Wednesday is a big day for the Bears and their decision with the No. 9 overall pick in the draft. Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus are both in Columbus for the Ohio State Pro Day.
Zooming in on the name tag in the first pic shows that is in fact Eberflus in attendance. The guy in the white hoodie and black coat in the video looks an awful lot like Poles, which seems to confirm several reports that the Bears GM was in attendance.
The Buckeyes have a couple of players who could be on the board when the Bears are on the clock (if they haven’t moved again and really are on the clock) at No. 9: left tackle Paris Johnson and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Each man would raise the profile of the Bears offense immediately, and both will likely receive a long look from the front office and coaching staff.
Johnson is one of the most intriguing offensive line talents due to his upside and his incredibly long arms. If the Bears bring Johnson into the fold, it would add some flexibility and talent to the offensive line room, and would go a long way towards providing better protection for Justin Fields.
Meanwhile Fields has said he would love to reunite with Smith-Njigba, who many see as the top WR prospect in this year’s draft. Adding another serious pass catching threat for Fields to target should give opposing defenses headaches, as they’d have to keep tabs on D.J. Moore, Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool and JSN.
Of course, the Bears will be paying attention to many more players than just Johnson and Smith-Njigba. Other prospects who could be on the Bears’ wish list throughout the draft include center Luke Wypler, tackle Dawand Jones and edge rusher Zach Harrison among others. Reports said phenom wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. would be on the field catching passes from C.J. Stroud, too, so the Bears could get a sneak peek at next year’s presumptive WR1.
The NFL draft begins on Apr. 27.
