It was believed last year that the Chicago Bears scored one of the most surprising steals of the 2022 off-season when they nabbed Wisconsin linebacker Jack Sanborn as an undrafted free agent. The flashes he showed as a rookie backed that up. He played far above expectations at middle linebacker before an injury ended his season. One wouldn’t think Ryan Poles could somehow top himself in 2023. Yet based on the feedback in the draft community, he did exactly that.
The general feeling is no team had a better third day of the draft than Chicago. They nabbed standout running back Roschon Johnson and speedy receiver Tyler Scott in the 4th round. Then in the 5th, they got another quality cornerback in Terell Smith. Yet it’s the “other” 5th rounder that caught the eye of Bruce Feldman. The Athletic analyst is well-connected in the college community. From what he’d gathered, Oregon linebacker Noah Sewell was a force that had 1st round ability. Obviously, that didn’t work out, but many believe the ceiling is still there.
He only has to regain the form he already showed two years ago.
If you had asked me a year ago at this time where would Sewell get picked, I’d have guessed in the top 20 of the first round, not in the fifth. Sewell who was No. 42 on our Freaks List, and finished second in the Pac-12 with 114 total tackles, 37 more than any other Duck. The 6-2, 260-pound former high school quarterback had 8.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
The old Ducks coach staff raved about his movement skills. He topped out at almost 21 mph on the GPS. In addition, those coaches gushed to scouts about his ability, drive, toughness and leadership. But this fall, he looked like a different player. Scouts said Sewell didn’t play as hard and wasn’t nearly as productive. Sometimes elite guys who had a ton of early success early see their college careers kind of fizzle out.
At the combine Sewell still displayed some of that athleticism, running a 4.64 at 247 pounds and clocking a 1.57 10-yard split. If he can return more to his 2021 form, where he was a 260-pounder who moved like he was 220, understood zone drops and got after the quarterback like an elite edge rusher, Chicago is going to look very smart.
The Chicago Bears understand what Sewell can be.
They’ve already seen it. He was excellent in 2021 with 114 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception. There are many players throughout history that had a down year after a great one going into the draft. People have tried to figure out why Sewell regressed somewhat last season. The answer might be a simple one: a different coaching staff. Sewell worked under head coach Mario Cristobal and co-defensive coordinator Ken Wilson in 2021. Both were gone by 2022. Staff changes often lead to scheme changes, and scheme changes can cause players to regress.
All three of Oregon’s co-defensive coordinators had zero previous knowledge of how to coach linebackers. That won’t be a problem with the Chicago Bears. Sewell couldn’t have asked for a better landing spot. Eberflus not only played linebacker in college, but he also coached it for a decade in the NFL. He knows that position inside and out. People saw what he got out of Sanborn and Nicholas Morrow last season. The Bears head coach will know what is required to get Sewell back to where he was in 2021.
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