3 Bears Draft Targets to Watch at the Senior Bowl

The first stage of the NFL Draft process will take place this weekend with the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. The best seniors in the country will gather and put their skills on display to scouts league-wide. This will be one of the first chances scouts get to see players compete against the top talent in the country.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles has made it clear that he puts emphasis on the Senior Bowl as he has selected 12 players in three drafts that have taken part in the game. This list has hit on some guys, such as Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright, but has also completely whiffed on some, such as Velus Jones Jr. and Zacch Pickens.

The draft can truly be a lottery after the first round, but getting some more tape and scouting on guys is never a bad thing, and that is exactly what the Senior Bowl produces. A player that may be on the fence of getting drafted high or not may have a stellar week that shoots them up boards, while some guys that are viewed highly may have a tough week and drop.

The Bears have plenty of holes still to fill on their roster and we can potentially see some future Bears play in this game. Let's take a look at three possible draft targets participating in the game this weekend.

1. Josh Conerly Jr., T, Oregon

The future of Braxton Jones is still in question. The Bears may view him as serviceable at left tackle and not see a need to upgrade or they may see the opportunity to select a top-tackle to protect the blind side of Caleb Williams for years as too great to pass up. Many early reports have Conerly as one of the top-rated tackles coming out in the draft. There are other guys with questions on whether they will be a guard or tackle, but Conerly looks to be a day-1 starter at tackle.

Conerly started at running back in high school before making the move to the offensive line and then quickly became one of the top-ranked tackle recruits in the nation. We know Poles loves him some athletic linemen and Conerly clearly checks that box.

At 6'4", 313 pounds Conerly has the ideal size for the tackle position. His measurements all check the boxes of a tackle as well including 34" arms.

A strong week can propel Conerly to the clear-cut top tackle available in the draft which would possibly put him out of range for the Bears, but anything can happen come draft day. He had 28 starts at left tackle for the Ducks over two years. As is the case with many young tackles, his strength will need to improve to be able to withstand the bull rushes in the NFL, but he has all the qualities to become a very good tackle in the NFL.