The Chicago Bears have a knack for finding gems in the later rounds of the draft. While GM Ryan Pace gets a ton of credit for this, he doesn’t do it without the help from an excellent scouting staff. One of their long-standing stars in that group is Mark Sadowski, their director of college scouting. He’s been with the Bears for years and gotten credit for several prominent later-round gems they’ve scored. Eddie Jackson, Tarik Cohen, and Bilal Nichols being the most recent. Is Spencer Brown his latest obsession?
Reports are Sadowski was spotted at the Northern Iowa pro day. The big name everybody was there to see was the giant right tackle Brown. At 6’8, 314 lbs with 34-inch arms he certainly comes across as imposing. This also isn’t the first time the Bears were spotted in his vicinity. They met with him at the Senior Bowl as well. So this is the second instance they’ve been caught watching, and with one of their specialists in attendance.
A surefire sign they have a keen interest in the young man.
When watching him on tape? Yeah, that makes sense. Though Brown has only cut his teeth against FCS competition, it’s not because bigger schools didn’t want him. Quite the opposite. They wanted him a lot. He decided to stay at Northern Iowa out of loyalty to the program. Always a major positive in the eyes of evaluators. A true team-first guy.
As for ability? You could say he has some. Brown is not only a giant, he’s an athletic one. He moves well in space and isn’t caught off guard in pass protection. Better still, he displays power and nastiness in the run game. There are no plays off with him. Most of his issues stem from occasional lapses in fundamentals. A typical issue in young blockers that can easily be corrected.
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🤯Freaky numbers today at Northern Iowa pro-day.
OL Spencer Brown with all-timer shuttles 4.39 SS & 6.99 3-cone—rare bend for 6082 and 311 lbs. Ran 4.94/4.96 40-yd on NFL clocks, 31.5 VJ and 9-9 BJ.📈
EDGE Elerson Smith with 41.5 VJ and 10-7 BJ at 252 lbs! Ran 4.74/4.77. 📈 pic.twitter.com/A5xMbU4KZn
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) March 23, 2021
YEAH GET SPENCER BROWN ON MY TEAM EXPEDITIOUSLY! pic.twitter.com/3hk2bhLKc7
— Jacob Keppen (@Jacobkeppen) March 17, 2021
Giant-sized (6084v, 314v) guys like @UNIFootball OT Spencer Brown (@TooTallo_o) just aren’t supposed to bend & slide like this. Makes it look easy here against one of top pass rushers in 2021 draft. Could make strong case Brown has highest ceiling of any tackle in this class. 🛠 pic.twitter.com/z8l53OHpMC
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) February 18, 2021
Spencer Brown had a tremendous day yesterday, and starts off hot today pic.twitter.com/lolryF3L4H
— Cory (@fakecorykinnan) January 29, 2021
Spencer Brown looks like a prime Day 2 option
Coming into the pre-draft process, Brown was viewed by most as probably an early pick on Day 3. The 4th or 5th round range. Based on his performance over the past two months, that is going to change. One can start to imagine him jump up into Day 2. That means the 2nd or 3rd rounds. Most likely the latter. Teams will love his upside. He would make for the perfect understudy behind Germain Ifedi at right tackle. Somebody who can sit, learn, and eventually take over in 2022.
Based on how closely the Bears are watching him, it’s a safe bet they may have designs on grabbing him at the first opportunity. Would they be willing to do it in the 2nd round? From a talent perspective, he has it. Yet to take an FCS player that early is dangerous. Don’t forget what happened with Adam Shaheen back in 2017. Sometimes it is too difficult for guys to make such a massive jump in competition. Spencer Brown though? He looks like he belongs.
This is one of those times a team has to trust the coaches.
Juan Castillo has done thing for a long, long time. He started coaching offensive linemen in the NFL way back in the late 1990s. Developing players became a cornerstone of his legacy. Just look at what he did with Sam Mustipher and Alex Bars last season. Both undrafted free agents became solid starters. Brown is more talented than them by a considerable amount.