Bear Digest

Four Senior Bowl Standouts for Bears Fans to Watch

These 2026 NFL draft prospects would be perfect fits for the Chicago Bears.
Pete Martuneac|
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The annual Senior Bowl is one of the first and biggest pre-draft events of the year. This is where college seniors, most of whom are fringe first-round prospects, at best, can show the NFL draft community exactly what they can do. This goes double for small school players. By going up against prospects from elite conferences like the Big Ten, they can prove that they can hang with the big boys as much as the next guy.

Several prospects have shone during practices this week, with no shortage of jaw-dropping clips making the rounds on social media. Luckily for Chicago Bears fans, most of the standouts are at positions of need. The top defensive tackle prospects have been especially exciting, along with the top edge rushers, too.

Daniel Jeremiah, an NFL Media analyst, recently published his list of the 10 best standouts from the week's Senior Bowl practices. They're all good prospects, but there are four that Bears fans should be particularly interested in. Pay close attention to these guys during Saturday's Senior Bowl game.

1. Lee Hunter - Defensive Tackle, Texas Tech

If the Bears are hellbent on selecting a defensive tackle with the No. 25 overall pick (and they should be), they are blessed with at least two good options in Ohio State's Kayden McDonald and Florida's Caleb Banks. Now, however, there may be a third option for the Bears: Texas Tech's Lee Hunter.

Hunter has been nothing short of dominant at the Senior Bowl, plugging up running lanes, absorbing double teams, and even getting after the quarterback. The Bears have given up over 130 rushing yards per game in each of the last two seasons. Shoring up the middle of their defensive line is paramount in 2026, and Hunter could be exactly who they need to make that happen.

2. Max Iheanachor - Offensive Tackle, Arizona State

Iheanachor is a massive human being, standing six-foot-five and 325 pounds, and he plays with a nasty disposition. He stonewalled Michigan EDGE Derrick Moore in practice, who is himself a standout prospect, and wasn't afraid to throw hands with the frustrated defender. The best part? Iheanachor has only been playing football for four years. He's just getting started, and he could be Chicago's long-term answer at left tackle.

3. Jacob Rodriguez - Linebacker, Texas Tech

Before practices began this week, I listed Rodriguez as a Senior Bowl prospect who would be a perfect fit for the Bears, and he hasn't disappointed. In Wednesday's practice, the Texas Tech linebacker showed off a flawless Peanut Punch, then followed it up with an interception to end practice.

Rodriguez forced 13 fumbles in four seasons, including seven in 2025 alone. He's not the biggest nor the fastest athlete, but he's smart, he's always around the ball, and he has a knack for creating chaos. That's the kind of defender worth taking a mid-round flyer on if you're the Chicago Bears.

4. T.J. Parker - Defensive End, Clemson

No one needed a superb Senior Bowl week more than Clemson's Parker. His stats dropped sharply from their highs in 2024 (though that had more to do with Clemson's team-wide implosion than his own failings), and he needed to remind everyone what he's capable of if he were to become a first-round prospect. Well, allow me to reintroduce to you the game-wrecking potential of T.J. Parker.

Parker spent the last three years terrorizing quarterbacks, racking up the third most pressures in the country since 2023. At six-foot-three and 265 pounds, he has the perfect frame to play defensive end in Dennis Allen's system, and he has a devastating long-arm push that has been giving the Senior Bowl's offensive tackles nightmares all week.

While I think the Bears would be better served taking a defensive tackle in the first round of the draft, I wouldn't be surprised at all if they select Parker as a running mate for Montez Sweat.

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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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