Austin Barber
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GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - APRIL 12: Austin Barber #58 of the Florida Gators looks on during the Florida Orange & Blue Spring Game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on April 12, 2025 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images for ONIT)
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson isn’t ruling out drafting a left tackle despite retaining Braxton Jones, Theo Benedet, and signing Jedrick Wills Jr. this offseason. The LT prospect could be someone most fans don’t even know of, which could be Florida’s Austin Barber.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty right now, though. We don’t know. Ozzy’s coming off a pretty serious injury. Not sure if we’ll have him next year or at what point he’ll come up. And so we’re going to have an opportunity right now for a lot of competition. …And you can’t rule out the draft either. …If there’s a tackle or a defensive tackle or a (defensive) end, I think we can go any direction we need to and stay true to that and feel pretty good about it. To give you clarity, it’s hard to say right now what that left tackle spot’s going to look like this year or five years from now.”
A lot of folks might believe the Bears’ best bet, if they were to draft a left tackle, would be in the first round. The Bears are doing their homework, attending Alabama LT prospect Kadyn Proctor’s pro day and hosting Arizona LT prospect Max Iheanachor on a top 30 visit, who are both projected to go in the first round.
But what if they could find better value in a later round with a player like Barber?
Bears Could Find Great Value With Austin Barber
Austin Barber, 6’7″ and 318 pounds, has experience at both tackle spots and is one of the more athletic LT prospects in this year’s draft.
He scored an impressive 9.81 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) out of 10.00, which measures a prospect’s athleticism using metrics such as height, weight, bench, vertical, broad, 40-yard dash, 20-yard split, and 10-yard split.
Barber is also one of just three P4 OTs since 2015 with a blocking grade in true pass sets below 75.0, a zone blocking grade above 75.0, a gap scheme blocking grade above 75.0, and a RAS above 9.50. The other two OT prospects were Las Vegas Raiders LT Kolton Miller and Atlanta Falcons RT Kaleb McGary.
However, Barber is not a perfect prospect by any means and is projected to go early on Day 3.
“Tall tackle prospect with starting experience at both tackle spots,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote. “He’s played against top-tier talent in the SEC, which bolsters his case, but his struggles against Texas A&M and Miami provide an idea of his ceiling. He has good feet and strong hands. He knows how to play but he struggles to bend and drive at the point of attack. Same goes for anchoring or defending his edges against power rushers. Barber projects as a Day 3 pick with the chance of becoming a swing tackle.”
The good news for Chicago is that they don’t need Barber to start right away, and they have a great O-line coach in Dan Roushar who can help fix his weaknesses.
Steve Letizia
Florida OL Austin Barber is my favorite prospect in the 2026 draft. A 6’7 320 pound bulldozer with a 9.81 RAS score
Bears May Prioritize Other Spot on the Offensive Line
Austin Barber is an enticing left tackle prospect, but the Bears could prioritize drafting a center to develop for a year behind Garrett Bradbury, who Chicago traded a fifth-round pick for what’s essentially a one-year, $5.7 million rental.
The Bears have brought in several Day 3 center prospects on visits, including Miami center James Brockermeyer and Kentucky center Jager Burton.
But if the Bears want to draft one of the top center prospects in this year’s draft class, that list includes the following:
Jake Slaughter, Florida
Sam Hecht, Kansas State
Logan James, Iowa
Connor Lew, Auburn
Parker Brailsford, Alabama
Matt Gulbin, Michigan State
Pat Coogan, Indiana
Heck, the Bears may even draft a left tackle and center. Regardless, it’s always a good idea to invest up front, and someone like Barber could very likely be the guy Chicago drafts to develop into the eventual starter at left tackle.