The Chicago Bears brass spent most of their time at the Senior Bowl scouting offensive and defensive linemen at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.
The trenches were the main defect of the 2024 Bears, and general manager Ryan Poles needs to use free agency and the draft to amass starters at multiple positions on both sides.
New head coach Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen have suggested that the Bears need upgrades on both units. With the Detroit Lions, Johnson had the benefit of the league’s best offensive line when he was devising exciting schemes.
The Chicago Bears want big offensive linemen
Per Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda, Johnson is “expected” to try and add talent through the draft like the Lions did with Penei Sewell and Frank Ragnow. Chicago wants to start by adding interior help on the offensive line before adding another pass rusher or left tackle.
“It should come as a surprise to no one, but the Chicago Bears will look to add multiple new faces on the offensive line in the offseason,” Pauline wrote. “Ben Johnson is expected to replicate what was done in Detroit and bring in a lot of big-bodied blockers. I’m told the priority is interior offensive linemen.”
The Bears could trade down for OL talent
The Bears are set to explore opportunities to draft down from the No. 10 pick to take an interior offensive lineman later in the draft. However, Chicago wouldn’t pass up on the opportunity to take the draft’s best left tackle on the board at No. 10 if they cannot find a partner.
“There is an opinion the team could look to trade the 10th pick and move down, collecting additional selections and loading up on blockers,” Pauline wrote. “If they can’t move that pick, the obvious targets would be Will Campbell of LSU or Kelvin Banks Jr. of Texas. The Bears like Josh Conerly Jr. of Oregon, who could be a target if they are able to trade down, and Wyatt Milum of West Virginia, who they view as a second-round guard.”
Conerly and Milum received plenty of buzz during the Senior Bowl. Conerly has the size to be an exceptional talent in the NFL. However, he struggled with speedy pass rushers during one-on-one drills last week.
Milum had an up-and-down performance in Mobile. The six-foot-six, 312-pound offensive lineman was used as an OT at West Virginia. He struggled to understand his assignment with chip blocks and explode off blocks to get up to the next level during plays.
Moving to guard will be an adjustment for the 2024 Consensus All-American, but with the right offensive line coach, Milum has the build and talent to turn into a Pro Bowl-caliber interior offensive lineman.
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