Bear Digest

Local player's Halas Hall visit reflects continued Bears O-line focus

The Bears will have Chicago area player Addison West visit Halas Hall as they continue looking at players who would be depth fits.

Gene Chamberlain

Visits to Halas Hall or 30-visits have begun and also the parade of local players who are allowed visits prior to the draft.
Visits to Halas Hall or 30-visits have begun and also the parade of local players who are allowed visits prior to the draft. / Gene Chamberlain photo | BearsOnSI
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Not all 30 visits are created equal and some aren't even 30 visits at all.

The Bears are bringing Western Michigan guard Addison West to Halas Hall for a visit, Eric Edholm of NFL.com reported. Edholm called this a 30 visit, although it's entirely possible the Bears could label it a local visit.

The Bears are allowed to bring in players who went to high school or college in the Chicago area for a visit that doesn't count against their 30-visit total. This could be a local visit because West is a former Cary-Grove High School player.

It could be a bit like last year when they brought in Michigan's Trevor Keegan for a local visit but he was eventually drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round. Keegan played for Crystal Lake South, so he was a local player visit.

West is not as highly regarded as Keegan was. A 6-foot-3, 305-pounder, he would likely be more of a priority free agent or seventh-round type player based on predraft ratings.

He is ranked 440th on the NFL Mock Draft Data Base and has never been higher than 270th. Pro Football Focus does not include him on its list of the 300 top draft prospects.

West played in 48 games over six seasons at Western Michigan and became a full-time starter in 2022. Last year he made the All-MAC team and allowed no sacks over the course of the season.

The Bears would be looking for offensive line help even after rebuilding their starting line because their depth is depleted, although more so at tackle than center and guard.

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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.