The Chicago Bears had a busy week evaluating some top prospects at the Senior Bowl down in Mobile and the early scouting could bear some early fruit when it comes to replacing the talent on the roster, which is what the draft is all about.
Since Ryan Poles took over as the Bears' general manager, this has always been a busy week for the team to gather essential intel on prospects in attendance.
Looking at the Bears' pending free agent list, here are some standouts from the week who could help replenish the Bears' roster for 2025.
WR Keenan Allen - Jaylin Noel
Keenan Allen is easily the biggest name on the Bears' current free agent list and he'll be the hardest to replace. The Los Angeles Chargers managed to do it last year after trading away Allen and finding his replacement in Ladd McConkey at the Senior Bowl.
The Bears will be looking to do the same and one of the best names out of the slot all week long was Jaylin Noel. Noel honestly showed off a lot of versatility inside and out. He doesn't quite have the size Allen does, nor the craftiness in his routes, but he is exactly what Ben Johnson should be looking for out of his slot wide receiver.
Other names to know: Oregon Tez Johnson, TCU Jack Bech
DE Darrell Taylor - Princely Umanmielen
When the Bears' made the trade to acquire Darrell Taylor, the Seahawks' former second-round pick, it always seemed like he would be a one-year rental as a rotational piece. Even still, Taylor played 374 snaps on defense and finished his lone year in Chicago with three sacks and 31 total pressures.
The Bears will be looking for a younger upgrade at the position to complement Montez Sweat and I love the fit of pairing Princely Umanmielen with him in Chicago and reuniting with former Florida teammate Gervon Dexter if he's in range.
Other names to know: UCLA Oluwafemi Oladejo, Boston College Donovan Ezeiruaku
LG Teven Jenkins - Clay Webb
It seems unlikely that the Bears' former second-round pick will return on a second deal given his injury history and a lot of people are linking the Bears to some top offensive linemen in the first round.
The most common name to replace Jenkins has been Will Campbell, but in terms of players at Senior Bowl, keep your eyes on Clay Webb out of Jacksonville State. After transferring from Georgia, Webb allowed just one sack in 2024 and looked strong this week during the Senior Bowl.
Other names to know: NDSU Grey Zabel, LSU Miles Frazier
C Coleman Shelton - Grey Zabel
Another position the Bears will for sure be replacing up-front is at center following one year of Coleman Shelton. During the week, Grey Zabel looked incredible and had the highest stock rise out of anyone.
A shaky performance during the game, however, could push his stock back into Day 2 and into the Bears' range in the second-round. He would be a solid upgrade over Shelton at the position and has the ability to play other spots up-front as well, which is why I also slotted him as a name to watch at left guard.
Other names to know: Sacramento State Jackson Slater, UNC Willie Lampkin
TE Marcedes Lewis - Jackson Hawes
I'm also going to throw out that Gerald Everett will likely be a pending free agent as well if the Bears decide to cut him, showing the importance of finding another tight end to have in the room behind Cole Kmet. And to replace Marcedes Lewis, specifically, I'm more so looking at the guys who were exceptional blockers.
Jackson Hawes looked strong in that regard this week and also would make for a great red zone weapon to utilize in the passing game.
Other names to know: Miami Elijah Arroyo, Nebraska Thomas Fidone
