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Bears Tied to More Center Interest with Report of Halas Hall Visit

The Bear last week scouted center Sam Hecht from Kansas State and are now bringing another center to Lake Forest for one of allotted 30 prospect visits.
Gene Chamberlain|
Kentucky offensive lineman Jager Burton turns in an outstanding time during the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine.
Kentucky offensive lineman Jager Burton turns in an outstanding time during the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Bears interest in centers extends beyond visiting Kansas State's pro day in order to scout Sam Hecht, like they did last week.

According to a report by New York Jets On SI's Arye Pulli, the Bears are bringing Kentucky center Jager Burton to Halas Hall for one of their allotted 30 private visits with potential draft picks.

It doesn't necessarily mean they'll draft a player who visits but often in the past they have chosen players they did bring in for a meeting.

A young center to develop is one of the Bears' needs in the draft because center Garrett Bradbury is in the final year of his contract after being acquired on a trade with New England.

The Bears were at Hecht's pro day and can be expected to look closely at all  centers, especially those expected to go late on Day 2 or on Day 3 of the draft because they have so many defensive needs to address in the early rounds of the draft.

Burton is one of the bigger centers in this draft class at 6-foot-4, 312 pounds. PFF graded him at 141st on its big board. NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein saw him as a Day 3 pick who needs to work on his technique and strength for handling bigger defensive linemen.  

"He can slow a bull rush but needs to do a better job of protecting his  edges and operating with consistent posture," Zierein wrote. "Burton’s best fit will be with a zone-heavy running game as a late draft pick or undrafted free agent signee."

PFF graded him the 43rd best center in the nation last year while Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN rates him the ninth-best center in the draft.

Not a pressing need

The center the Bears do select will be more of a project or trainee. There are no centers with Round 1 or Round 2 grades in this draft, per PFF's big board.

The Bears have the 25th, 57th, 60th and 89th picks on the first two days and No. 129 in Round 4, before two picks in Round 7.

They were also well represented at Tuesday’s Northwestern pro day by assistant GM Jeff King and others, and Wildcats center Caleb Tiernan is Kiper’s eighth-ranked center.

Using any picks from the first two days for a center would be ill advised considering the Bears’ defensive shortcomings. Center has become a future need more than one for 2026 once they made the trade for

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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