Speed for Bears on O-line as Well
Maybe they need to check the clock at the NFL Scouting Combine for linemen in the 40-yard dash like they did for wide receivers.
A day after a record eight wide receivers came in below 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash, a dozen offensive linemen unofficially ran below 5.0 seconds. There had never been more than six offensive linemen who recorded sub-5.0 in the past.
A dozen receivers ran below 4.4 Thursday but after checking the times they determined several were wrong and that only eight had done it.
Kentucky tackle Dare Rosenthal ran 4.88 for the fastest time by a lineman, a time faster than two quarterbacks ran. That's the sort of thing Bears GM Ryan Poles or offensive coordinator Luke Getsy might like.
It was Poles who said they want to go lighter and faster on the Bears line this year in their new wide zone blocking scheme.
If weight and speed are things to think about when or if the Bears select an offensive lineman, perhaps Memphis lineman Dylan Parham could be their answer.
Parham has played very light on the line in the 280s but now is now up to 6-3, 311 pounds. The extra weight didn't prevent him from posting one of those sub-5.0 times at 4.93, seventh best.
"I feel like my athleticism is the biggest thing," Parham told the gathered media at the combine. "If they need any position on the interior I want to be able to do that for them."
Count the Bears as a team that could use help either at center or guard, possibly even tackle.
Parham learned his NFL spot might be center while playing in the Senior Bowl.
"I know a lot of teams would like to see me at the center position," Parham said. "That was a big question mark. I wanted to go in and show I could be a leader on the offensive line, show I could be a person that could make the (snap) and then show them that I could be physical. Show them that I could consistently snap so they didn't have to worry about that."
Part of the reason Parham is so quick is he played for a long time at a different spot on the field at a much lighter weight. He played as a 240-pound defensive end, and then a tight end before switching to offensive line.
"I would say the tight end position definitely helped me, made me more versatile, going to run routes and blocking on the inside, blocking defensive ends, still having that same footwork, same speed," Parham said. "That transition definitely helped me just having the mindset to learn right tackle, right guard. I know every position on the offensive line. I feel like that will definitely help me at the next level."
If teams like Parham at center, so does he.
"I really do enjoy the center position," he said. "I'm learning it as I go along so I'm just continuing to work at that, making that easy, making (line) calls, making checks feels very natural at this point."
While still learning, he has watched plenty of film on one particular center.
"I definitely look toward (Philadelphia's) Jason Kelce," he said. "I feel like with his athleticism, the way he pulls, he's very fluid, making really spectacular blocks and finishing after the play. Then his ability to get out there on screens, he runs really well. He plays with a lot of speed and he's similar to my height and my weight."
Parham is rated Mel Kiper's third-best center in the draft and the fourth-best by FanNation's NFL Draft Bible. With guard James Daniels possibly entering free agency and center Sam Mustipher's performance in question, the Bears could look for help at either spot.
Parham can see his own game being cleaned up.
"I feel like there's a lot of room for improvement, just making sure I'm consistent with things like my hand placement, my footwork," Parham said. "I definitely have natural pad level, but there's definitely a lot of things in my game I can clean up."
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