The Senior Bowl kicks off this week, which marks the unofficial start to draft season, where NFL teams will get a glimpse at some of the nation’s top prospects.
General manager Ryan Poles and people from his personnel department will be in Mobile, Ala., to take in practices and get to meet with prospects, according to Larry Mayer.
But this year, Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy is serving as the head coach of the American team. So he’ll get an even better look at these prospects.
Let’s take a look back at the four prospects the Bears drafted that participated in the Senior Bowl last year:
WR Velus Jones Jr. (third round)
The Bears fell in love with Jones during the pre-draft process, and it started in Mobile. Jones, a third round selection, struggled to find his footing for most of his rookie year. Whether it was muffing punts or failing to carve out a role on offense, there were some already dubbing Jones a bust. Jones closed out the 2022 season with an impressive stint on special teams, where he showcased his playmaking ability returning kickoffs. He even had some opportunities on offense in the final games, where he hauled in some impressive catches. This offseason will be an important one for Jones, who will look to prove he can be a valuable asset in both phases.
LT Braxton Jones (fifth round)
Jones was the biggest contributor among this crop of Senior Bowl prospects. The fifth-round pick out of Southern Utah quickly worked his way up the depth chart, where he won the starting left tackle job coming out of training camp. While Jones had some ugly moments, particularly when it came to handling the bull rush, he was one of the more consistent offensive linemen on a struggling unit. Jones was Chicago’s second-highest graded offensive player by Pro Football Focus at 75.4, where he earned strong marks both in pass protection (70.5) and run blocking (79.4). Jones was the 12th highest-graded rookie in the entire NFL, which is pretty impressive for a fifth-round draft pick.
DE Dominique Robinson (fifth round)
Robinson was a rookie who impressed early on before the start of the season, especially during the preseason, which earned him a spot behind the likes of Robert Quinn, Al-Quadin Muhammad and Trevis Gipson. But after Quinn was traded at the deadline, Robinson saw his usage increase. The Bears had the worst pass rush in the NFL, where they totaled just 20 sacks (1.5 of those were by Robinson). But considering Robinson was drafted in the fifth round and had just two years of experience at edge rusher (he’s a converted wide receiver), he had a solid rookie year. But there’s still plenty of room for growth, especially if he wants to earn a starting job moving forward. This offseason will be an important one for him.
OG Ja'Tyre Carter (seventh round)
Carter was the only prospect among this group that didn’t have a big role in his rookie season, as he was mostly a healthy scratch throughout the year. Carter appeared in just three games (vs. Commanders, at Cowboys, vs. Vikings), where he served primarily on special teams and didn’t see many snaps on offense. But as a seventh-round selection, he was always expected to be a developmental prospect. We’ll see how Carter progresses this offseason and whether he can carve out a role for himself.
