Ranking the Bears' Secondary By Their NFL Combine Performances Through the Years

The defensive backs take the field at the NFL Scouting Combine today, so I thought looking back at how the Bears' defensive backs performed when they were prospects would be a fun exercise. I did the same with their defensive line yesterday, and watching this year's prospects run the gauntlet really put Montez Sweat's incredible 2019 showing into perspective.

Will Chicago's current (or semi-current, as far as this ranking goes) have any similar outliers among members of their secondary?

N/A: Nahshon Wright, Kevin Byard III, Jonathan Owens, Josh Blackwell, Jaylon Jones, Nick McCloud, Elijah Hicks

Sheesh. I was surprised to find that four of the Bears' defensive linemen didn't participate in their respective combines. A whopping seven defensive backs didn't go through the drills at theirs, though.

Blackwell, Jones, Hicks, McCloud, Owens, and (somehow) Byard weren't invited to the combine. The only real surprise of that group was Byard, who had a standout collegiate career at Middle Tennessee University. He lit up the board at the school's Pro Day and eventually was selected with the first pick of the third round.

Wright was invited to compete at the combine but opted out of the drills. He instead ran the gauntlet at his Pro Day and was selected by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

7. Kyler Gordon

Kyler Gordon would literally be at the very top of this list if he had competed in any of the jumping or agility drills at the combine. However, he only competed in the 40-yard dash, and his 4.52-second time there was actually slightly below average. I don't know how I'd be able to rank him anywhere but last here for that reason.

For what it's worth, he lit up the University of Washington Pro Day. He ran a blistering 3.96-second and 6.67-second three-cone drill. He also put up 20 reps in the bench press, jumped 39.5" in the vertical, and 10'8" in the broad. Spoiler alert.. those numbers would make him an easy choice at the top spot in these rankings. The Bears were probably thrilled when Gordon was still on the board with the 39th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

6. Terell Smith

Terrell Smith had a relatively disappointing performance at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. While he tied for eighth among defensive backs with a 4.41-second 40-yard dash, that was the only drill where he had a strong showing.

His 34’’ vertical jump and 10’0’’ were ranked near the bottom of the defensive back group. His 4.3-second 20-yard shuttle time was average. His 7.02-second 3-cone drill was below average. It was a disappointing performance that contributed to him being selected late in the fifth round.

5. Tyrique Stevenson

Tyrique Stevenson also failed to separate himself from his peers at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. He fared slightly worse than Smith with a 4.45-second 40-yard dash and also looked very stiff in the 20-yard shuttle with a 4.41-second time there. That was the third-worst time among defensive backs at the event.

Stevenson's 7.09-second three-cone drill was also squarely average. The reason he gets a slight edge over Smith was that he performed much better in the jumping drills. His 38.5" vertical jump and 10’5’’ broad jump ranked inside the top 15 and top 20, respectively, among defensive backs. He might not have blown up the combine, but he wound up going right around where he was projected, as Chicago picked him up at the tail end of the second round.

4. C.J. Gardner-Johnson

Honestly, we're splitting hairs with the next two. C.J. Gardner-Johnson had slightly worse numbers in the agility drills, so that's why he finds himself at fifth here. Still, it really was just an average performance in which he failed to separate himself from his peers in virtually any category.

His 4.48-second 40-yard dash was tied for eighth among safeties. Meanwhile, his 36" vertical jump and 9’9’’ broad jump ranked right in the middle of the pack. So did his 7.03-second three-cone drill and 17 bench press reps. His 4.20-second 20-yard shuttle was actually below average. He didn't stand out and fell to the Saints in the fourth round as a result.

3. Jaylon Johnson

Jaylon Johnson may be easily the best player on this list, but he's not exactly a physical specimen. He failed to separate himself from his peers at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. That's partially why Chicago was able to scoop him up with the 50th pick in the draft, even though he was one of the most pro-ready cover men in that class.

While his 4.5-second 40-yard dash was actually slightly below average, he performed well in the agility drills. His 7.01-second three-cone drill ranked seventh in his class, and his 4.13-second 20-yard shuttle was the third-best time of the group. He also had average jumping numbers with a 36.5" vertical and 10’4’’ broad.

2. Jaquan Brisker

Jaquan Brisker didn't compete in all the drills at the combine, but he did enough to cement his status as one of the top safeties in the 2022 NFL Draft. His 4.49-second 40-yard dash time might not have stood out in a surprisingly hyper-athletic safety class, but it promptly answered any questions about his speed and closing ability.

Brisker also held his own with a 34.5’’ vertical and 10’4’’ broad. Notably, his 22 reps on the bench press also ranked second in his class among safeties. He wound up going right about where he was supposed to, as the Bears drafted him midway through the second round.

1. Zah Frazier

This is where there is a bit of a separation in the rankings. Zah Frazier had a really strong overall performance at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. While his jumping numbers were squarely among the rest of the pack (in terms of this list) with a 36.5" vertical and 10’6’’ broad, he aced the three-cone drill with a time of 7 seconds flat.

The area where Frazier really stood out was the 40-yard dash, as he ran a blistering 4.36-second 40 at 6'3", 186 lbs. That's rare speed for that type of size. That ranked fifth at the position, and he was at least four inches taller than 3/4 of the people in front of him. I was surprised that he was still on the board for the Bears late in the fifth round, and I was excited when they picked him up. I'm still excited to see if he can carve out a role in the secondary after posting a positive health update last month.