Tight end is surely one of the positions Bears general manager Ryan Pace will be targeting in the NFL Draft later this month.
While there are no shortage of names that have been linked to the Bears, including Notre Dame’s Cole Kmet, FAU’s Harrison Bryant and Dayton’s Adam Trautman, there’s been one that seems to be garnering some significant interest from the Bears.
Purdue tight end Brycen Hopkins recently held a video call with the Bears, along with a number of other teams, according to Adam Hoge. But it’s not Chicago’s interest in Hopkins that’s surprising, it’s the fact that the Bears have now had three meetings with the Purdue product, according to Zack Pearson.
If my count is correct, that's 3 meetings with the #Bears. Senior Bowl, Combine and now Video call. https://t.co/ZCgFwlBUh2
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) April 7, 2020
Considering the Bears had arguably the worst collective output from its tight end group in 2019, this is a position that had to be addressed this offseason. Pace has already brought in veterans Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris this free agency. Still, for a position that’s integral to the success of Matt Nagy’s offense and a position that’s snakebitten Pace since his arrival, the Bears might not be done at tight end this offseason.
Hopkins projects to be a good fit in Nagy’s offense, where he’d likely operate as a “move” or “U” tight end. He’s a strong route runner and also brings explosiveness to the position.
In his senior season, Hopkins had 830 yards and six touchdowns for Purdue, which is the kind of production the Bears are seeking from the position after a horrible outing by their tight ends last season.
The Bears are without a first-round pick for the second straight year, but they do own a pair of second rounders. They’re likely to have their pick of tight ends if they decide to use one of those picks on a tight end.
The only question is, with only two picks in the first four rounds, does Pace use one of those on a tight end? Guess we’ll see just how much Pace likes Hopkins or another tight end Chicago’s targeting.
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