Chicago Bears brass needed only a short journey to get an up-close look at one of the best offensive line prospects in the nation.
Northwestern’s Rashawn Slater is a good bet to be off the board by the time the Bears are on the clock with the 20th pick, but the team went in heavy for NU pro day Tuesday morning in Evanston.
Slater attracted a big crowd of NFL personnel at Ryan Fieldhouse, with one source in attendance telling the Tribune the Bears were represented by general manager Ryan Pace, coach Matt Nagy and offensive line coach Juan Castillo.
Others in attendance, according to the source, included Minnesota Vikings GM Rick Spielman, Las Vegas Raiders GM Mike Mayock and Marty Hurney, the Washington Football Team’s executive vice president of player personnel.
With the scouting combine canceled this year and teams prevented from hosting players on predraft visits, Northwestern was a popular destination because Slater opted out of the Wildcats season last fall and declined an invitation to participate in the Senior Bowl. He was outstanding during the 2019 season, excelling against Ohio State pass rusher Chase Young, who won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors for Washington last season.
The Bears need a starter on the offensive line. They will not pick up right tackle Bobby Massie’s contract option, which will make him a free agent when the new league year opens March 17.
It’s considered a good draft for offensive tackles, and Slater and Oregon’s Penei Sewell are likely to go in the top half of the first round. Options that could be available at No. 20 include Virginia Tech’s Christian Darrisaw, Michigan’s Jalen Mayfield and Oklahoma State’s Teven Jenkins.
Some scouts are conflicted on where Slater eventually will line up in the NFL. He doesn’t have the ideal length to play left tackle, but most acknowledge he has the athletic ability to play any of the five spots on the line.
“I’ve put up a lot of film at tackle and shown what I can do,” Slater told the Tribune in late November, when he was training for the draft in the Dallas area. “I’ve consistently gotten better every year and I’ve gone against some of the best of the best, so I have a very high level of confidence in myself as a tackle.
“At the same time, I do think I am very versatile and anywhere I am put, I will excel. I think I can play all five, but I’d love to play tackle.”
It was a good day for Slater, who measured 6-foot-4, 304 pounds with 33-inch arms. He was timed at 4.93 seconds in the 40-yard dash, not a critical measurement for a lineman but indicative of his athletic ability. He put up 33 bench-press reps at 225 pounds and had a 33-inch vertical jump.
“He was good in the testing and really good in the drills,” said one scout in attendance. “There were probably six O-line coaches there, and he probably did 40 minutes of drills. “
Slater is expected to be the first first-round pick from Northwestern since the San Diego Chargers selected defensive end Luis Castillo 28th in 2005. The Wildcats have not had a pick higher than 23rd — where the Oakland Raiders selected linebacker Napoleon Harris in 2002 — since offensive tackle Chris Hinton went to the Denver Broncos at No. 4 in 1983.
Also working out for NFL teams were cornerback Greg Newsome and linebacker Paddy Fisher. Newsome is considered a potential Day 2 selection, and NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah ranked him 31st in his latest list of the top 50 prospects. Jeremiah has only three cornerbacks listed ahead of Newsome.
Newsome also had a good day, clocking 4.38 twice in the 40-yard dash. He measured 6 feet, another positive, and had a 40-inch vertical jump with 18 reps on the bench press. Newsome was timed at 4.26 seconds in the short shuttle and 6.96 seconds in the three-cone drill.
“He definitely helped himself too,” the scout said.
Fisher did not run as well with a 4.92 time in the 40.
The last time Northwestern had three players drafted was 2010, when the Bears selected defensive end Corey Wootton in the fourth round, the Philadelphia Eagles chose quarterback Mike Kafka in the fourth and cornerback Sherrick McManis went in the fifth round to the Houston Texans.
