The Chicago Bears and the rest of the NFL are beginning to host prospects for pre-draft visits. Bears offensive line coach Dan Roushar shared some insight on what the Bears do with these visits.
Whenever NFL fans or analysts see a prospect linked to a team for a pre-draft 30 visit, people start to connect the dots to predict an organization’s draft class. Several prospects are reportedly visiting Halas Hall as the 2026 NFL Draft approaches.
Here is a list of some of the players the Bears have been linked to for visits.
- DT Kayden McDonald (Ohio State)
- LB Jimmy Rolder (Michigan)
- WR De’Zhaun Stribling (Ole Miss)
- C Jager Burton (Kentucky)
- RB Seth McGowan (Kentucky)
- OL Brian Parker (Duke)
- DE Zion Young (Missouri)
The Bears have some interest in the players mentioned above. They wouldn't have been selected for a pre-draft visit if there wasn't. However, it could be for a number of different reasons.
Bears offensive line coach Dan Roushar joined the "Foster Swift SPORTS TALK" podcast and discussed the Bears' process for evaluating prospects. The veteran coach highlighted why Chicago uses its pre-draft visits.
"The more concerns there are, the less clean they (prospects) are, the more work you then have to do after the process," Roushar said. "That's bringing them into campus for what we call 30 visits. You get 30 prospects to come to campus. You can spend an entire day, meal setting, whatever those things are to do my leg work. ..."
These concerns can vary from an assortment of different areas. If a player has a complex injury history, the Bears would want to do their in-house evaluation to ensure a prospect clears their standards.
Does a prospect fit the Bears character and culture that has been established under head coach Ben Johnson in Year 1? Players with off-field issues would have to explain what happened in certain instances in a face-to-face setting.
Scheme and football IQ are also reasons to bring in a prospect for a 30 visit. A player can be extremely talented, but if they don't fit what the Bears are doing from an Xs and Os standpoint, then it could provide a reason to go in a different direction.
Some of the prospects the Bears are reportedly scheduled to meet with on pre-draft visits do have some question marks.
Rolder from Michigan missed time during his sophomore year because of injuries. The Bears' staff would want to do a medical check to feel confident about the one-year starter for the Wolverines.
McGowan has some off-field issues that must be discussed. The Kentucky running back was sentenced to a year of probation for a drug-related crime that occurred in 2021. Young was charged with driving while intoxicated back in January.
McDonald is one of the best interior defensive linemen in this draft class, but does he fit what defensive coordinator Dennis Allen wants in his unit?
The Bears have seven picks in the upcoming draft, and that capital is valuable. Before the Bears call in their pick and the name is read for everyone to hear in Pittsburgh, the organization is going to do their homework on every prospect to ensure they are the right fit for the organization.