4 winners from the NFL Combine who could become Chicago Bears

The 2024 NFL Combine is over, but for a few draft prospects, the buzz from their strong performances will linger for a while.

Wide receiver Xavier Worthy set a Combine-record in the 40-yard dash, clocking in at 4.21 seconds. I had predicted that Worthy would be the fastest receiver at this year’s Combine, I had no idea he’d be the fastest player ever at the Combine.

We also have more answers about what Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles thinks of Caleb Wiliams now that they’ve had a brief face-to-face meeting, thanks to NFL insider Albert Breer.

According to Breer, the Bears were set to fly Williams in for a Top 30 visit on Tuesday, extraordinarily early in the offseason process, but have now moved the visit to after his Pro Day at USC.

Reading between the lines, Breer surmises that their meeting with Williams was so overwhelmingly positive that the Bears’ decision-makers no longer feel rushed to get a more complete picture of who the quarterback is as a person.

With more than a week to go before NFL free agency kicks off with the legal tampering window on March 11, let’s dive into four NFL Draft prospects whose Combine performance put them on the Chicago Bears’ radar.

1. Xavier Worthy – Wide Receiver, Texas

As mentioned above, Worthy set the NFL Combine record for the 40-yard dash, smashing even the highest expectations for his speed. But Worthy is more than just a track star. In three years at Texas, he never had fewer than 60 receptions or 760 yards. He’s coming off career-highs in both categories in 2023, ending the year with 75 receptions for 1,014 yards. The Bears need a solid complementary receiver to pair with DJ Moore, and if none of the top receivers of this year’s class are available at 9th overall, I could see Poles trading back and trying to pick up Worthy on Day 2 of the draft.

2. Cole Bishop – Safety, Utah

With the release of Eddie Jackson last month, the Bears have a need at safety. Several draft prospects at this position have stood out in one way or another, but I particularly like Bishop. He measured in at the Combine at 6-foot-2 and 206 pounds and finished with a RAS score of 9.82 out of a possible 10, the highest score for any Safety this year. As we’ve seen from the past two NFL Drafts, Ryan Poles loves a good RAS score, and he certainly noticed Bishop’s.

3. Braden Fiske – Defensive Tackle, Florida State

The Bears have done a bang-up job in building up the defensive tackle position, but there’s still work to do. Matt Eberflus’ best defenses have typically relied more on a disruptive interior defensive line than on pass rushers from the edges, and that’s where Fiske comes in. He dominated the Combine, scoring a 9.88 RAS. His arms are a little shorter than Poles or Eberflus would like at just 31 inches, but his pure athleticism will go a long way in making up for that. An interior rotation of Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter Sr., Zacch Pickens, and Braden Fiske would be terrifying for opposing quarterbacks.

4. Joe Alt – Offensive Tackle, Notre Dame

While Braxton Jones has done a commendable job at Left Tackle over the last two years, you have to think it’ll be hard for Poles to pass on a generational prospect at that position if he’s available at 9th overall. Alt scored an incredible 9.92 RAS this past week, checking every box Poles wants to see from his linemen. Arms: 34.25 inches, check. Hands: 10 inches, check. Agility grade: Elite, check. He is the complete package and, once paired with Darnell Wright, would give the Bears bookend tackles with perennial All-Pro upside for the next decade.

I don’t know how far Alt will slide, and I don’t know if Poles will want to spend such a high-value pick on a position that is not a weakness. But I know that Poles loves great offensive linemen, and Alt is head and shoulders above the rest of his class.