According to Senior Bowl executive director Drew Fabianich, “The edge rushers this year are the strength of the draft. Hands down. It’s not even close.” This is good news for the Bears, who are looking to upgrade their edge rusher position, despite drafting No. 25 overall.

The Bears have tried to solve this problem in the past, but with limited success. They signed Dayo Odeyingbo to a three-year, $48 million deal last year, but he suffered an injury and only had one sack in eight games. They also used a second-round pick on defensive tackle Shemar Turner, but he tore his knee and was lost for the season.

Free-Agent Options

The Bears will also have free-agent options to consider. Trey Hendrickson, one of the best free agents available, will be a free agent in March. He played only 285 snaps last year due to injury, but was still the sixth-highest-graded pass rusher in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. Other top-tier free-agent edge rushers include Khalil Mack, Odafe Oweh, and Jaelan Phillips.

_draft Options

While some of the top edge rushers may be gone by the time the Bears pick at No. 25, there are still plenty of options available in the draft. Of the 17 NFL players who finished with 10 or more sacks this season, only 10 were former first-round picks. The remaining group included two second-rounders, two third-rounders, two fourth-rounders, and a sixth-rounder.

Clemson defensive end TJ Parker, who is participating in the Senior Bowl, is one of the top edge rushers in the draft. He had 11 sacks in his sophomore season, but only five sacks in his junior year. He is looking to answer questions about his lack of production and prove himself as a top edge rusher.

“They have some questions — I came here to answer them,” Parker said after practice Tuesday at Hancock Whitney Stadium. “What’s with the lack of production from my sophomore year to my junior year? For me, if you have any questions and there’s an opportunity for me to play some more football, why not go and do it?”

Conclusion

The Bears will have plenty of options to consider when it comes to upgrading their edge rusher position. With a strong class of edge rushers in the draft and top-tier free-agent options available, they should be able to find the right player to fill their needs. As general manager Ryan Poles said, “I think that’s an area we’re going to continue to press and get better.”