Is Brent Laing a sleeper center prospect for Chicago Be in the 2023 NFL Draft?
The Chicago Bears are going to need to draft a center at some point. If they miss early, one name to look into is Minnesota-Duluth lineman Brent Laing.
Chicago Bears Draft Profile: Brent Laing
Brent Laing was a tackle during his time at Minnesota-Duluth. However, like so many tackle prospects, Laing does not have the arm length to successfully make the transition to the NFL. At 6'3" and 304 pounds, he is on the short and thin side.
However, at the Senior Bowl, and the NFL combine he got a lot of work at center. He actually looked profficient there.
Brent Laing is another OL who has been good this week pic.twitter.com/maYN6N3mta
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) January 30, 2023
He went to the NFL combine, and if anything, it solidified that he is most likely to be a guard or center. When looking at a historical list of players with his size, and athletic traits, you do not see any tackles..
NFL Comparison for Brent Laing
The best NFL comparison for Brent Laing is Daniel Kilgore. They have similar physical traits.
Beyond that, they were smaller school players who had to make the jump. Kilgore was in the NFL from 2011-2020 and started 60 games. For a potential day-three pick from Minnesota-Duluth that would be a great outcome.
Should Chicago Bears draft Brent Laing?
It is tough to know how Brent Laing will project to the NFL. He was a tackle at a Division-II school, so the projection was going to be tough anyways. When you add in that he is changing positions it gets even harder.
Still, the Senior Bowl eased concerns, and will probably be the reason he gets drafted. For the Chicago Bears, we saw Ryan Poles take Braxton Jones in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft. By the end of his first season he was starting at left tackle for the Bears.
Next. Mocking top 9 picks in 2023 Draft. dark
So, you cannot dismiss that Ryan Poles will trade down again and have extra picks. He could use one of them in a small school center. That player could slowly work their way up, and you never know. We did not think Braxton Jones would start, so if the Chicago Bears do add a small school center on day three, it could still be a starter at some point.