One Player Matt Eberflus Was Watching

Among players sent to the Bears in a few recent mock drafts was one who Matt Eberflus was reportedly watching closely at a Pro Day.

The latest round of mock drafts continue to focus the Bears on the offensive line, and one does it at the possible cost of getting a highly needed three technique for their defensive line.

Mel Kiper Jr., the dean of all draft analysts and two other highly respected veteran mock drafters are among those focusing on the offensive line. The other two are NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah and CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson.

Kiper says the Bears are going for Paris Johnson Jr., the Ohio State tackle and former Justin Fields teammate. Wilson agrees with Kiper's assessment.

Jeremiah, meanwhile, has them taking Northwestern's Peter Skoronski.

In all of these mocks the Bears ignored possible edge rushers who could help their defense. Iowa's Lukuas Van Ness went one spot later to the Eagles in Jeremiah's mock.

Ignoring Defensive Line Can Be Costly

The real danger facing the Bears in taking an offensive tackle first is their next pick isn't until the 53rd slot well into Round 2, and by then the top edge rushers and especially the top three-technique defensive tackles would be gone.

Judging by what Kiper has posted, the chance of the Bears getting one of the fastest rising prospects is virtually zero whether they take an offensive lineman or an edge rusher in Round 1 at No. 9.

Northwestern's defensive end/three technique Adetomiwa Adebawore wowed the combine crowd with the fastest time ever record in the 40-yard dash by someone 280 pounds or heavier, at 4.49 seconds. His possible presence in Round 2 made him a potential target for the Bears then, but Kiper sees this chance as done right now. He has Adebawore going No. 26.

"He wasn't super productive in college—9.5 sacks since 2021—but his talent is undeniable," Kiper wrote. "Adebawore played about 75 percent of his snaps at defensive end, but he could move inside at the next level and work as a 3-technique tackle."

The other interesting player in this round of mock drafts remains the wild card, Jalen Carter.

Both Pro Fooball Focus and The33rdteam.com have the Bears selecting Carter at No. 9 even after all of the legal problems, the combine inactivity and his extremely poor showing at Georgia's pro day when he had gained 9 pounds in about two weeks since his last weighing.

The 33rd Team points out a very interesting fact from that workout, reporting there were three NFL head coaches in attendance besides the personnel people. One was Mike Tomlin of the Steelers, another Atlanta's Arthur Smith. It would be almost negligence if Smith wasn't there considering he's right in the state.

Matt Eberflus Was Looking at Jalen Carter

The third coach was Bears coach Matt Eberflus. The Bears did talk already with Carter at the combine before the revelation of the reckless driving and racing charges allegedly stemming from a January incident when a teammate and Georgia staff member were killed.

The real concern with the Bears taking Carter at No. 9 if he fell this far is whether he would fit into the Eberflus HITS principle. Players who do not treat practice and training seriously will find themselves heading out of town quickly in this approach, which has players constantly running at the end of plays and between sessions at training camp and in practices.

The33rdTeam's staff wrote of Carter at his Pro Day workout:

"He was not able to finish the position drills as he dealt with cramping and heavy breathing, which—coupled with his added weight—indicates he is out of shape. That's another troubling sign for a player with so much on the line.

“I think he drops past the mid-first round, maybe even the beginning of the second. If I'm an NFL GM, NFL player personnel man, I do not want this guy on my team."

In the mock, though, he did drop to the Bears at No. 9 and it happened with PFF, as well.

Both PFF and The33rdTeam put out multiple round mocks.

PFF has the Bears taking Auburn defensive end Derick Hall at No. 53 and passing on Maryland offensive tackle Jaelyn Duncan, but then getting Duncan as he falls to No. 61. 

Then they have the Bears drafting UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet from UCLA with pick No. 64 to start the third round even while players like Georgia Tech's Keion White and Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson were available.

Hall is 6-2 1/2, 254 pounds and NFL Draft Bible has given him a third-round grade.

The33rdTeam had one other mock pick posted for the Bears in theirs and it was Kansas State edge rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah at No. 53. The 6-foot-3, 255-pounder is said by NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein to have a good understanding of how to rush and set up blockers.

“He doesn't have that much starting experience but he's already a way savvier rusher than he should be at this stage," Zierlein quoted one AFC regional scout as saying.

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