5 Bears Draft Targets to Watch at the Senior Bowl

The Senior Bowl is less than a week away marking the first big step towards the 2024 NFL Draft. Scouts will attend and get their first impressions of over 100 prospects.

Ryan Poles has plenty to decide on when it comes to the draft, mainly the questions surrounding the quarterback. However, the Bears only have 5 other picks outside of the number one overall. We have seen Poles trade down in the past, so that is something to keep an eye on again this year with more picks definitely being needed.

It also has become apparent that Poles may lean towards Senior Bowl players over others. Of his 21 total draft picks thus far with the Bears, nine of them have been Senior Bowl attendees. Four of those nine have been quality players for the team with Darnell Wright, Braxton Jones, Tyrique Stevenson, and Roschon Johnson all having played in the big game.

Knowing that Poles and company will be digging deep into the Senior Bowl, here are five guys to keep an eye on Saturday as potential fits for the Bears.

1. Chris Braswell, Edge, Alabama

The edge rusher out of Alabama everyone is talking about this year is Dallas Turner, but don't overlook the guy who played on the opposite side of him. While Braswell does not look like a day one pick as of right now, a strong showing at the Senior Bowl can move him into the early day 2/3 talks.

With Will Anderson departing last season, Braswell finally got his chance to showcase his talents with significant playing time. He earned Second-Team All SEC Honors last season with eight sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception returned for a touchdown.

The Bears desperately need a pass rusher to pair with Montez Sweat and Braswell can likely fill that role. On the other hand, Braswell is not great against the run so he will likely only see the field in passing situations until he is able to develop as a better all around edge defender. The good news is the Bears had no problem stopping the run last year so they wouldn't be asking him to come in and provide much in that aspect.