Pass rusher and wide receiver have been mentioned most often as the Bears‘ targets at No. 9 overall. Though, the player who will almost definitely be chosen at No. 1 (Caleb Williams) in a few hours seems to have Chicago’s D-line ranked outside the top two among his positional priorities here.
“I’d probably go Olu Fashanu because I know he’d put his life on the line for me, protecting me,” Williams said, via Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith. “Then I’d go one of the top three wide receivers.”
A Penn State-developed tackle, Fashanu played high school football (at Gonzaga College HS in Washington D.C.) with Williams. That makes it unsurprising the 2022 Heisman winner would stump for his old teammate. The Bears are believed to have a tackle addition on their radar for No. 9, with GM Ryan Poles splitting his staff into pods debating the merits of taking a tackle, edge rusher or wide receiver with that pick. Chicago looks to have done more work on wideouts and pass rushers, being linked to adding a weapon — potentially Rome Odunze or tight end Brock Bowers — for Williams. The team has Braxton Jones and 2023 No. 10 overall pick Darnell Wright at tackle. Fashanu grades 15th on Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board.
Hours away from Williams starting this draft, here is the latest:
- Confirming a previous view around the league, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones indicates teams wanting Bowers will need to hold a top-10 pick. By far the top tight end in this class, the Georgia product appears unlikely to make it past the Jets at No. 10. The Chargers (No. 5), Bears (No. 9) and Jets met with the three-year Bulldogs receiving leader. The Giants not going quarterback in Round 1 would seemingly point them to a wideout, but Darren Waller‘s retirement call is not believed to have emerged. Sitting at 15, the Colts are also believed to be interested in Bowers.
- JC Latham sits 18th on Jeremiah’s big board, but the Alabama tackle may go off the board much earlier. He could be in play for the Chargers at No. 5, with ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan offering that the draft’s run on tackles may begin with the ex-Crimson Tide RT. This would be a surprise, given Joe Alt‘s pedigree (and the Chargers’ reported interest in the two-time All-American). But many teams see Alt as a left tackle. Clubs regularly make switches up front, but if the Bolts — also believed to be Latham fans, potentially in a trade-down scenario — view the two blockers’…