Ben Johnson Admitted Bears Approach To O-Line Scouting Has Changed

The Chicago Bears spent a ton of money overhauling their offensive line this month. Nobody was surprised by that. When you rank 25th in rushing and give up 68 sacks, it's obvious you have problems up front. Throw in a head coach like Ben Johnson, who had a stacked offensive line in Detroit, and this was the easiest thing in the world to predict. What many Bears fans want to know is whether the organization will stay aggressive in the upcoming draft. They have to think about the long-term future of their line too. There is bound to be somebody talented they can grab with one of their three picks in the 1st or 2nd round.

However, this discussion overlooks something Johnson said recently that changes the parameters of this idea. He was asked about his priorities regarding offensive linemen. Size? Power? Athleticism? Nope, it was something far more important.

“The intelligence factor is a major portion of it because they got to be able to handle different fronts for all these variety of schemes that we would like to employ,” Johnson said after the team introduced Thuney and Jackson. “End of the day, we’ll push this thing as far as we feel the collective group can handle up front. And that’s where the intelligence is so, so important to expand on that variety.”

Physical talent is important, sure. Still, it appears Johnson is placing a far greater emphasis on a player's intelligence moving forward. That could drastically alter who the Bears target early in the draft.

Two names feel like high-possibility targets for Ben Johnson.

If we are talking intelligence being the big factor, then the two guys to watch next month are Will Campbell and Tyler Booker. Campbell was LSU's left tackle for the past few season, establishing himself as one of the best at his position in the SEC. All of the discussions for the past three months has been his shorter-than-average arms. This overshadows his dependability thanks to good athleticism and intelligence. Opponents can't really throw anything that catches him off guard. He's also known for being a character and great teammate.

Booker also has questions about his ceiling due to average athleticism. Scouts and coaches insist up and down that this won't matter in the grand scheme. The Alabama guard is a powerhouse with elite football intelligence. He's on top of everything opponents try, never making mental mistakes. This is what enabled him to dominate despite limited mobility. If Ben Johnson sticks to his word, those two names are going to be ones the Bears look hard into ahead of next month.