Three players the Bears have to put on their radar after incredible workouts on Day 1 of the NFL Combine
The first day of the 2024 NFL Combine's on-field testing is behind us and the prospects featured on Day 1 put on one kind of a show to kickoff the weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Day 1 of the on-field testing featured the defensive line and linebacker prospects, many of whom will more than […]
The first day of the 2024 NFL Combine's on-field testing is behind us and the prospects featured on Day 1 put on one kind of a show to kickoff the weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Day 1 of the on-field testing featured the defensive line and linebacker prospects, many of whom will more than likely have their names called during the first two nights of the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Chicago Bears made it perfectly clear early in the week that the team will be looking to acquire more pass rush talents this offseason and three prospects in particular made themselves a lot of money by potentially putting themselves on the Bear's radar on Thursday.
Alabama Edge Dallas Turner
Dallas Turner come to the Combine with a mission and left after Day 1 with that mission being accomplished following his performance. Turner dominated each drill during the event and posted numbers that were sure to turn some heads.
The former Alabama edge rusher was already expected to be the first defensive lineman off the board, but now it's entirely possible that he's the first overall defensive player who should come off the board in April's draft.
Turner worked out with the linebackers as opposed to the defensive linemen along with the rest of the top edge rushers and still outperformed his group. Turner had the highest vertical jump and was tied for the second-fastest 40-yard dash in Group 2.
If the Bears are looking to add a pass rusher with their ninth overall pick in the first-round, Turner made his case to be the one that general manager Ryan Poles should go after to make head coach Matt Eberflus a happy man.
Penn State Edge Chop Robinson
The fastest 40-yard dash time in Group 1 went to former Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson who recorded a blazing 4.48 official time at 6'2, 254 pounds. Robinson's 40-time was one of the top overall highlights of the first day of testing.
Robinson's 1.54 10-yard split was tied for the third fastest ever recorded by an edge rusher over 250 pounds at the Combine. The player at the top of that list, Bears' defensive end Montez Sweat who recorded a 1.50 10-yard split at 260 pounds.
According to Grinding The Mocks, Robinson's draft projection is anywhere from picks 10-29 entering the Combine. He certainly will fall in the top of that range following his performance today. If the Bears are higher on Robinson than say Turner at the position, the team could even get cute and look to slide back a few spots from the ninth overall pick and still come away with Robinson while adding more draft capital.
LSU DT Mekhi Wingo
Outside of the top first-round prospects, a player who really put together a solid performance on Day 1 was LSU defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo. Wingo ended his day with the second-fastest 40-yard dash time out of the defensive tackles in attendance with an official 4.85 time.
Wingo looked incredible running the hoop drill showing off his balance and change of direction speed. Even on the bag drills Wingo impressed at a high level for his size at 6'0, 284 pounds.
During the 2023 NFL Draft, the Bears selected two SEC defensive tackles in Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens. With the addition of defensive coordinator Eric Washington and his heavy emphasis on the defensive line, the Bears could look to add another young player to the room and why not get one from the same pond? Here's how Wingo's performance compared to Dexter's performance from 2023.
Outside of the height difference, the scores are remarkably similar and Poles could be eager to add a player of a similar type after Dexter's impressive rookie season.
Bears’ top pass rush targets in the 2024 NFL Draft are already eager about potentially playing alongside Montez Sweat
Will the Bears look to draft one of these top prospects?
