The discussion about quarterbacks will be the main focus for the Chicago Bears leading up to the NFL draft in three months, and this will be a major focus this week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
Even though notable prospects like USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy are not participating, it will be an opportunity to closely observe Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix.
In addition to Tulane’s Michael Pratt, South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler and Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman — who are not expected to be the top pick — there will be an interesting group of passers in any draft.
The Bears will have the chance to observe Penix and Nix up close before the scouting combine, and general manager Ryan Poles likely has a detailed plan to assess all options.
Penix passed for 9,504 yards in the last two seasons at Washington, and teams will have many inquiries about knee and shoulder injuries that affected his first four years at Indiana. Nix also excelled after transferring, throwing for 8,101 yards and 74 touchdowns with only 10 interceptions at Oregon in the last two years after three uneven seasons at Auburn.
Last year, the Bears drafted four players who took part in the Senior Bowl, all in the first four rounds: right tackle Darnell Wright (first round, 10th pick), cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (second round), defensive tackle Zacch Pickens (third) and running back Roschon Johnson (fourth). They also signed undrafted quarterback Tyson Bagent, who improved his stock with a week in Mobile.
The Senior Bowl was full of talent last year, when 36 of the first 100 draft picks took part in the game. In total, 100 players who were in Mobile were drafted, making up 39% of all selections.
While it’s unlikely the first pick in this year’s draft will be in Mobile, you can’t rule out the possibility the ninth pick — which the Bears also own — will be on display.
One of the highest-rated prospects committed to the is UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu. Latu had 23 1/2 sacks in the last two seasons for the Bruins, and NFL teams will have an opportunity to see him perform in practice and the game. Senior BowlThere will be a lot of medical questions for Latu that will require thorough investigation at the combine, as he briefly retired from football due to a neck injury after starting his college career at Washington. Latu proved to be resilient at UCLA, and for teams comfortable with his health, he could emerge as the top edge rusher in the draft.
This is definitely a position the Bears need to address as they look for a presence opposite Montez Sweat. It’s not a great draft for pass rushers overall, but Alabama’s Chris Braswell, who had a 10 1/2-sack season, is seen as a potential Day 2 pick and is playing in the Senior Bowl.
Center is expected to be a major need for the Bears, and there’s an interesting group of hopefuls. Before we delve into the names, it’s worth considering what approach the Bears will take. If they plan on selecting a quarterback, would they hesitate to have a rookie snapping the ball? Given the option, many teams would prefer a veteran center to assist a rookie quarterback with pre-snap reads and calls.
However, if the Poles and the coaching staff believe there's a clever prospect who can be a valuable addition to a young quarterback — assuming the Bears draft one — maybe they like the idea of more young players on the line.
In that situation, West Virginia’s Zach Frazier, Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson and Duke’s Graham Barton — who played as a left tackle in college but is expected to play center this week — are interesting options. Also, Georgia’s Sedrick Van Pran and Wisconsin’s Tanor Bortolini provide plenty of choices.
Top wide receivers rarely go to Mobile, and you won’t see any of the best prospects like
Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. , LSU’s Malik Nabers or Washington’s Rome Odunze. However, it's not just about top wide receivers; there's also a great depth. This is where players like South Carolina’s Xavier Legette, North Carolina’s Tez Walker, Arizona’s Jacob Cowing, Louisville’s Jamari Thrash and Western Kentucky’s Malachi Corley become important.The Bears, for the first time in a while, have the No. 1 receiver position
sorted out with DJ Moore with Darnell Mooney coming out of contract. With , but they don’t have a No. 2 and could use some competition for Tyler Scott, who just finished his rookie season. Given the wealth of options, it would make more sense to go for the draft rather than a big spending spree in free agency, where there will be proven options available.Free safety is an area of concern on defense, and Miami’s Kamren Kinchens will be in the spotlight as a potential late first-round pick. He made 11 interceptions in the last two seasons for the Hurricanes, and although there are doubts about his consistency, few draft options have the kind of range he possesses.
Teams are always looking for talent for the defensive line, and Texas’ Byron Murphy is a smaller player (6-foot-1, 297 pounds) who could be a good fit for the Bears as a disruptive interior player. He accumulated 15 sacks in three seasons for the Longhorns, with 8 1/2 this past season.
It might be more of a desire than a necessity — and the Bears were pleased with the progress of 2023 second-round pick Gervon Dexter — but there can never be too many high-quality defensive linemen.
The discussion about quarterbacks will dominate the conversation for the Chicago Bears leading up to the NFL draft in three months, and it is expected to be a major focus this week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.. Even though top prospects such as USC’ s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’ s Drake Maye, LSU’ s Jayden Daniels and Michigan’ s J.J. McCarthy are not in the game, it will be an opportunity to…
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