Why coaching Senior Bowl is 'huge advantage' for Bears originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Chicago Bears' offensive coordinator Luke Getsy is down at the Senior Bowl, serving as the head coach of the American Team.
The Senior Bowl is a game between outgoing college seniors, ahead of the NFL draft and is another opportunity for players to show off their talent in the hopes of positively influencing their draft status.
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For Getsy and the Bears, it represents a leg-up for on evaluating players for the 2023 NFL Draft.
RELATED: 5 NFL Draft prospects Bears should watch at Senior Bowl
"I always thought, and [former head coach Dave Wannstedt] can speak to this as well, it is a huge advantage for a coach that's down here and getting in front of these kids," former Minnesota Vikings Rick Spielman said of coaching the game on Football Night In Chicago.
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"Because this is the best of the best of the seniors. Now, none of the juniors or the underclassmen are down here, but you get an opportunity to work with them on the field. You get an opportunity to meet with them and they're in the team meetings, they're in group meetings, they're in position meetings, and you really have a true understanding after a week of does this guy fit in our culture, in our building or not."
The Chicago Bears have the first-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and could potentially trade down to acquire more trade capital. But the Bears need impactful picks who can play right away as the team looks to rebuild quickly.
Getsy will be getting an inside look at the players in the draft.
In fact, Spielman outlined a specific instance it benefited him and his team.
"One year we did coach down here at the Senior Bowl and the one guy that really stuck out to us, that we after the Senior Bowl we never talked to him again till we drafted him, was Harrison Smith," Spielman said. "So I think it's a huge advantage for the coaches and the coaches that are down here to get an intimate view of what these kids are made of."
The Vikings took Smith with the 29th-pick in the 2012 NFL Draft after a trade with the Baltimore Ravens. Since then he has earned six Pro Bowl nods and been on two All-Pro teams.
