Ryan Poles to host dream Bears defensive lineman on pre-draft visit

The Chicago Bears are continuing their search for prospects who can help elevate a defense that struggled in many key areas a season ago. 

With prospects visiting NFL teams on 30 visits, Bears general manager Ryan Poles has his sights on another defensive lineman. According to FanSided's Ryan Fowler, Washington interior defensive lineman Anterio Thompson has a 30 visit scheduled with the Bears. 

Bears to visit with Anterio Thompson

The 6-foot-4, 310-pound defensive lineman played in all 13 games in his senior season at Washington. According to Pro Football Focus, he played 397 total snaps and registered 16 total pressures, including three sacks, and added 23 total tackles while playing primarily in the B gap (321 snaps) for the Huskies’ defense. 

Thompson had an interesting road before landing in Washington for the 2025 season. He played at three different colleges over the 2022-24 seasons. Most recently at Western Michigan, where he played in all 13 games and finished with 17 total pressures and 23 tackles. In 2023, he attended the University of Iowa, playing in seven games and blocking two punts for the Hawkeyes. He started his collegiate career at Iowa Western Community College in 2022 and accumulated 32 tackles and six sacks in 12 games played. 

The Huskies' interior defensive lineman wasn’t invited to the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, but he took advantage of his Pro Day. 

Despite being 310 pounds, Thompson ran a 4.75 40-yard dash. He benched 30 reps of 225 pounds and logged a 9’6” broad jump. Those numbers were ranked with the top prospects at the NFL Scouting Combine. His 40-yard dash would have tied Penn State’s Zane Durant’s top mark. The 30 bench press reps would have been tied for second with Oklahoma’s Damonic Williams, and Thompson’s broad jump would have tied for second-best with Florida’s Caleb Banks and Oklahoma’s Gracen Halton.

Thompson's athletic profile marks a common denominator in the Bears' free-agent acquisitions on the interior defensive line. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen covets players who can explode out of their stance and get upfield quickly.

The Bears will likely look into why Thompson played at four different programs throughout his college career, and that is one of the main points for a 30 visit in the first place. The Bears knew coming into this season that the defense had to improve, and that starts with identifying the right players.

Read more: Draft's most polarizing QB prospect's rising stock is only good news for Bears

Thompson, on Day 3 of the draft, could be someone who helps provide depth to the interior defensive line.