Chicago Bears Meet With tight end Prospects at Senior Bowl

The rumors may have started swirling Sunday night after Eric Ebron had a back and forth with some Chicago Bears players on Twitter, but there’s no blurred lines at the Senior Bowl this week… the Bears realize there’s a massive hole in their offense and are meeting with tight ends.

According to Bryan Perez of NBC Sports Chicago, the Bears have already met with at least 2 TE’s already this week.

Jared Pinkney, TE, Vandy, told me he met with the #Bears for over 30 minutes. #NFLDraft

— Bryan Perez (@BryanPerezNFL) January 21, 2020

I’m sure you’re asking, “who is Jared Pinkney?” The senior had a down year, after a really solid junior year in which he hauled in 50 receptions for 774 yards and 7 TDs. In 2019 he recorded just 20 catches for 233 yards and 2 TDs. A down year may be an understatement. Unfortunately, this senior year is more in line with his production during his freshman and sophomore year. Maybe this means his junior year was a blip on the radar, but at 6′ 4″, 255 lbs., he’s definitely got some upside and should be looked at. It’s crazy to think that Derrick Henry is basically that size and runs a 4.5, 40-yard dash…

#Bears are doing their homework on TEs. Brycen Hopkins just told me he, like Pinkney, has met with Chicago.

— Bryan Perez (@BryanPerezNFL) January 21, 2020

Now who is Brycen Hopkins?

Like Pinkney, he is also coming off a senior year, except he’s a fifth-year senior. Unlike Pinkney though, he’s increased his production every year that he’s played, finishing with 61 catches for 830 yards and 7 TDs this past season. He’s also another guy that’s got some major size at 6′ 5″, 245 lbs. I’m a little more familiar with Hopkins as I’ve unfortunately been subjected to more Purdue football than the average human since I went there. What I can say is that he can make some huge plays and really go off on any given day. 34 of his catches and 506 of his yards came in just 4 games with the Boilermakers this past year.

Huge boom potential (we know Nagy loves Booms…). However, while the potential for the big play is there, he does seem to struggle with drops. Like, wide open drops. He had games where he’d leave you scratching your head, then bounce back with spectacular catch or TD. Not saying he can’t catch a football, but it would be something for the Bears, along with fans, to watch out for should they decide to draft him.

It’s good to see the Bears taking interest in players that can fill the obvious holes on the team. Let’s hope they take a look at QBs, too.

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