The Chicago Bears are doing their homework on a serious need on offense with a little over a week to go before the 2022 NFL Draft: bolstering their offensive line.
The Bears front office, led by new General Manager Ryan Poles, are busy at work this month interviewing potential prospects and deepening the draft board for his first war room at Halas Hall. On Saturday morning, per multiple reports, the Bears met with one of best offensive lineman in the upcoming draft, Cole Strange of Chattanooga. Considered a Day 2 pick by several analysts, Strange visited the Bears facilities this past weekend.
The #Bears have met with Chattanooga OL Cole Strange, per source.
Strange was a top performer at the Combine and Senior Bowl who dominated the FCS. Day 2 target with guard/center versatility, athleticism and a mean streak.
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) April 16, 2022
The beefy 6-foot-6, 301 pound Strange played guard for the Mocs, and is expected to be a long-term starter in the NFL, per CBSSports. Check out NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein’s scouting report on the big lineman detailing what he brings to the table:
“Highly experienced interior lineman who does a nice job of staying on schedule. He shines over the first two phases of the block, which means he gains early positioning and gets into the sustain phase with proper hand usage and footwork. He will lose a tug-of-war battle as a pure man-to-man blocker, but wins with lateral quickness and an understanding of angles as a move blocker. A snappier pass punch is needed to prevent sub-package rushers with hand talent from bypassing him too easily. His frame and play strength are a little below average, but he has done some snapping in practice, so he could land as a future starting center for a zone-happy rush offense.”
The Chattanooga product could be a potential long-term upgrade at guard or center for the Bears who can help give Justin Fields more time in the pocket to throw. With some mocks having him go as early as the third round, we’ll see if Poles has his finger on the trigger to build the trenches with Strange next week.
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