9 great players for the Chicago Bears to watch at the Senior Bowl

The Chicago Bears need some big players to help them in key situations.

Daniel Faalele OT, Minnesota

What can he prove?: True pass set ability

At 6′ 9″ 380 lbs, Daniel Faalele is the largest human in this draft class. They truly don’t make them like the Austrian native and for being as new to football as he is, I came away impressed with what he put on film.

Faalele is already an ambitious run blocker who has the movement skills to glide to the second level and get to backers. He is also pretty good with his hands in pass protection all things considered. The wrench in his evaluation is there just is not a lot of true pass sets to study.

For instance, PFF has Faalele down for 208 true pass sets in his last two seasons. A lot of these gaps in his tape are driven by Minnesota’s RPO-heavy offense, in which the ball is out of the QBs hands before O lineman can engage their blocks.

The Senior Bowl does work by giving these offensive linemen who suffer from these collegey offenses multiple opportunities in true pass sets in the 1 on 1s.

Being large obviously has its perks in that it is flat-out hard to get around someone who is that big. But, when dealing with NFL speed off the edge, tackles have to be able to cover ground in their pass sets. There aren’t many reps to point at to have a firm conclusion of just how well Faalele moves.

Trevor Penning OT, Northern Iowa

What can he prove?: Pass protection ability

If teams solely watched Trevor Penning’s run blocking reps, he would be a lock top 10 pick. It’s actually unbelievable how many pancake blocks there are in every game and how easily he moves defenders out of plays.

He may be the “nastiest” offensive lineman in this class and that mentality will obviously excite teams. However, he doesn’t seem to have that sane playstyle in pass protection. Penning did not look nearly as comfortable when he had to set and block edge defenders in space.

His punch timing/placement was not nearly as sharp, he gave up his chest too often, his footwork wasn’t consistent, and he didn’t really look like he had the flexibility to sink into his blocks. Now, it’s not like he lost reps left and right, but he was holding on for dear life enough times to be concerned about his projection.

The handful of small issues that Penning displayed on his tape can become big issues against the best competition. And, that’s what he will be dealing with at this event. That said, he has a golden opportunity to alleviate some of those concerns by definitively holding his own against a stud edge rushing group.

Jamaree Salyer IOL, Georgia

What can he prove?: A smooth transition to the interior 

Opinions are all over the map on Jamaree Salyer but I really enjoyed his tape. Maybe that’s because I am a sucker for good technique and Salyer is the ultimate technician.

He truly looks like a machine on tape with how routinely he just won and against a murderess row of competition nonetheless. He moves well, his hands are incredible, and his feet are always moving in pass protection and run blocking

The hang-up that most people have with him is that he spent most of his time at tackle for Georgia. And, his size profile probably fits better at guard. I believe he has the length and movement skills to play tackle but his lack of flexibility is what gives me pause.

He really struggles to get his lower half underneath defenders, which makes him less sticky as a blocker. His stiffness was never detrimental but maybe a move inside would be the best for him because of these limitations.

Regardless, I still very much like his game and believe he will dominate at the Senior Bowl. We just have to see where the NFL wants him to play.