Pass Rusher The Chicago Bears May Want Just Blew Up Combine

One thing about the Chicago Bears when they draft players? They tend to target standout athletes. Especially early on. A place that has often showcased such future choices is the scouting combine. If one were to look at the top picks made by GM Ryan Pace between the 1st and 2nd rounds since 2015? Odds are good you'll find a host of combine notables.

That could be the case again this year. Based on the latest buzz coming out of Indianapolis, the Bears have been active in meeting with several top pass rushers. Clearly after seeing Leonard Floyd manage just three sacks last season. He has not lived up to his billing and they can't afford to waste the prime of Khalil Mack on him any longer. With two 2nd round picks at their disposal, drafting an edge rusher would make sense.

One guy they met with already was Florida defensive end Jabari Zuniga. A lot of people weren't too familiar with him going into the event. They sure know his name now after posting impressive numbers in drills.

• 40-yard dash: 4.64 seconds (2nd-best among DL)
• Bench press: 29 reps (4th-best among DL)
• Vertical jump: 33 inches (6th-best among DL)
• Broad jump: 127 inches (Best among DL)

Keep in mind that Zuniga is 6'3 and 264 lbs. Those are wow numbers.

Chicago Bears would get an exciting guy in Zuniga

Zuniga is viewed by many as one of the big sleepers of this draft class. He was unblockable to start last year, getting three tackles for a loss and three sacks in the first two games against Miami and Tennessee-Martin. Then he suffered a high ankle sprain. He was never quite right after that, playing just three more games the rest of the year.

Experts believe he has a ton of upside, but any team that drafts him will be taking a risk.

"He's an explosive athlete who has been splashing and flashing since his freshman season but failed to fully reach the promise his traits and explosiveness implied. A monstrous start to 2019 was truncated due to a high ankle sprain. He's disruptive in the gaps but is not stout enough at the point of attack. He has edge-rushing ability but could find stardom as a reduced rusher in sub-packages, where he's craftier and more capable of exploiting athletic mismatches."

The Bears have other needs they might put ahead of pass rusher at this point. That said, if Zuniga is there when they finally go on the clock Pace may not be able to say no after the performance the show the young defender just put on.