One thing to remember about top-30 visits is that not every NFL team uses them the same way. There is the traditional method. A team meets with players they have high hopes of drafting. The Chicago Bears have employed this approach over the past two years, meeting with several of their eventual picks. Sometimes, the visits are used to get a head start on potential undrafted free agents they may want. The Bears also did that in 2022. One other method is a little more cloak-and-dagger.
It involves meeting with teammates of players they are interested in. One of the Bears’ most recent visits may involve just that. Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network revealed the organization had met with Texas edge rusher Barryn Sorrell. Why is this unusual? Most see him as a 3-4 outside linebacker due to his size limitations. He’s only 6’3 with 32-inch arms. Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen almost always goes for defensive ends who are considerably bigger and longer. This is a serious outlier for him. So either they really like him or believe he can offer them important information on one of his teammates.
One needn’t work hard to figure out who. That would be left tackle Kelvin Banks.
The Chicago Bears have been connected to Banks a lot lately.
It isn’t difficult to see why. He is one of the most experienced left tackles in the 2025 draft, starting every game since he was a freshman. Sorrell was his teammate all three of those years, constantly going against him in practice. If anybody can offer a good perspective on the type of player and person Banks is, it would be him. If that is the Chicago Bears’ primary reason for meeting him, it’s a good one. There is a good chance all of the blue-chip prospects will be off the board when they go on the clock at #10. They need to have a contingency plan in place, somebody they can feel comfortable selecting with a reasonable chance of success. Banks has the size, strength, and athleticism of a quality NFL tackle. They need to know his work ethic, competitiveness, and drive to be great, both individually and as a teammate. Sorrell’s input could reveal a lot.
Exactly the info they need on a physical guy.
Honestly Banks is who I expect us to draft if Jeanty isn’t there. Not because of whatever this is. Everything about him screams Poles. Good wingspan – 84”. Membou is 82”. Campbell is a touch under 78”. He is a mauler with the frame to add weight. 30 some pressures in like 1500 passes in his career at Texas. Wouldn’t be my pick, but feels like a Poles move. Really feels like Braxton is gone next year so they are ok drafting to compete legitimately.
Maybe he and Banks are friends. Then Bears can sign both and make camp activities less stressful and more fun. Remember now they are millennials. They require familiarity.
So, 8 other teams are showing interest in Sorrell, but we just want to talk to him about Banks? Go Sports!
Perhaps Sorrell can play OLB. The Bears have a gaping hole there too!