Bear Digest

Sixth-rounder Luke Newman lets Bears coaches show a refining touch

The Bears haven't been much for developing late-round players but with Michigan State's Luke Newman they have someone with a knack for quickly adjusting to change.
Gene Chamberlain|
Michigan State's Luke Newman quickly took to playing left guard after he'd been a tackle at Holy Cross.
Michigan State's Luke Newman quickly took to playing left guard after he'd been a tackle at Holy Cross. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

In this story:

Chicago Bears

It's easy to overlook Michigan State's Luke Newman because the Bears drafted him in the next to last round at 195 overall, and after they've spent the entire offseason rebuilding their offensive line with big names.

Newman didn't even play guard until his one season with the Spartans, after transferring from Holy Cross.

None of this means Newman is destined to fail, but the Bears do have a history of not getting much out of Day 3 offensive linemen. They haven't been really good at developing linemen or even other positions taken later.

For every Braxton Jones or Charles Leno Jr. they've drafted on Day 3, there are countless players like Lachavious "Pig" Simmons, Arlington Hambright, Ja'Tyre Carter, Jordan Morgan, Tayo Fabuluje, Lance Louis, Kirk Barton or Chester Adams.

A player like former Bears tackle Larry Borom constitutes great return on a fifth-round investment as a swing tackle and part-time starter.

Turning later-round offensive linemen into starters requires plenty of good coaching and time on task. The Bears obviously have not had an abundance of this type of coaching, as sixth fourth-place NFC North finishes and another tie for last since 2014 say.

It will be on new line coach Dan Roushar to bring along younger linemen but he had no real history of taking Day 3 or undrafted types and developing them into NFL starters with the Saints when he was line coach from 2016-20. He had a couple of those later-round players in Zach Strief and Jahri Evans in his first year as line coach and they were gone by his second year. Virtually all of his linemen had Day 1 or 2 pedigree.

Newman has some qualities that suggest he could be more than a mere fill-in if they try to develop him. He had been a tackle at Holy Cross and then Michigan State turned him into a left guard for a year and he took to that, then even looked impressive as a center and right guard during East-West Shrine practices.

"He's one of those guys that kind of, as you went through the process, he slowly checked every box and kind of did everything right," Bears director of college scouting Breck Ackley said. "You get to the end of the process and he's clean, bring him in on the top 30 (visit), coaches liked him, and it kind of married up.”

Part of that success included blocking against Michigan's first-round defensive tackles, Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant.

“He handled them pretty well," Ackley said. "That's one of the games we turned on. Graham and Grant actually, he played both of those guys.

"I think he's one of those guys that he's aware and he knows the right side of blocks to be on. He is one of those guys that he wins with body positioning and quickness and gets on you. We thought he had a pretty good game versus those guys.”

Newman definitely noted the difference moving inside from tackle but with arms that were generiously said to be 32 inches long he couldn't complain about the competitive edge moving inside presented for him over playing outside. He has quick reactions, anyway, and used them.

"A lot happens quite fast, when you're playing on the interior, but same thing always goes," he said. "I just naturally take pride in having quick hands and good technique in that area, and it's something that I can always improve upon and get better at."

Newman adjusted first to a higher level of competition in the Big Ten, then the change of position. The Bears are counting on him being able to take the next improvement step and show he can play in the NFL at the new position.

"At the next level, I'd love to be playing left guard just as much as I would love to play, right guard or center," Newman said. "Just bottom line wherever I'm best suited, wherever the team needs me to be.”

The Bears definitely wouldn't mind seeing more of the same rapid progress this year because four-time All-Pro guard Joe Thuney doesn't have a contract for 2026. Regardless of whether Thuney comes back for that season, the Bears would like to know they're covered there.

They have one year to develop this line prospect, who has constantly shown he needs less time to adjust. Because of his past improvement, even a team with little or no history of developing linemen might find this possible.

More Chicago Bears News

X: BearsOnSI

Published
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.