The NFL Combine has been in session since Wednesday in Indianapolis, but for the most part, the tests and measurements have been conducted with pencils and measuring tape. Today, offensive lineman, tight ends, and specialists will be the first wave of prospects put through the physical workouts at Lucas Oil Field.
Over the next four days, all the invited prospects will be put through a litany of physical tests meant to measure and quantify they're athleticism as it relates to football. It's counterintuitive considering that most scouts will tell you "it's all in the film," but the sport still finds itself consumed with 40-yard dash times and vertical leaps.
Regardless of whether or not the Combine is an accurate indicator of skill, as a fan, it's nice to see the next generation's talent live and on display. Here are some players the Chicago Bears should be watching in today's groups.
Michael Adams- OT, Ohio State
Adams has the size and athleticism to be a dominant LT in the NFL, and the Chicago Bears are certainly in the market for an able-bodied pass protector. However, he can be too reliant on his length at times, as he has a tendency to reach at speed-rushers. He'd be an intriguing prospect with the Bears No. 19 pick, but the Bears may be more interested in an interior line prospect.
Peter Konz- C, Wisconsin
I'm not sure you can ever go wrong with a Wisconsin offensive lineman, unless you want to count Gabe Carimi's injury-riddled rookie season, which would be extremely premature. Konz has a lot of the things you'd look for in a center. He is physical in the run game and he wreaks havoc in the second-level. The only real downside is that he MAY be too tall for a center, which causes him to play high at times.
David Molk- C, Michigan
Molk is a local Chicago kid and a guy that the Bears might have interest with in the later rounds. He packs a great initial punch and is quick off the ball, but he doesn't have prototypical size.
Cordy Glenn- G, Georgia
Glenn is a monstrous and versatile offensive lineman who has played both guard positions and left tackle in college, though he projects at guard. He can get to the second-level in a hurry for a man his size (6-6 346), but it might be a reach for the Bears to go after him at pick No. 19, and he definitely won't be available in Round Two.
Orson Charles- TE, Georgia
The tortured days of tight ends in Chicago have hopefully come to a close now that Mike Martz is out of the picture. The Bears could use an athletic upgrade at tight end and Orson Charles is the top of the line athletic TE in this draft class. He doesn't have the size to be an every down blocking TE but he is versatile and athletic enough to split out too, and that's why he'd be a nice compliment to Kellen Davis in two-TE sets.
Kevin Zeitler- G, Wisconsin
Another Wisconsin interior lineman that the Bears will hopefully have interest in. In a perfect world, the Bears could just make up their entire line of Badgers, but at least with Zeitler the Bears might be able to get him in the second round. He's a mauler and would be a good addition, but he doesn't necessarily have the elite quickness you'd like to have in the Bears power-running scheme.
Brandon Mosley- OT, Auburn
Serious sleeper potential here, this guy is a first-round athlete who may be available with one of the Bears picks in the third round. Mosley was a junior-college tight end just two seasons ago, so he has untapped potential at tackle and he's a heck of an athlete.
Deangelo Peterson- TE, LSU
He's a worse blocker and he's not quite the athlete that Orson Charles is, but they possess similar qualities and Peterson is a guy that you can probably get three rounds later than where you can get Charles.
Obviously, these are just a few of the guys that the Bears will have their eyes on, but these are guys whose stock could fluctuate greatly depending on how they perform today. At the end of the day, nobody knows what Phil Emery's game-plan going into his first draft is, but if he can position himself to take a few of these guys, it should be a solid haul.
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