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You know how big a storyline it is that the Chicago Bears need help on the defensive line?
Even the defensive front prospects were talking about it at the podium on Wednesday ahead of their highly anticipated workouts on Thursday.
Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald, who gets mock-drafted to the Bears in seemingly one new national mock a week, said he had a “really great” meeting with the Bears and that he’d fit their need for a defensive tackle.
Minutes later, the first thing out of Texas Tech defensive tackle Lee Hunter’s mouth when asked about the Bears was saying he could help them stop the run (though he hasn’t talked to them yet).
Georgia’s Christen Miller also said he’s met with the Bears and hopes to bring a little “violence” to whatever team he joins.
Of course, it’s not necessarily news for prospects to say they have or haven’t met with a team. Especially for these guys who can get picked anywhere from No. 20 onward, they’ll meet with pretty much every team in the league. But it feels notable that pretty much every player on the defensive line who was asked about the Bears seemed to acknowledge they know the Bears might be in market for their services.
Goodness knows it’s true, whether you’re talking about interior players like McDonald or edge prospects like Mizzou’s Zion Young.
What’s also interesting here is that many of these players, even the edge guys, share a common ethos: stop the run first, then focus on rushing the passer. As teams run the football more, this philosophy is now likely to be a talking point for everyone, which is why it’s important to see who actually lives it. (Young even mentioned his PFF run defense grade being top-30 among all college edges, something he said he never paid attention to before.)
While the Bears need increased production out of both their run defense and pass rush, the old-school ethos of “earning the right to rush the passer”—something McDonald heard often from former NFL coach Matt Patricia, who coached McDonald as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator last year—is back in vogue. And players that practice what they preach in that regard are much more likely to play early in Dennis Allen’s defense than those who are all sacks and no run stops.
Without a doubt, players like McDonald and Young, who was ex-teammates with Luther Burden III, did nothing to make you think they wouldn’t be top options for the Chicago Bears at pick No. 25. But should the Bears wait until later to take someone up front (or want to double up), Illinois’ Gabe Jacas is a Day 2 or 3 player who garnered plenty of interest from reporters whose “play-through-your-face” style and power could be a welcome addition as edge depth on a front in need of physicality.
Another sneaky player to watch? Boston College edge rusher Quintayvious Hutchins, who might actually be a standup linebacker and special teams star at the next level. He also has a studious mindset that former Eagles alum Ryan Poles is bound to love. He might not get drafted, but one can see him being an interesting addition to the roster as a UDFA.
Make sure to check out their on-field workouts tomorrow at 3 pm ET, and keep following here for more NFL Combine updates.