Bear Digest

Bears could have inside information on lightly regarded receiver

As Bears 30 visits trickle in, one recent addition is for a player not among the elite at his position but he was on a team with a current Chicago coach on the staff.

Gene Chamberlain

Tulane receiver Dontae Fleming stiff-arms South Alabama cornerback Ricky Fletcher during a game last season.
Tulane receiver Dontae Fleming stiff-arms South Alabama cornerback Ricky Fletcher during a game last season. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
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Actual 30 visits by players to Halas Hall have been difficult to ascertain to date.

It's been a relatively clandestine operation for the Bears this draft season.

What 30 visits really mean is not difficult to determine, though. It usually means real interest in a player. However, it doesn't necessarily mean lack of interest if they fail to bring in a player.

It is true they had 30 visits at Halas Hall last year with Caleb Williams, Rome Odunze, Austin Booker and a local Halas Hall visit with former Yale tackle Kiran Amegadjie, who is from Hinsdale.

They drafted all of those players. The only draft pick they didn't bring in for a 30 visit was punter Tory Taylor, but Ryan Poles had been on to him since the Senior Bowl if not before then.

So figure out their 30 visits and you'll know if they'll be drafted?

They also brought cornerback Andru Phillips, edge player Dallas Turner, edge Laiatu Latu, tight end Brock Bowers, cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett, cornerback Elijah Jones, tight end Ben Sinnott, wide receiver Jha'Quan Jackson, edge Chop Robinson, center Graham Barton, running back Dylan Laube, tackle Tyler Guyton, offensive lineman Trevor Keegan, wide receiver Malik Nabers, wide receiver Xavier Worthy, tackle J.C. Latham, center Jackson Powers-Johnson and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to Halas Hall.

So, it's probably not going to tell you who they will take but only those they've shown an interest in and that's not much to go on.

It is rather telling when they do have a 30 visit with a player who is not local and is not one of the elites of the draft. It looks more like real scouting at work here.

The Bears have one such 30 visit upcoming in Tulane wide receiver Dontae Fleming, according to Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network.

Fleming is not a player regarded highly by anyone for the draft and could be an undrafted free agent type.

He is not quite out of the Tank Dell mold even if he is 167 pounds. That's because he's 6-foot-1 1/2 and badly in need of adding some weight and muscle.

Fleming ran 4.49 seconds at the Tulane pro day for the 40-yard dash.

A transfer from Louisiana, Fleming caught 95 passes for 1,372 yards in his college career and had 37 for 692 yards and a TD his last two seasons at Tulane. He also displayed some return ability with a 9.1-yard average for 19 punt returns and six kick return for a 24.5-yard average.

After bringing in Olamide Zaccheaus, Miles Boykin and Devin Duvernay at receiver, the Bears had upped their total receivers on the roster to nine. A number from 11 to 13 usually good for training camp so it wouldn't be surprising to see them draft one late or sign one as an undrafted free agent.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.