Chicago Bears NFL Draft 2020: The Offensive Line
The Bears are leaning heavily on new offensive line coach Juan Castillo in their attempt to revive their blocking for the run as well as the pass.
Shortly after hiring Castillo coach Matt Nagy already liked what he saw of Castillo's ideas.
"I just appreciate a lot of simplicity of where it's at and the consistency too," Nagy said. "So it will be fun to get going on that."
It's going to take more than Castillo's expertise to get the run blocking activated after they finished 27th and 29th during Nagy's first two years in yards per rush. When they allowed more sacks (45) last year than any Bears team since 2011, it's an indication this isn't entirely a run blocking/scheme problem.
They need bodies. Bringing in a reclamation project like former Green Bay Packers tackle Jason Spriggs and struggling Seahawks guard Germain Ifedi only partially answers the problem.
"We struggled in that area this year," GM Ryan Pace said after the season. "That's real. I think we know it starts up front with those guys.
"That's something we really got to look at from a personnel standpoint."
The Bears can trace back their offensive line troubles to the end of Kyle Long's health, three years ago. They need someone who is a real force on the line to help bind it, whether it's at right guard or replacing one of the tackles. It could even be a center, considering they have two centers who can also play guard effectively in James Daniels and Cody Whitehair.
Michigan center Cesar Ruiz is an ideal fit because of his familiarity with Castillo from last season when Michigan had the new Bears line coach on as its line adviser. Also Ruiz is a leader and strong personality molded by the tragic loss of his father in a hit-and-run accident, and a childhood in a tough neighborhood.
If Ruiz fell to the Bears at No. 43, it could be difficult to choose another player and especially another lineman. They might realize this because they held a video conference interview with him according to Bearreport.com.
The overall line crop is solid and the fact other teams will be flocking all over the impressive wide receiver group, four or five quarterbacks, defensive linemen and pass rushers and several cornerbacks will push blockers down into Round 2. Interior linemen, in particular, are likely to be ignored in Round 1.
It was reported by Draft Wire's Justin Melo that the team had a private meeting with LSU tackle Saahdiq Charles canceled by the coronavirus shutdown, and had a video interview with guard Damien Lewis of LSU. Melo also said they had one of their alloted Top 30 visits at Halas Hall with Houston tackle Josh Jones before the pandemic.
Another player they've had a known video visit with was Oregon guard Dallas Warmack. Several other meetings they had were widely reported by players themselves at the combine or on websites at the Senior Bowl and include guard Ben Bartch from Division III St. John's, Temple center Matt Hennessey, Kentucky guard Logan Stenberg and North Carolina guard Charlie Heck.
Considering the Bears' website reported Pace or personnel department members will get in over 100 video interviews, the value of knowing any of these player-and-team talks has to be close to zero. Identities of Top 30 and private workouts used to be valuable information, but the pandemic wiped almost all of these.
Bears NFL Draft 2020: The Offensive Line
The Offensive Line room: Tackles Bobby Massie, Charles Leno Jr., Jason Spriggs, Dino Boyd; guards James Daniels, Rashaad Coward, Germain Ifedi, Alex Bars, Corey Levin; centers Cody Whitehair, Sam Mustipher.
Sports Illustrated's Top of the Line: T Jedrick Wills, Alabama; T Tristan Wirfs, Iowa; T Mekhi Becton, Louisville; T Andrew Thomas, Georgia; T Josh Jones Houston; T Austin Jackson, USC; C/G Cesar Ruiz, Michigan.
When Bears Can Pick One: Starting at Pick No. 43 in Round 2.
Possibles Early: T Jones; T Isaiah Wilson, Georgia; T Ezra Cleveland, Boise State; C/G Lloyd Cushenberry, LSU; T Matt Peart, UConn; G/C Robert Hunt, Louisiana; T Lucas Niang, TCU; G Damien Lewis, LSU; T Prince Tega Wanogho, Auburn.
Possibles Later: G/C Matt Hennessy, Temple; G Ben Bartch, St. John's; G Jonah Jackson, Ohio State; T Saahdiq Charles, LSU; G Charlie Heck, N. Carolina; G Logan Stenberg, Kentucky.
Get Used to It: The Vikings could be considering moving Riley Reiff to guard after he struggled at tackle, and could use a first-rounder to take Austin Jackson or another of the top tackles available.
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