3 Players in the Cotton Bowl who could be Chicago Bears after the 2024 NFL Draft

Donovan Jackson, IOL, Ohio State, #74

On the offensive side of the ball, an interesting player to watch is Buckeye guard Donovan Jackson, who has earned a reputation as a great prospect thanks to an outstanding career at Ohio State. After a First-Team All-Conference season in 2022, Jackson has remained at the top of the nation's ranks of interior offensive linemen in 2023 due to his tremendous strength and surprising agility. Jackson is far from a perfect prospect and will likely need to refine his technique before he can consistently contribute to an NFL offense, but there is still a lot to like in the 6'4", 320 lbs mauler of a guard.

Due to his size and lack of familiarity with the position, Jackson likely would be unable to solve the Bears' long-term problem at center. Still, the Bears' interior offensive line as a whole has been relatively disappointing outside of Teven Jenkins, whose only major problem so far has been injuries. An amalgamation of Jenkins/Cody Whitehair/Lucas Patrick/Nate Davis may end up in the starting lineup in 2024, but Jackson could be a valuable player who starts his career as a depth player and slowly develops into a starting-caliber guard.

Jackson may be available throughout the middle rounds of next year's draft, and his physicality makes him an interesting fit within the Bears offense, who want to run the ball behind larger interior linemen.