Which Senior Bowl Offensive Line Prospects Were Ryan Poles and Ian Cunningham Scouting?

As far as I’m concerned, the best thing to come out of Senior Bowl Week is this tweet Nicholas Moreano shared in which Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles and Assistant GM Ian Cunningham are watching the head-to-head battles between top offensive and defensive line prospects.

Seeing this warmed my heart:

The Bears have drafted 11 Senior Bowl participants in the three years since Poles took over as GM. And if you want to lump in quarterback Tyson Bagent into that group despite him coming to Chicago as an undrafted free agent, then it makes it an even dozen. In other words, I fully expect this front office to pluck another Senior Bowl standout to add to the roster when the dust settles on NFL Draft weekend. But who could be on their radar?

HAPPY SENIOR BOWL WEEK: Bears History and Prospects to Watch

Senior Bowl offensive line prospects and an intriguing Bears mock draft

Over at The Athletic, Kevin Fishbain’s Senior Bowl mock draft is a compelling read. It is informative with how it offers up prospects that could be fits for the Bears. But it is also entertaining in a way that serves as a reminder to keep an open mind as we navigate through the pre-draft process. Given that intro, this is who the Fishbain mock sends to Chicago — prepare yourself to see an influx of offensive and defensive linemen:

• ROUND 1, PICK 18: Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota offensive tackle — Voted as the Big Ten’s Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2024, Ersery earned first-team all-conference honors in 2024 after picking up a second-team nod in 2023. The arrow is pointing up for the Golden Gophers standout. Arriving in Chicago after a mock trade with Seattle (which would presumably net the Bears some future draft capital to move out of the No. 10 spot) would be welcome.
• ROUND 2, PICK 39: Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College edge — Drafting a player who could start on the other side of the defensive line opposite of Montez Sweat would be a welcome addition. Ezeiruaku was a Consensus All-American, a first-team All-ACC member, and the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2024. This pick would come via the Carolina Panthers as the final piece of the Caleb Williams trade.
• ROUND 2, PICK 41: Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona offensive lineman — Back in October, an ESPN NFL insider’s mock draft had Savaiinaea pegged as a Bears first-round pick. If this team can snag a prospect with first-round potential on Day 2, then I’m all for it.

• ROUND 2, PICK 50: Grey Zabel, North Dakota State guard/center — As someone who watches a fair amount of the Missouri Valley Football Conference because that is where my beloved Salukis play ball, I am familiar with the college football powerhouse that is the North Dakota State Bison. NDSU churns out pro-level talent annually, so seeing reports that Zabel is making waves doesn’t surprise me one bit. If the Bears think he can handle the center position, they shouldn’t hesitate to turn in the pick card with Zabel’s name on it. This pick would come via the Seahawks in the mock trade.
• ROUND 3, PICK NO. 72: Jaylin Noel, Iowa State wide receiver — Noel has speed. The Bears offense needs speed. This would be a sensible pick.

DAY 3 PICKS:

• ROUND 5: Jackson Hawes, Georgia Tech tight end — After the return on investments in Gerald Everett and Marcedes Lewis came up empty, drafting a tight end is something the Bears should look into in 2025.

• ROUND 6: Aeneas Peebles, Virginia Tech defensive lineman — Adding a third-team All-American in 2024 would be a wonderful way to bolster the defensive side of the trenches. This pick would come via the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Justin Fields trade.

• ROUND 7: Carson Vinson, Alabama A&M offensive tackle — A Day 3 dice roll of an offensive tackle with size (6-6, 314 pounds) and length (35-inch arms) will usually get a thumbs up from me. This pick would come via the Cleveland Browns from a trade that was made before the start of the season.

• ROUND 7: Willie Lampkin, North Carolina center — I loved this note from Fishbain, who wrote: “At the end of Tuesday’s practice, taking a one-on-one rep in front of the full team, he pancaked the defender. You can see the Bears liking Lampkin as someone to develop — maybe as a goal-line fullback.” This pick would come via the Cleveland Browns from a trade that was made before the start of the season.

In the end, I hope the Bears leave no stone unturned in their search for new offensive linemen to put in the trenches during the 2025 NFL season. Quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked a whopping 68 times as a rookie. And, frankly, I lost count of the number of quarterback hits he was credited with taking last season. But between options in free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft, there are no excuses for Chicago’s football team not to get it right on the offensive line this season.

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