Bear Digest

Who Would Be Left for Bears at Edge Rusher in Round 3?

The Bears apparently are giving consideration to a wide receiver at No. 9 in Round 1, leaving a need at edge in Round 3. Here's who it could be.

Gene Chamberlain

Mohamed Kamara of Colorado State closes in on San Diego State QB Jalen Mayden from the side last season.
Mohamed Kamara of Colorado State closes in on San Diego State QB Jalen Mayden from the side last season. / Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports
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 With the Bears taking good looks this week at the best wide receivers during Halas Hall visits, it's safe to say they're at least considering using their No. 9 pick in Round 1 on offense even after trading for Keenan Allen, signing Gerald Everett and D'Andre Swift, and now most likely drafting Caleb Williams.

If they take this route, it leaves them depending on rookies from Rounds 3 or 4 to immediately bolster the edge rush. With DeMarcus Walker still at right end, it could leave them the luxury of breaking someone in over a year the way they did at defensive tackle with Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens last year while they still had Justin Jones. However, they'd need much more production from the rookie edge than they got from Dexter and Pickens.

So far they don't exactly have a great history of success with defensive linemen in the draft.

They traded for Montez Sweat, signed Walker, signed Andrew Billings and signed Jones, who has left. They drafted Dominique Robinson and it hasn't worked out.

The two interior D-linemen drafted last year showed flashes, especially Dexter, but he's a long way from being on a sure path to stardom. Pro Football Focus graded him in the bottom 20% of NFL defensive tackles against the run.

As a result, it seems rather risky to be counting on immediate impact from Rounds 3 or 4 as a counterbalance to Sweat.

They could always use next year's extra second-rounder from the Carolina trade last year to try and obtain a second-round pick this year and improve their chances of success but it would take trading that second-rounder plus another pick to accomplish. Next year's second round isn't equal on the value chart to this year's and is unlikely to attract many trading partners.

So what they're looking at is a handful of players who would be there should they make this decision to draft a receiver No. 9.

Here's who could be there in Rounds 3 or 4 for the Bears at edge rusher.

Adisa Isaac, Penn State

At 6-4, 248, he had 14 1/2 sacks, 31 tackles for loss and 92 tackles. He tested out top 15% for edges with a 10-foot-3 combine long jump and ran 4.74 in the 40. He is the only one of four brothers and sisters with the ability to speak. Mel Kiper had him ranked third on his list of defensive ends in this draft. It's not a ranking shared by a lot of other analysts. Pro Football Focus says he is going to go in Round 2 before the Bears can nab him. Note, Kiper very recently revised his rankings but it's too late in the process for that. The originals stick.

Bralen Trice Washington

At 6-3 1/2, 245, he was Kiper's fourth-best outside linebacker. He made 18 sacks, in four years, with 28 tackles for loss, but is relatively short-armed at 32 1/2 inches, putting him in the bottom 12% of combine edges according to Mockdraftable.com. Essentially, Trice is rather small for the Bears scheme and is more of OLB for a 3-4 scheme. Pro Football Focus ranks him 69th among all players, which would put him just out of the reach of the Bears at 75.

Brandon Dorlus, Oregon

With 12 sacks and 27 tackles for loss in a five-year career, Dorlus is explosive and versatile as either an edge or tackle. The versatility is unique in this draft class. He would be a bit light at 6-3, 283 for a 3-technique but it's heavier than Aaron Donald played it at. He ran 4.85 in the 40, top 7% for defensive tackles, if he is a tackle. He was sixth on Kiper's defensive ends list and graded a third-round pick by PFF.

Marshawn Kneeland, Western Michigan

Tremendous athletic numbers but he didn't back those up entirely with his production on the field. Some may have had to do with the crazy way he was used, sometimes on the edge, other times as an off-ball linebacker at 6-3, 267. He's ideal size for an end in the Bears scheme, and ran a phenomenal 4.18-second time for the 20-yard shuttle. He has an 83 3/8-inch wingspan, ranking in the top 10% of edges, and 34 1/2-inch arms ranking in the top 16%. For the Broncos, he had 12 1/2 sacks, 28 tackles for loss and three pass breakups in four years. PFF says the Bears will never get him in Round 3 but other rankings have had him in the middle of Round 3.

Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State

Maybe the fastest edge rusher in the group, and one who has been very effective. He could stand to be a bit heavier for the Bears' tastes, at 245 pounds and 6-foot-3. Kamara has all the prouction numbers with 29 sacks, 45 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles and three recoveries. The last two years alone he produced 21 1/2 sacks and 33 tackles for loss. Kamara's combine speed in the 40 of 4.57 seconds puts him in the top 7% for edge rushers ever at the combine, according to Mockdraftable.com. Kiper has him rated No. 4 for all defensive ends.

Austin Booker, Kansas

He barely played, compared to many others, with 18 total games but six of those were as a lightly used sub or special teams player in 2022 at Minnesota. After he transfered last season, he came up with eight sacks and 12 tackles for loss after leaving the Big Ten and becoming a starter. Definitely in need of bulking up if he is to play in a 4-3 but he has the frame that would allow it at 6-4 1/2, 240. Few of his measurables say anything spectacular, although he did rank top 27% among edge players with a 10-foot broad jump. He ran 4.79 in the 40 and was bottom 59% with his vertical leap at 32 1/2 inches.

Gabriel Murphy, UCLA

Another very productive player who lacks ideal size because he was used in multiple ways. As such, he's probably too small to hold up the edge in a Bears 4-3. He makes up for lack of height with great verticality—a 39 1/2-inch vertical leap, good for top 7% among combine edge rushers. His six pass deflections shows this. However, most of his football came at a lower level of DI play for North Texas, before he moved out to UCLA. At 6-2 1/2, 247, he made 21 1/2 sacks and 37 tackles for loss with four forced fumbles. Basically, he is the same size as Yannick Ngakoue, possibly half an inch taller.

Javon Solomon, Troy

The Division I sacks champion last year. Like with Murphy, you have to question the level of weekly competition he faced but there is no doubt he produced. In fact, he produced possibly better than any Division I edge rusher. He's also virtually the same size as Ngakoue at 6-2, 246. His lack of size makes sense because he is a converted off-ball linebacker. Solomon made 33 sacks and 49 tackles for loss over four seasons plus three games in a fifth season. He had 16 sacks last year, 11 in 2021, and had four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and at the combine produced a vertical leap in the top 14% for edge rushers at 37 inches. Kiper rated him 10th but had him classified as an outside linebacker for a 3-4.

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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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