The Chicago Bears front office likely knows the statuses of their jobs is in flux right now. Yet that can’t stop them from continuing to act as if they’ll be around next year. They have work to do. Especially in regards to the coming offseason where they’ll likely have to do some major overhauling of the roster. Given all the restrictions of COVID-19, scouting of potential draft prospects is more challenging than ever before.
So any opportunity the Bears brass can get to attend games, they’re taking them. According to Adam Hoge of NBC Sports Chicago, two noteworthy names were present at the major Big Ten clash between Northwestern and Wisconsin.
“The Bears had two scouting representatives in the stands Saturday for the Northwestern-Wisconsin game as director of player personnel Josh Lucas and area scout Scott Hamel took in the game at Ryan Field.”
Josh Lucas is the big name there.
He is the right-hand man of GM Ryan Pace. So him attending that game is of considerable significance. His evaluations will carry considerable weight moving forward. For once though it doesn’t appear the Bears were there to see the quarterbacks. Payton Ramsey isn’t considered a top prospect and Graham Mertz is a freshman.
It’s more likely they wanted to get a look at other noteworthy names. Particularly on the offensive side of the ball.
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Chicago Bears execs saw a defensive slugfest instead
This was more of a battle between two excellent, well-coached defenses. The Wildcats forced several turnovers. This game was really about the linebackers. Paddy Fisher had 13 tackles, two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. On the other side, Jack Sanborn had 14 tackles and a sack. It was an impressive display that certainly got the attention of a team that has been pretty good about drafting defense for years.
That said there were still some offensive standouts. Wisconsin tight end Jake Ferguson has some buzz in draft circles. He finished with seven catches for 58 yards. A big 6’5 target with solid hands. The star of the game though was Northwestern senior receiver Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman who had 95 yards and what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown catch.
Given the status of Allen Robinson? Receivers are likely high on the draft list.
Offensive linemen is also another area they watched carefully. Wisconsin is well-known for being a factor for that position. Their left tackle Cole Van Lanen figures to be drafted. He’s a big dude with a boatload of power that flashes in the run game constantly. The big name people had hoped to see though, Northwestern left tackle Rashawn Slater, already opted out of the 2020 season by declaring for the draft.
He figures to be somebody the Chicago Bears scouts and executives evaluate heavily in the months to come. All things considered, it was a competitive game between two good teams. Both rosters have prospects capable of playing at the NFL level. It falls to the Bears to determine which ones have the best chance to thrive.
Where it gets interesting is if Lucas and the rest of the front office don’t stick around to follow through on their evaluations. Chicago is 5-5 with six games left. If they slip to a losing record, the belief is ownership will clean house. At that point, nobody can say for sure what happens next.