Getty Chris Olave runs a drill during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 03, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson played with Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields for two seasons at Ohio State, and both are expected to be first-round draft picks when the draft kicks off on April 28.
In 21 games catching passes from Fields, Wilson had 73 catches for 1,155 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Olave caught 98 passes for 1,569 yards and 19 touchdowns in 20 games playing with Fields.
According to insider Jordan Schultz, the Bears “really like both Ohio State WRs Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. … There’s a comfort level there with Justin Fields, and both have super strong skill sets.”
Chicago had three reps present at OSU’S pro day, Daniel Greenberg reported, so there certainly seems to be an interest there.
Trouble is, the Bears don’t have any picks in the first round of the draft this year, and both Olave and Wilson are sure to be taken early. But as it happens, a new way to acquire one of them has emerged.
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Bears WRs Coach Doing Due Diligence
OSU recruiting reporter Garrick Hodge of Eleven Warriors revealed Bears wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert spoke with Olave before his workout during his pro day. Tolbert also spent time talking to Wilson.
Chicago Bears wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert is at Ohio State’s pro day and spoke with Chris Olave before he worked out. Tolbert also spoke with Garrett Wilson. Bears have two second round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Both wideouts have also spoken highly of Fields, and have expressed a desire to catch passes from him again, if fate would allow it.
“That’s my guy, man,” Olave said about Fields after his pro day performance, per NBC Sports. “Can’t wait to see his career take off in Chicago. I know he’s ready to do that so I can’t wait to see him do that. That would be huge to link up with him again and we’ll see what happens throughout the process.”
“If that would happen, that would be awesome,” Wilson said at the combine about the possibility of playing with Fields again. “I haven’t really thought about where I’m going to be playing — anywhere would be a blessing — but definitely, to link back up with Justin and do that at the NFL level would be a dream come true, for sure.”
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Could Bears Possibly Add Either Olave or Wilson?
Both former OSU wideouts upped their stock at the scouting combine earlier in March. Wilson had a blistering 4.38 40-yard dash, while Olave clocked his at 4.39 seconds. It would take a miracle for the Bears to nab either one.
After the Cincinnati Bengals reunited former college teammates Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase with great success last season, some are wondering if new Bears general manager Ryan Poles might try to replicate that formula in Chicago as a way to help surround Fields with weapons.
As it happens, Poles might have an opportunity to trade into the first round this year.
According to New York Giants insider Ralph Vacchiano of SNY, new Giants GM Joe Schoen is open to trading a first-round pick this year in exchange for a first-rounder in 2023. The Bears do have one of those.
The Giants own the fifth- and seventh-overall selections in the first round of the upcoming draft, and the Bears could surely snag either Wilson or Olave with one of those two picks.
But the likelihood of that is as slim as can be. Poles has shown both patience and frugality in his first few months as GM, and trading away future first-round picks doesn’t seem like something he’d be interested in. That said, anything is possible — particularly in an offseason as eventful and unpredictable as this one.
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Hype Grows Connecting Bears to Multiple 1st Round WRs