The Bears have already attracted some attention for their interest in Oregon tackle Josh Conerly Jr., which will take on the form of a 30 visit to Halas Hall
The 6-foot-5, 311-pounder is a player trending up apparently, as he has plenty of interest from other teams and another stamp of approval from a former Bears offensive coordinator.
Mike Tice, the former Vikings head coach and Bears coordinator during the Jay Cutler era, did an analysis of various offensive linemen in the draft for his son Nate's ESPN podcast, and the end result was overwhelmingly positive for a player who has been called an early second-round pick by NFL Mock Draft Database's big board.
"I love him, he was my No. 1 guy," Mike Tice said. "Period. No. 1 offensive lineman in this draft."
Yooo can we make this a trend again ? (6’4 1/2 305) @SAMSONOKUNLOLA_ @LandenHatchett @DerekOsman55 @jacksonslater75 @ziyare_addison #bigathletes pic.twitter.com/wLGBTOUh95
— Josh(ua) Conerly Jr (@joshuaconerlyjr) July 26, 2024
That's a bold statement and Tice admitted he didn't do deep background checks or anything of the sort.
"I didn't get a chance to look it up but whoever is the offensive line coach at Oregon (A'Lique Terry) has done a tremendous job," Tice said. "This kid plays with great technique in all areas of the game.
"Pass sets, run game, out in space, footwork, down blocks, hand usage, this guy has a lot of traits. When you have that many good traits you're a first half of the first round player. Because he has so many good traits, that to me makes this guy a premier offensive tackle in this year's draft. I really like this player. There's not a lot to not like about him unless he's got some blemish or some acne that I don't know about."
Former Oregon Ducks OL Josh Conerly Jr. shares what excites him most about the NFL: setting an example for the next generation.
I spoke with the projected first-round pick ahead of Oregon’s Pro Day for @OregonDucks_SI #GoDucks #NFLDraft #ProDay pic.twitter.com/PlRWnvci8V
— Olivia Cleary (@LivCleary) March 18, 2025
Tice, always known for his sense of humor in Chicago and Minnesota, joked a bit with Nate about the player but was dead-on serious about how strong of a prospect he views Conerly to be.
"I'm really good in gap and zone schemes, it doesn't really matter," Conerly said at the scouting combine. "I bring a lot."
Josh Conerly Jr is one of the best pass protectors in this draft.
Held Abdul Carter to zero pressures during their matchup. Sound athlete with coordinated hands. pic.twitter.com/QRt01EENhe
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) March 14, 2025
Considering the Lions took a former Oregon offensive tackle as the basis of their offensive line while Bears coach Ben Johnson was there, the interest is probably not surprising. That was Penei Sewell.
While Conerly hasn't been described as that dominant of a player, he does have a rather distinct feather in his cap. During the Big 10 Championship Game against Penn State, he was entrusted with stopping the draft's No. 1 edge rusher, Abdul Carter.
OT Josh Conerly Jr. has a Top-30 visit scheduled with the Bears:
🐻 -He held Abdul Carter to 0 pressures when they played this season.
🐻- He allowed the 2nd fewest pressures among all Big Ten OT’s this season (9) pic.twitter.com/z9p5nrfQ9w
— Bears Luchador 🐻 (@Bears_Luchador) March 20, 2025
The end result: No sacks allowed. Ducks coach Dan Lanning had called out Conerly to stop the dangerous Carter.
"It was shocking in the moment but that was my plan anyway," Conerly said. "I feel like I played OK.
"There are some play that I could have been a lot better. For the most part, his impact was minimal."
Nate Tice had his father (longtime NFL OL coach) Mike Tice on to evaluate the top offensive lineman in the 2025 draft.
His tackle order is surprising but well reasoned:
Conerly
Simmons
Banks
Membou
Campbell
(📹 | Football 301 @YahooSports)
pic.twitter.com/XePjjTBExe
— Boorish (@Boorish_Sports) March 28, 2025
Conerly said he has been honing his technique by working in California with former Packers and Chargers center Corey Linsley and former NFL line coach Paul Alexander.
"I feel like I've actually gotten a lot more agile," he said.
Being focused on improvement rather than just winning a game is part of the reason he sees his fundamentals improving.
Here’s the link to the full conversation between @Nate_Tice and @miketice86 on Football 301.
It’s an insightful listen and highlights that the view of this tackle class may not be as narrow as people believe. Good shit.https://t.co/DypNqLNnZY
— Boorish (@Boorish_Sports) March 28, 2025
"Change of direction stuff, linear speed and stuff like that," he said.
As good as he has played and as big of an impression as Conerly has made with the Bears and other teams individually and in the Big Ten season, he also has one embarrassing blemish, as Mike Tice would have called it.
During Senior Bowl week, he got posterized. He was the offensive lineman beaten badly while trying to block Marshall's Mike Green on a video circulating widely on X and YouTube
Marshall edge Mike Green - who had the practice field buzzing after this rep earlier today in 1-on-1’s - has opted to withdraw from the rest of the Senior Bowl week and head home to continue with his draft prep.
He led the FBS with 17.0 sacks this season. pic.twitter.com/vpdw45vosm
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 30, 2025
"It's the game of football," Conerly said. "Everybody 'gets got.' I got 'got', simple as that.
"This happened before in practice (at Oregon) so I've been in that situation. No matter what, you have to get back up and keep fighting. You're not just going to lay there forever."
From the sound of the opinions floating around on Conerly, a lot of teams will take him at his word.
Mike Green (Marshall) versus Josh Conerly Jr (Oregon) pic.twitter.com/akrTxWmSwx
— Jacob Lintner (@lintnermedia) January 29, 2025
X: BearsOnSI