(Getty) Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy
It’s no secret the Chicago Bears need to shore up their offensive line. The Bears had the 20th ranked o-line in the league this season, per Pro Football Focus, and while the team already has a few pieces in place, upgrades and added depth on the line should be areas of focus for the team this offseason.
Considering nine of the top 11 teams on PFF’s list of best offensive lines made the playoffs this season, it’s a unit Chicago has to upgrade if it ever wants to be a contender on a regular basis. While the Bears saw encouraging output from undrafted free agents Alex Bars and, especially, center Sam Mustipher this season, they still need to add help at left and right tackle, for starters.
General manager Ryan Pace said at the team’s year-end press conference he anticipates having eight picks in the upcoming draft, which presumably includes any compensatory picks he expects to receive. As it stands now, the Bears have the 20th selection in Rounds 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6, along with a seventh-rounder they got when trading tight end Adam Shaheen to the Miami Dolphins. Thus, Chicago should be able to address its o-line issues this offseason — and based on the latest photo being shared by multiple draft analysts on Twitter, the team is doing that in a big way.
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Bears Representative Spotted Measuring OL Spencer Brown
During the conference championships Sunday, ESPN NFL draft analyst Jim Nagy Tweeted a photo of a Bears representative taking the measurements of Northern Iowa offensive lineman Spencer Brown. A redshirt senior, Brown has already declared for the draft, and his presence in the photo is … hulking to say the least. Check it out:
Don’t need a tape measure to know 6’8” Northern Iowa OT Spencer Brown is a large man.
#TheDraftStartsInMobile #giant
Brown is an intriguing possibility for the Bears. At 6-foot-8 and 320 pounds, the offensive tackle is athletic and speedy for his size (he played tight end in high school), but playing in the FCS fo four seasons still makes him a developmental prospect. Still, based on what the draft experts are saying, he’s a risk the Bears should absolutely take.
Draft Analysts Peg Bears as Perfect Fit for Brown
Brown is being projected as a day two or day three selection, and Chicago has plenty of capital on both days. His projections could change after the Senior Bowl, however. Here’s what Pro Football Network has to say about Brown as a draft prospect:
If Brown can stand out at the Senior Bowl and separate himself against FBS competition, he can solidify his status as a Day 2 prospect. In the 2021 offensive tackle class, there’s a good amount of depth. But Brown has the physical traits to make his way up the ladder. In the Day 2 range, teams like the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams, and Los Angeles Chargers might look to add Brown as a strong swing tackle with starting potential. Nevertheless, teams that need tackle depth or an experienced right tackle with starting upside could do far worse than Brown. And when seeking out developmental talent, they couldn’t do much better.
Jacob Infante, a lead draft analyst for The Draft Wire and a writer who covers the Bears beat for Windy City Gridiron, had this to say about Brown:
There seems to be a great deal of upside with the massive Northern Iowa tackle — a position that is the weakest position on the Bears’ line. His balance needs work, and he hasn’t played against any of the top defensive linemen in the country, but his physical gifts, including ridiculous mobility, make him one of the draft’s more intriguing prospects. The Bears already have reps checking him out in person. We’ll see if that interest carries over into the NFL Draft this spring.
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Bears Linked to Massive Lineman in Upcoming Draft