Bear Digest

Early Bowl Game Players to Watch

The early bowl games feature several potential later-round draft picks but not entirely, as one highly regarded quarterback is playing this weekend along with several offensive linemen who could be of interest to Bears fans.
Gene Chamberlain|
Early Bowl Game Players to Watch
Early Bowl Game Players to Watch

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Northern Illinois HuskiesCoastal Carolina ChanticleersLouisiana Ragin' CajunsUtah State AggiesBYU CougarsWestern Kentucky HilltoppersAppalachian State MountaineersTulsa Golden HurricaneLiberty FlamesChicago Bears

Early bowl games normally have lower ranked teams and NFL prospects regarded as later-round picks or even undrafted free agents, but not always. 

There are players thought of highly in the early draft scouting reports who could be at positions where the Bears will need to add talent or upgrade what they already have.

At this point, about any player on scouts' radars is a potential draft pick because there will be so many needs. If there is regime change, the needs for the Bears increase.

Quarterbacks can't even be disregarded after the Bears drafted Justin Fields because they have no backups for next season under contract.  

Here are early bowls with some of the highly regarded players from the weekend's upcoming bowl games who could be of interest to Bears fans.

 Saturday, Dec. 18

New Orleans Bowl

Marshall (7-5) vs. Louisiana (12-1)

8:15 p.m., ESPN

The Bears drafted two tackles in 2021 but it's never safe to sit on the position when players with talent are available. Besides, tackles in college often figure to be guards in the NFL. Louisiana has a highly regarded tackle in Max Mitchell, who is 6-5 1/2, 301 pounds and is ranked eighth overall at the position in this draft by Kiper. NFL Draft Bible's Lorenz Leinweber sees Mitchell as probably a true tackle and not really convertible, because he sees a real need for improved lower body strength. The quickness to play at the next level is there but NFLDB's Cory McCann Ezring sees Mitchell as a "developmental" tackle and says "...his below-average power is exacerbated by incomplete technique." 

Jimmy Kimmel L.A. Bowl 

Utah State (10-3) vs. Oregon State (7-5)

6:30 p.m. ABC

If the Bears can't come to terms with Jakeem Grant or believe Tarik Cohen isn't coming around, they could look in the draft for return help. Utah State's Deven Thompkins is rated eighth overall among return men in this draft by Kiper. The problem with Thompkins is he makes Cohen look like the Incredible Hulk. At 5-foot-8, 155 pounds, there must be concern for Thompkins holding up against bigger, stronger and faster in the NFL. Still, Thompkins is having a spectacular senior year with 96 receptions, 1,589 yards and nine TDs as a receiver. His return experience is confined largely to kick returns, where he averages 4.9 yards for 16 career attempts. He has returned seven punts for a 14.3-yard average and a TD but none since 2019. His game is a little like Grant's.

Lending Tree Bowl

E. Michigan (7-5) vs. Liberty (7-5)

4:45 p.m. ESPN

It's a strange bowl game for one of the top quarterbacks in the country to be showcased but he plays for Liberty and this school hasn't exactly been a national powerhouse. Malik Willis is actually the fourth-ranked quarterback in the draft according to Kiper and hasn't always played for this school. He was at Auburn initially. NFLDB says he has game-breaking potential in the NFL but needs to learn the small game more because he can be focused too much downfield. 

Independence Bowl

BYU (10-2) vs. UAB (8-4)

2:30 p.m., ABC

BYU has a reputation for producing tackles, tight ends and last year a quarterback. Blake Freeland is the latest tackle and displays great athletic ability at left tackle according to NFLDB's Ezring. At 6-foot-8, 305, he needs to add strength as it wasn't long ago he came to school at 260 pounds. Freeland is regarded as a tackle only by Ezring, who says Freeland can eventually be an NFL starter after refining his fundamentals. His frame and reach could cause him to rise later in the view of scouts, says Ezring.

Boca Raton Bowl

W. Kentucky (8-5) vs. Appalachian State (10-3)

10 a.m., ESPN

A game pitting two highly regarded players in terms of the draft. One is quarterback Bailey Zappe of Western Kentucky and the other is Jalen Virgil of Appalachian State. Zappe has had an incredible season in a rather gimmicky passing offense with an incredible 5,545 yards on 443 of 649 for 56 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He threw for 577 yards in one game. Before Western Kentucky, he played at Houston Baptist. Kiper rates him the eighth-best QB in the draft. 

 Appalachian State's Virgil had three kick return TDs and averaged a healthy 31.1 yards on kick returns. He is not a punt returner. The 6-1, 210-pound wide receiver made 95 career catches for 1,361 yards. Kiper regards Virgil as the 10th best return man in this draft class.

Monday, Dec. 20 

Myrtle Beach Bowl

Tulsa (6-6) vs. Old Dominion (6-6)

1:30 p.m., ESPN

Tulsa has a guard named Chris Paul. It's not that guard named Chris Paul. This one plays football and Kiper rates him the 10th best guard in the draft, although he has been a tackle in college. Paul is 6-4, 324 pounds. His size and experience at right tackle and both guard positions serve him well for a spot in the NFL. Jordan Pun of NFLDB sees Paul as a strong pass protector with decent technique but needs to improve as a run blocker. "He will excel in an offense that allows him to quick-set often and utilizes his size in a gap/power run scheme," Pun wrote in his assessment.

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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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