Lee Hunter To The Bears? Former Scout Pumps Brakes Despite Senior Bowl Showing

Defensive tackle is higher on the Chicago Bears‘ list of priorities for the upcoming offseason than people want to admit. Andrew Billings and Chris Williams are free agents. Grady Jarrett was a disappointment after signing him to a big contract last March. Gervon Dexter was the only one who improved from last season, and it wasn’t nearly enough. The entire middle of the Bears’ defensive front needs an infusion of talent. One of the hot names connected to them for the upcoming draft is Lee Hunter.

The big Texas Tech defensive tackle turned heads at the Senior Bowl last month. He dominated one-on-one matchups in blocking drills, overwhelming blockers with his power and surprising quickness. That created a buzz that he might be an option for Chicago at 25th overall. Former Bears scouting director Greg Gabriel was quick to pour cold water on that. After digging into the tape, he came away lukewarm on Hunter. While the big guy shows definite flashes of dominance, both as a run-stuffer and pass rusher, they appear infrequently.

This isn’t a player who impacts the game from down to down.

Lee Hunter is not a 1st round player.

Or at least he wouldn’t be in most drafts. The kid is a capable nose tackle who should become a good run defender, giving you a small handful of sacks every year. A common comparison for him is Dalvin Tomlinson. He had that exact sort of career. He was also picked later in the 2nd round. Players like that have value, but not 1st round value. Picks that high must be able to affect the game positively on every down. It is why good franchises are often built around them. Look at the 1985 Bears. That team had nine 1st-round picks in its starting lineup. Three are in the Hall of Fame. The others were a quarterback, a wide receiver, an offensive tackle, and two pass rushers. The lone exception was William Perry.

Chicago took him 22nd overall in 1985. and he eventually nose over the nose tackle position next to Steve McMichael. While Perry went on to have a good career, it’s fair to point out the Bears probably could’ve taken him in the 2nd round. Many experts had him with 5th round grades. Lee Hunter is in that same category. If he’s on the board on day two, it’s a no-brainer. However, that is someone who won’t drastically change your team’s fortunes. First round picks must be reserved for players who can.