Ranking the Bears' Defensive Line By Their NFL Combine Performances Through the Years

The Bears will certainly be looking to improve their defensive line this offseason. They might even double-dip at the talented pool of aspiring prospects looking to make a name for themselves in Indianapolis later today.

The event got me thinking about how Chicago's current roster fared in their respective pre-draft process. How did they stack up to their peers?

N/A: Dayo Odeyingbo, Chris Williams, Joe Tryon-Shroyinka, Shemar Turner

Four D-linemen on Chicago's roster this season didn't participate in the drills at their respective Combines. Odeyingbo, Tryon-Shroyinka, and Turner were all recovering from injuries, and Williams didn't get invited to the combine.

Odeyingbo actually tore his Achilles tendon ahead of the 2021 NFL Scouting Combine and wasn't picked until late in the second round as a result. Tryon-Shroyinka later put on a show at the Washington Pro Day that same year and was drafted with the last pick in the first round as a result. Turner would probably ranked near the top of this list had he competed in drills, as he's a physical specimen who would've run somewhere around 4.8 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

6. Austin Booker

Some might be surprised to see Booker this far down the list, but it's tough to argue with the results. He actually had a disappointing combine performance, which contributed to him still being available in the fifth round for the Bears.

He was extremely light for an edge rusher at only 240 lbs. and ran a modest 4.79-second 40-yard dash. That's not awful, but it's also far from ideal for a skinny defensive end. His 1.67-second 10-yard split (which is much more important for an edge rusher) was also average, as was his 32.5’’ vertical jump and 10’ 0’’ broad jump. Booker is far from a workout warrior.

5. Andrew Billings

Andrew Billings hasn't always been a mammoth of a man. In fact, 2025 Andrew Billings looks like he ate 2016 Andrew Billings, who weighed a somewhat modest 311 lbs at the combine. The big man had a solid performance at the 2016 combine. While his 5.05-second 40-yard dash and 1.77-second 10-yard splits don't jump off the page, those are solid numbers for a one-gap nose tackle. He also put up 31 reps on the bench (which was good for fourth among defensive tackles).

However, he didn't light up the jumping drills (color me shocked), with only 27.5’’ in the vertical and 9'5" in the broad. His agility drills also left a lot to be desired, highlighted by an 8.05-second 3-cone drill and 4.82-second 20-yard shuttle. With numbers like that, it's no wonder Matt Eberflus felt comfortable throwing him in coverage against Browns tight end David Njoku on a critical third down a few years ago.

4. Grady Jarrett

Grady Jarrett's combine garnered some recent attention, with Dan Quinn highlighting him as a player who stood out at the combine. He was the Falcons' head coach when Atlanta selected Jarrett in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Jarrett had a solid combine across the board, and I remember being surprised when he was still on the board through the first four rounds.

Rich Eisen asked Commanders HC Dan Quinn over his career which player stood out the most to him at the combine?

Quinn -“One name that popped into my mind was @GradyJarrett”

🎥- @RichEisenShow pic.twitter.com/ZOx1rLavPn
— Captain Caleb (@captaincaleb18) February 26, 2026

The big man ran a 5.06-second 40-yard dash and 1.69-second 10-yard split. His jumping numbers were somewhat average with a 31" vertical and 9’ 4’’ broad jump. However, he displayed great quickness with a 7.37-second three-cone drill and 4.56-second 20-yard shuttle. He also tied for seventh among defensive linemen with 30 bench press reps.

3. Gervon Dexter

It turns out Dexter might not be a Bear for much longer. Interestingly, news surrounding the team listening to offers for him comes on the defensive lineman workout day, as he had quite the performance at the 2023 Scouting Combine in his own right.

He finished fifth among defensive tackles with a 4.88-second 40-yard dash. Notably, he was the only big man who weighed over 300 lbs to break the 4-second mark, and everyone who ran faster times was significantly lighter. Unsurprisingly (considering his slow get-off), his 10-yard split of 1.81 seconds was much less impressive. He also only put up 22 reps in the bench press but performed better in the jumping drills with a 31’’ vertical and 9’ 2’’ broad (both of which were very solid for a 6'6", 310 lb. defensive tackle.

2. Dominique Robinson

Much like some might be surprised to see Booker so low on this list, others might be surprised to see Robinson listed so high. However, some might forget that he actually was a receiver before moving to the defensive side of the ball. He's always been a solid athlete.

He ran an impressive 4.72-second 40-yard dash at 6'5", 253 lbs. However, the drill where he really stood out was the vertical jump, where his 41" leap ranked second among all players regardless of position. That's tied for the second-best jump (Nolan Smith jumped 41.5" in 2023) among defensive ends in the history of the combine. The only reason that the Bears were able to grab him late in the fifth round was that he was RAW after only playing defensive end for two years.

1. Montez Sweat

Montez Sweat would be at the very top of this list for nearly every team. He's an absolute freak who had one of the best combine performances in NFL history. His 4.41-second 40-yard dash and 1.5-second 10-yard split both rank third all-time among defensive ends. He also pulled that feat off at 6'6", 260 lbs. Ridiculous.

His 21 reps on the bench weren't eye popping, but the number is still impressive when you consider that he did it with 35.75" arms. Sweat also ranked fourth among defensive linemen with a 10’ 5’’ broad jump and also stood out with a 36" vertical. He also added a 7-second three-cone drill and 4.29-second 20-yard shuttle (which ranked fifth and eighth among defensive linemen, respectively), for good measure.

Sweat was the talk of the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine, and that was for good reason.