Chicago Bears: Grading every pick in 2020 NFL Draft

Round 7: Arlington Hambright, OL; Lachavious Simmons, OL

Coming into the draft, Chicago Bears fans clamored for the team to help the offensive line. The line struggled last season and fan-favorite Kyle Long retired.

I’ve been on record saying the offensive line isn’t as bad as some felt. The right side of the line suffered injuries and the replacements weren’t very good. The Bears offense couldn’t run very much to that side.

After making the Pro Bowl in 2018, Leno regressed a bit in 2019. His main problem was penalties. After going the entire 2018 season without committing a penalty, he committed 12 in 2019. That needs to change.

Pace signed Germain Ifedi and Jason Spriggs. He also re-signed Rashaad Coward. Fans wanted more, and Pace waited until the last possible moment.

When Pace finally decided to go for offensive linemen, he went with consecutive picks. The Bears had picks No. 226 and 227 and Pace took that moment to get two linemen.

The selection at 226th was Arlington Hambright out of Colorado. He played tackle but has to move to guard at the next level.

Hambright does a good job of getting off the snap quickly. That helps him get to the second level on pulls. He has a hard, jarring punch. He has only one year as a starter. He started at JUCO, then went to Oklahoma State and played five games for them. He then went to Colorado, where he started all 12 games in 2019.

Minutes after drafting Hambright, the Bears chose Lachavious Simmons out of Tennessee State. If he can find a way to stick on the team he could provide good depth help. He has experience playing all five positions on the line. Also, he plays with a mean streak. He tries to beat rushers down.

Grade: D (for both players) — Fans really wanted help on the line but these players aren’t it. Pace might be trying to find another seventh-round lineman to make it as Leno did, but these two players are nothing more than practice squad players. 

Pace and the Chicago Bears front office missed a chance to fill holes on the team. They needed to strengthen their safety and defensive tackle spots but did nothing to do so. There was no need to pick two cornerbacks and they reached for their wide receiver.