Bear Digest

The Ideal Player for the Bears at No. 75 in Round 3

The need position the Bears don't address at No. 9 in Round 1 could be the position they look to when they pick again at No. 75 in Round 3.

Gene Chamberlain

Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson gets around Washington cornerback Dominique Hampton.
Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson gets around Washington cornerback Dominique Hampton. / Melanie Maxwell / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The problem with making a choice in Round 1 of the draft is what it means for Round 2.

And so on throughout the process.

The Bears have the ninth pick after they select Caleb Williams with the first pick and if a player too good to pass on fails to fall into their laps, like Malik Nabers, Marvin Harrison Jr. or Joe Alt, and if they miss out by a hair at being able to draft edge rusher Dallas Turner, then the consolation prize could be choosing between wide receiver Rome Odunze or edge rusher Jared Verse.

Whoever they take, they'll still have a need for a player at the other position they didn't get in Round 1 when they get to Round 3.

It's a long time to wait and quality of player drops. Think of the difference like last year, when the Bears could have drafted Jalen Carter but opted to move back and select Darnell Wright. As a result, they settled for Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens. Neither had rookie years remotely resembling Carter's.

So if the Bears get the defensive end at No. 9, they're really going to need to scout out the receivers well in Round 3. It works the other way if they take Odunze.

The positive for the Bears is the two positions appear to be strengths in this draft, as does offensive tackle. NFL.com writer Lance Zierlein rated the position groups this past week and has tackle first, followed by wide receiver, and edge rusher was fourth. No one wants to wait to late to take them, though.

Considering how many receivers there are, it's a good reason to take the edge rusher early.

Here are the players most likely to be best available options by the time the Bears get to No. 75 for Round 3.

1. WR Xavier Legette, South Carolina

The combine work he did might push him up to Round 2 but physically he is a marvel. He might have the size to be the combo receiver/runner like Deebo Samuel that the Bears have sought for several years.

On the downside, he didn't show exceptional talent until his fifth year of college and the Bears have a receiver like this already in Velus Jones Jr. Still, it's hard to look the other way when a receiver who is 6-foot-1, 227 pounds has run a 4.39 40 and has a 40-inch vertical leap.

2. WR Roman Wilson, Michigan

Considering how much Michigan leaned on the run, Wilson is a bit of an unknown quantity. However, he runs good routes, shows good hands and when he went to the combine he stepped up and nailed a 4.39-second 40 while other receivers were coming in at a turtle's pace.

Wilson is also regarded as a heady player and a solid blocker, which is understandable considering he came from a Jim Harbaugh offense. At 6-foot, 180, he would be a good replacement for Darnell Mooney at the Z-receiver as his size is comparable and speed just a tick slower.

3. T Blake Fisher, Notre Dame

The Bears showed interest in him at the Notre Dame pro day as he was working with Alt and they took some coaching from Bears line coach Chris Murphy. Fisher is an outstanding athlete for his position, with a broad jump in the top 7% for combine history among tackles and a 5.2-second 40, which is in the top 39% for tackles. He also has classic tackle size at 6-5 3/4 and 310 pounds. An 83-inch wingspan and arms 34-3/8 inches say he can play tackle, but the Bears could use him at guard if they wanted.

Fisher is said by PFF to have solid experience both at outside zone and gap schemes, and this also makes him an ideal fit. If he came in as a third-round pick and competed with their starter at left tackle, fifth-rounder Braxton Jones, there's no telling what could happen. Moving him inside to compete with Teven Jenkins and Nate Davis might even be more interesting.

4. DE Austin Booker, Kansas State

Considering what he did last year, the Bears would be fortunate to find him at No. 75. However, Booker isn't an ideal player so it's possible he'll still be there at 75. He suddenly blossomed in his final year of college and put up a 13-sack season in 2023. His 248 pounds at only 6-2 1/8 is the drawback.

Also, he is not broad shouldered and has a small wingspan. Bears coach Matt Eberflus wants a bigger edge player in height, weight and length. But Booker would be a rotational pass rusher here.

It's a fine role for a third-round pick and he'd be trying to do what the Bears hoped they would get from Dominique Robinson but have not. ESPN's Matt Miller drafted Booker for the Bears in Round 3 of his latest seven-round mock and nailed the pick.

5. DE Gabriel Murphy, UCLA

The overall sack production wasn't there for Murphy, who was teamed with someone else gobbling up all the sacks. This was Laiatu Latu. Murphy had a tremendous pass rush grade from Pro Football Focus, and they labeled him one of the best players flying under the radar at his position late in the season. It was because of Latu he was under radar.

At 6-3, 260, he is close to what Eberflus looks for in an edge. He made eight sacks last year, his second season with eight, but PFF tracked him with a very strong 18.4% pass rush win rate. He finished the last three years with 32 pressures. He also showed a lot of versatility with 181 plays in the B-gap besides his 1,333 plays outside the tackle, and it's something that never hurts in Eberflus' scheme. A very consistent player with three season PFF grades between 79.7 and 85.3.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher 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.

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