With a new defensive scheme comes new priorities in terms of personnel. More seasoned Chicago Bears fans have seen this defense before. It is the one Lovie Smith made famous during his extended run as head coach from 2004 to 2012. Now Matt Eberflus intends to bring it back. Both men would say the same thing. To make this defense function at the highest possible level, they will need a legitimate defensive tackle that can rush the passer. Think Tommie Harris or Henry Melton from Smith’s days or DeForest Buckner in Indianapolis.
Right now, the Bears don’t have anybody like that. Akiem Hicks might be the closest but he’s a free agent and getting older. Bilal Nichols might fit the role well but he’s hitting the open market as well. GM Ryan Poles could look to bring one of them back, but he may not have to. It is becoming apparent that the 2022 draft class is rich with athletic defensive tackles this year. Players that fit exactly what the Bears need. Few more so than Perrion Winfrey of Oklahoma.
He proved that again with an impressive display at the scouting combine.
Oklahoma DT Perrion Winfrey MOVING as well with a 4.86 40-yard dash#NFL #NFLCombine #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/hmPCdKjFb5
— Tom Downey (@WhatGoingDowney) March 5, 2022
Running a 4.89 at 290 lbs is good stuff. The 1.68 in the 10-yard split showcases how much explosiveness Winfrey has. A vital component to any interior pass rusher. Throw in his violent hands and non-stop motor, both of which he showcased at the Senior Bowl, and it’s hard not to love what he brings to the table. This guy exhibits everything Eberflus and his defensive staff would love in a defensive lineman.
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This is the kind of stuff that gets my attention.
Perrion Winfrey eats, drinks, and breathes football.
Beats the OG once. Calls him back to the line for another rep. Beats him again.
He's becoming a favorite of mine.#Bears pic.twitter.com/doHvseJo3h
— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) February 6, 2022
Perrion Winfrey goes boom. 😱 pic.twitter.com/JMJ7iSVaeQ
— 𝕆𝕂𝕃𝔸ℍ𝕆𝕄𝔸-𝕍𝕊-𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕎𝕆ℝ𝕃𝔻 (@soonergridiron) November 20, 2021
The question is why his draft stock is so low.
Part of it is his production. In 20 games for the Sooners, Winfrey only had six sacks. However, of the 40 tackles he made during that time, 16.5 of them went for a loss. This demonstrated his ability to shoot gaps and create havoc in the backfield. If that weren’t enough, Winfrey has stated multiple times that the Oklahoma defense never put him in a position to utilize his biggest strengths.
DT Perrion Winfrey: “I feel like I played out of position over my time at Oklahoma…whatever my team needed, I was willing to do.”
He said he hates giving credit to OL but Creed Humphrey was the best blocker he faced in his life.
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) March 4, 2022
“It was just confusing because it was like, as a defensive coordinator, I got respect for (Alex) Grinch, but you’re supposed to mold your defensive scheme around your players,” Winfrey also said on the Oklahoma Breakdown podcast. “You’re not supposed to try to force a scheme on players that it doesn’t fit.”
That would sound familiar to a lot of Bears fans. For years, Matt Nagy got accused of doing the same thing on the offensive side. Matt Eberflus and defensive coordinator Alan Williams have both said their goal is to figure out what their players do best and use them that way. They are almost guaranteed to recognize the true value of Winfrey as a dangerous gap shooter. Throw in his 35-inch arms, and he checks every box they could want. If they look to grab him in the 2nd or 3rd round, the Bears will plug a significant hole.
