The college all-star game season reaches its peak in the next week as East-West Shrine Bowl practices begin Saturday in Las Vegas and the Senior Bowl gets going Tuesday in Mobile, Ala.
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles is expected to be present at both locations with the team holding the No. 1 pick in the draft and needing to infuse the roster with talent across the board.
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The Senior Bowl remains the premier event. Last year 106 players who participated got drafted with the Bears choosing four: wide receiver Velus Jones Jr., defensive end Dominique Robinson and offensive linemen Braxton Jones and Ja’Tyre Carter.
The Bears drafted three players from the East-West game a year ago: running back Trestan Ebner, safety Elijah Hicks and guard Zach Thomas. Undrafted linebacker Jack Sanborn also played in that game, which featured San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.
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The spotlight, however, shines brightest in Mobile, where the Bears have had success. Running back Matt Forte was the MVP of the 2008 game. On the other hand, quarterback Cade McNown captured that honor in 1999.
Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy will serve as head coach of the American team at the Senior Bowl, one of four assistants on Matt Eberflus’ staff who will work at the game. That will provide the Bears with insight on players from the meeting rooms and practice field that could be useful in the scouting process.
Here’s a look at offensive position groups of interest considering the Bears’ needs.
A handful of tackles are worthy of a close look. The Bears have had a different starting right tackle for each of the last three season openers (Larry Borom, Germain Ifedi and Bobby Massie), and if they don’t find a long-term solution via free agency, this is a position to watch — especially if they’re comfortable with Braxton Jones remaining the starter on the left side.
Ohio State’s Dawand Jones is a mountain of a man at 6-foot-8 and 359 pounds, and teams will want to see how he moves against a solid crop of edge rushers (more on defensive prospects Friday).
Tennessee’s Darnell Wright, Maryland’s Jaelyn Duncan, BYU’s Blake Freeland, Syracuse’s Matthew Bergeron, USC’s Andrew Vorhees and Michigan’s Ryan Hayes also will be under the microscope. North Dakota State’s Cody Mauch is a decorated FCS player who moves well as a converted tight end. Some wonder if the 6-6, 303-pounder will wind up playing guard in the NFL.
Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz, a Homewood-Flossmoor product, is on Getsy’s American roster.
This is a position where elite talent usually winds up declaring for the draft early, making the best receivers ineligible for the Senior Bowl. Washington Commanders first-round pick Jahan Dotson was slated to play in last year’s game before withdrawing, and Green Bay Packers second-round pick Christian Watson did play.
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SMU’s Rashee Rice looks to be the premier receiver prospect and could be a late first-round or second-round selection. He’s more of a glider than a sudden mover and consistently outplayed college defensive backs on fade routes in a spread-heavy offense. He has excellent body control, strong hands and a wide catch radius.
Xavier Hutchinson was a record-setter at Iowa State, where he caught 254 passes in his career. He does a nice job of using his 6-3, 205-pound frame to shield defenders and create separation. He’s a short strider who lacks explosive open-field ability, and in some ways he profiles similar to former Cyclone Allen Lazard, who signed with the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2018.
Princeton’s Andrei Iosivas is a track star, but it’s more buildup speed than dynamic quickness off the line. He has a lean frame and it will be interesting to see how he handles increased competition he didn’t see in the Ivy League. The Bears were probably somewhat blinded by Velus Jones’ speed a year ago and need to avoid that pitfall in the evaluation process.
There probably isn’t a No. 1 receiver who could lead a makeover of the position for the Bears, but that doesn’t mean they can’t find a player who could help.
