for the Chicago Bears has been what can be done to fortify the defense. But with Ozzy Trapilo possibly out for all of next season due to a ruptured patellar tendon, and his outlok naturally a little cloudly based on that injury, left tackle has landed on the radar as a first round option.
Over a long career as an NFL player and coach, Mike Tice developed an eye for offensive line talent. He spent three seasons with the Bears at the end of Lovie Smith's tenure as head coach, two as offensive line coach (2010-2011) and one as offensive coordinator (2012). He retired from coaching after the 2017 season, but he occasionally pops up to offer perspective or analysis on today's NFL, and it's usually entertaining.
During a recent appearance on "Football 301" with his son Nate Tice, talking about some offensive lineman in this year's draft class, the elder Tice took his son's baton to advocate for Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor.
Mike Tice all but puts draft prospect right in Bears' wheelhouse
"I love this guy, and I'm gonna tell you why I love this guy", Tice said. "He's the most explosive guy of all the ones we've talked about so far. He's explosive. You talk about pullin', they pulled him too. Explosive. Nifty. Aggressive. Finisher."
Tice noted that Iheachanor is "up on his tippy toes" as a run game, but that can be fixed by coaching when everything else you want in an offensive tackle is in place, like it is.
Iheachanor was born in Nigeria, and he did not play football until he landed at East Los Angeles College in 2021. So he is, theoretically, as raw as it gets, but multiple analysts see more polish on tape than they expected.
Iheanachor started 30 games at right tackle over three years at Arizona State. That spot is obviously spoken for in Chicago, with Darnell Wright not going anywhere anytime soon, but Mike Tice widened the list of teams that could be intrigued by Iheanachor.
"The first thing I would do with this guy when I got him to minicamp, I'd move him to left tackle", Tice said. "I think he could play left tackle, and I would certainly do that (the position move) sooner than later...unless I have a left tackle. But if I don't have a left tackle...that's the type of athlete he is."
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As Erik Lambert of Sports Mockery noted, Bears general manager Ryan Poles has tended to favor offensive tackles who are big and athletic in the draft (Wright, Trapilo, even Theo Benedet).
Iheachanor (6-foot-6, 321 pounds, 9.86 Relative Athletic Score) fits that template. If he's seen as being able to make the move to left tackle, that would bolster the potential fit. Offensive line coach Dan Roushar is definitely someone who can coach that position move, having just done it with Trapilo, while also helping Iheachanor refine his game.