Bear Digest

Rankings Say Not Much for Bears to Look at Among Senior Bowl Tackles

Needing a potential replacement for injured Ozzy Trapilo and possibly in this draft, the Bears can find help, but they're not going to find much at the Senior Bowl.
Gene Chamberlain|
Iowa Hawkeyes tackle Gennings Dunker flattens Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher in a November Big Ten game.
Iowa Hawkeyes tackle Gennings Dunker flattens Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher in a November Big Ten game. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Every year one-on-one battles between pass rushers and tackles at Senior Bowl practices excite NFL scouts, and videos of these generate great social media media interest.

So far this year there have been numerous videos of edge players putting on great pass-rushing displays in Mobile, Ala., while those of blockers standing out have been somewhat more sparce.

There's a good reason and it's not because this is a spectacular pass rush group. The quality of the tackles at the Senior Bowl is not only less than impressive, it borders on inferior.

None of the top five tackles from the rankings by ESPN's five draft analysts made it to Mobile.

The only tackle working in Mobile who ranked among the top 11 on Pro Football Focus' top tackles list is Iowa's Gennings Dunker.

The Bears come into this draft potentially looking for an offensive tackle only a year after adding Ozzy Trapilo because of his patellar tendon injury suffered in the wild card playoff win over Green Bay.

"I don't have a specific timetable, I'm sure that it will be somewhere  deep into next year, for the injury," GM Ryan Poles sai. "Had a good conversation with him, he knows that this is part of his journey that he is going to have to overcome. I have a lot of faith in him and our staff to get him back and ready to go, whenever that is. But, a specific timetable, I don't have that right now."

They'll need an alternative, and if they could draft Trapilo as a rookie and prep him well enough to play like they did, then there's no reason to think they couldn't do it again with another draft pick.

They're just not going to find many of those tackle candidates at this week's Senior Bowl.

Here's who is there to watch among tackles in Saturday's game and remaining practices.

Gennings Dunker, Iowa

The 6-foot-4 3/4, 320-pounder has started regularly since 2023 and is No. 3 among tackles on PFF's rankings. He also is No. 25 on their big board, which, coincidentally, is where the Bears draft in Round 1—for what that's worth. Trevor Sikkema of PFF isn't convinced Dunker is even a tackle.

"Dunker has been Iowa's consistent starting tackle for the last three seasons, but his NFL home will likely be at guard," Sikkema wrote. "His arm length appears well below average, and his kick slide in pass protection doesn't cover enough ground."

He was getting looks at guard in Mobile on Tuesday. Part of the reason Sikkema believes Dunker will be better inside is his strengths.

"He is well-balanced, with a strong core, thanks to his track and wrestling backgrounds," Sikkema wrote. "Moving inside will allow him to lean on his strengths while mitigating weaknesses, specifically in a zone-blocking scheme."

That's fine but it doesn't help the Bears at tackle.

JC Davis, Illinois

PFF has the 6-4 1/2, 335-pounder rated 12th among all tackles and he's viewed as a late fourth-rounder by the NFL Mock Draft Data Base. He made 37 straight starts after coming out of Contra Costa College in California and going to New Mexico in 2022-23. Another tackle who is being viewed by some as a guard. The arm lengths and speed at the combine could let him change this. While PFF has him 12th among tackles, he's only 115th on their overall big board.

Kage Casey, Boise State

He looks to have the length needed for tackle at 6-5 1/2 and 309, but is viewed as an early fourth rounder or late third rounder by Mock Draft Database. PFF has him graded only 23rd out of all the tackles in the draft and 206th overall, which puts him in the late sixth to early seventh rounds.

"His hunched-over posture creates an imbalanced length-weight  distribution, and his kick slides don't cover enough ground, which occasionally triggers a bit of panic," Sikkema wrote. "He must improve in that area to be dependable."

Jude Bowry, Boston College

The Bears got Trapilo out of BC but Bowry isn't quite at that level as a 6-4 3/4, 314-pounder. He is regarded 16th best tackle in the draft by PFF and 109th overall on the Mock Draft big board, which puts him early in Round 4. He gave up only two sacks when he played on a line that had Trapilo on it in 2024 but the entire line struggled this year, including Bowry. He was starting left tackle this year.

Austin Barber, Florida

Barber definitely has the size to play left tackle or right tackle at 6-6 1/2, 318, and is 15th among PFF tackles and 128th overall on their big board. Sikkema sees a smooth athlete with ability to play tackle or guard.

"His low, wide pre-snap stance shows off his natural flexibility, and his technique gives him consistent pad-level advantages," Sikkema wrote. "He shows effective technique as a run blocker with hand placement and leg drive, but he could stand to get stronger in that and other areas."

Trey Zuhn III, Texas A&M

He played in 54 games over five seasons and mostly at left tackle. This is another player PFF suggests could be moved inside bcause of his arm length, but he has left tackle size at 6-6, 309. Ranked 179th overall in this draft by PFF,  he is viewed as a sound technician and effort guy.

"He plays with a wide base pre-snap, which remains the same at contact, creating good balance and power," Sikkema said. "His posture is also very good, so he is rarely off-balance. He has a strong grip and always plays through the whistle."

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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.