The Chicago Bears Senior Bowl visit certainly didn’t disappoint. GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy saw a wealth of talent on display throughout the week in practice. Typically though it’s not until the game itself where the real playmakers start to emerge. That was the case on Saturday when the South team delivered a decisive rout of the North 45-16.
Much of the damage done came courtesy of three big turnovers by the North along with a big day by surprise sleeper QB Kyle Lauletta of Richmond. He finished the day with three touchdown passes. However, the Bears won’t be focused on the quarterbacks like other teams. Their biggest needs lay elsewhere.
For months it’s been clear to everybody that Chicago’s glaring weaknesses lay at two positions. The first and most obvious is wide receiver. Injuries and free agent losses depleted the position to such an extent that the Bears finished 2017 dead last in passing. The other is edge rusher as their top three sack leader from the previous year ended up on injured reserve.
They need solutions to these problems, and a couple names announced themselves as possibilities.
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Chicago Bears Senior Bowl crew saw two key names stand out
The game itself had plenty of MVPs, most of them on the south side. Two of them though probably drew the most attention from the Bears contingent. The first was LSU wide receiver D.J. Chark. He only caught 40 passes in 2017 for his team but it was for 874 yards and three touchdowns. So it’s apparent he has some speed. On top of that, he stands a healthy 6’3″, making him a multidimensional threat.
That was on display in Mobile as he torched the North secondary for 160 and a touchdown on five catches.
The other notable name was edge rusher Marcus Davenport out of UTSA. Teams have been heavily interested in him for months coming into the game. He is a rare physical specimen at 6’6″, 259 lbs with the athleticism and speed guys his size shouldn’t have. He seemed to get off to a slow start in practices but began to pick up steam late. That carried over into the game where he made two big plays for his team. The first was a sack of Baker Mayfield in the first quarter and then he returned a fumble for a touchdown in the third.
Both of these players may not have been mainstream names this past season but their talent is evident right away. Davenport looks like he’ll be a lock first round pick. Chark was projected to go between the third and fourth rounds. That may rise to the second given how he performed. There is no doubt they add to a growing list of fruitful options the Bears have for improving those depleted positions.
