New Reports Show Bears Taste for Small School Draft Targets Is Growing

Ryan Pace is a scout and by his very nature, he's a detailed man. Like any scout, he likes to find those hidden gems in college football. The ones other teams might've missed. This is why the Chicago Bears draft approach has embraced small school prospects more than it has maybe at any other time in franchise history. Their 2017 class was the perfect example. Their 2nd round pick Adam Shaheen came from Ashland. Tarik Cohen went in the 4th round out of North Carolina A&T. Not to mention 5th rounder Jordan Morgan coming from Kutztown. Shaheen and Cohen both flashed some brilliance on offense. It's possible that success has emboldened Pace to dig even deeper this off-season. All signs have pointed towards the Bears being exceedingly active among the small school prospects. Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com confirmed that they've visited with two more prominent names that could become late round or undrafted additions within the next couple weeks.

Chicago Bears draft army not letting up in search for help

Mitch Trubisky is the man now. He's the unquestioned starter for the Bears. Confidence that he's ready to ascend is high. His backups, Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray, seem fairly secure in their roles as well. That said it hasn't stopped Pace and head coach Matt Nagy from continuing to explore competition. One name that caught their eye was Connor Jessop out of Shepherd.

"Connor Jessop/QB/Shepherd: Jessop, a Virginia Tech transfer and first-year starter who saw spot duty in 2016, really caught my eye when I scouted Billy Brown a year ago. He has NFL size and arm strength and the ability to make all the throws but needs time to work on his accuracy and pass placement. The Chicago Bears have shown a lot of interest in the strong-armed passer, who should make a practice squad this fall."

Jessop is not a finished product. He only started one year for Shepherd, but he led them to a 10-1 season while throwing 40 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. He also rushed for an additional six touchdowns. At 6'5", 220 lbs it feels like there is loads of untapped potential there that a patient coach could mold.

He wasn't their only target of intrigue though.

"Matthew Gono/OL/Wesley: Gono was a prospect I liked coming into the season and someone I liked even more off the 2017 film. He’s well-built, explosive and nasty and works to annihilate opponents at the point of attack. He has an NFL build and growth potential. Gono, who made an official trip to visit the Minnesota Vikings as well as the Chicago Bears and received visits from offensive line coaches from the New York Jets and Detroit Lions to be worked out, is getting late-round buzz."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl39KTJipLk Gono might be the more interesting prospect. The Bears just got done hiring Harry Hiestand as their offensive line coach. He's considered one of the best in the business. A man who can turn raw talents with limited experience into function NFL-caliber blockers. Gono clearly has athletic and power traits that seemed too much for the defenses he faced. If he's able to get a teacher like Hiestand, there's no telling how much better he can get.