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Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy will be the head coach of the American Team in the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl.
The all-star game, which takes place on Feb. 4 after a full week of practices, features some of the best eligible collegiate talent in the nation and brings them all together to compete and get in front of NFL staff. Getsy was selected as the head coach for one of the rosters, giving him a firsthand look at what the 2023 NFL Draft class has to offer.
As the roster gets divided up into two teams and those teams get released to the public, I wanted to give you all a look at which players Getsy will be coaching this year. Considering the Bears have the No. 1 overall pick and will have the highest selection in 5 of the 7 rounds, it would be smart of them to take advantage of the opportunity they have.
Seeing as though Getsy is an offensive coach, I decided to start purely with the offensive players he’ll be coaching down in Mobile. I’ll cover the defensive players in a separate article, so make sure to look out for that in the near future.
Here are the players at each offensive position on Getsy’s American Team, as well as what to expect from each of them.
Quarterbacks
The quarterback division has not been released as of this writing. I will make sure to update this article once the quarterbacks have been divided up, but I wanted to get the other breakdowns out to give you all more time to focus on other positions.
The quarterbacks slated to be down in Mobile are as follows:
- Jaren Hall, BYU
- Max Duggan, TCU
- Jake Haener, Fresno State
- Tyson Bagent, Shepherd
- Clayton Tune, Houston
- Malik Cunningham, Louisville
Hendon Hooker from Tennessee will also be at the Senior Bowl to meet with teams, but due to a torn ACL, he will not be participating in on-field events.
Running backs (4)
- Eric Gray, Oklahoma
- Kenny McIntosh, Georgia
- Chris Rodriguez Jr., Kentucky
- Tyjae Spears, Tulane
Getsy’s running back room consists of four intriguing mid-round talents who could be available once Day 3 comes around.
My highest-rated of the bunch is McIntosh, a powerful runner who can pass protect and is a much better pass-catcher than he has any right to be. Not too far behind with similar fourth-round grades are Gray, an explosive athlete who can catch passes and make defenders miss in space; and Spears, whose breakaway speed, ball-carrier vision and determination can make up for a smaller frame. Rodriguez is the thumper of the bunch, and though he doesn’t have much three-down value or elite athletic tools, his 5-foot-11, 224-pound frame allowed him to bowl over SEC defenders.
Wide receivers (8)
- Derius Davis, TCU
- Tank Dell, Houston
- Xavier Hutchinson, Iowa State
- Andrei Iosivas, Princeton
- Jonathan Mingo, Ole Miss
- Rashee Rice, SMU
- Jalen Wayne, South Alabama
- Dontayvion Wicks, Virginia
Luckily for Getsy, the Senior Bowl loaded up the American Team a bit more at the wide receiver position, which should be helpful for the wideout-needy Bears.
It’s a deep group, but I have the highest grade on Rice right now. He’s a speedy weapon with good ball skills who should function as a quality WR2 at the next level. Some of the other receivers aren’t too far behind, though. Hutchinson is a well-rounded receiver with very good body control and a lengthy, 6-foot-3 frame. Mingo’s powerful frame and creativity in space make him a nightmare after the catch, even if he’s raw as a technician. Iosivas might have the most to gain of anyone at the Senior Bowl. He has the length and ball skills that teams adore in the NFL, and having been timed in the 4.2s in his 40-yard dash, his speed is game-changing. With a strong week, the Princeton standout could skyrocket up boards much like Christian Watson.
I lump the rest as variously-ranked Day 3 talents. Wicks is the draft community’s favorite of the bunch, and though he struggled with drops, his deep-threat ability and GUAGI value is encouraging. Dell and Davis fall into a very similar “very undersized but very explosive” category, though Davis seems a bit faster in a straight line on tape, while Dell is more shifty and has a much better collegiate resume. Wayne, the nephew of Reggie Wayne, will be returning to his home turf at South Alabama, where he used his length, ball skills and football IQ to shine. He’s an older prospect who doesn’t have insane burst, so he projects more as a high-floor, late Day 3 target.
Tight ends (4)
- Cameron Latu, Alabama
- Will Mallory, Miami (FL)
- Luke Musgrave, Oregon State
- Brayden Willis, Oklahoma
Could Getsy persuade his bosses to use a tight end from this group to pair with Cole Kmet in 12 personnel next year? Stranger things have happened!
All of these tight ends fit into more of athletic, pass-catching types. Mallory is probably the most physical of the bunch, improving as a blocker in 2022 and excelling at the catch point. That said, I have the highest grade on Musgrave, a super athletic tight end who can separate from man coverage and serve as a ‘U’ tight end, being a hybrid in-line/wideout weapon. Latu also fits into that ‘U’ mold; he’s a converted edge rusher who plays with willingness as a blocker but is also a fluid athlete who works the seam well. Willis is a different skill set due to his speed and lack of length, and whether you place him as an ‘F’ tight end, an H-back or a traditional fullback, he can make plays for your offense.
Offensive line (11)
- Steve Avila, TCU (OG/C)
- Matthew Bergeron, Syracuse (OT)
- Nick Broeker, Ole Miss (OG)
- Emil Ekiyor Jr., Alabama (OG)
- Richard Gouraige, Florida (OT/OG)
- Wanya Morris, Oklahoma (OT)
- Nick Saldiveri, Old Dominion (OT/OG)
- John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota (C)
- O’Cyrus Torrence, Florida (OG)
- Darnell Wright, Tennessee (OT)
Getsy watching this group of offensive lineman with the thought of adding one or more to his roster must feel like a kid in a candy store.
I’ll publish my full Senior Bowl big board soon, but six of my top 8 players who will be down in Mobile are offensive linemen, and four of them are on the American team. At offensive tackle, Wright is the star of the show. He’s a powerful tackle with a super strong anchor, good hands and a nasty demeanor who should be able to start from Day 1. Bergeron stood out to me for his raw tools, and while he’s a work in progress with his pad level and hands, his pure athleticism and power stand out when I watch him. Other linemen on this team played tackle in college, but Morris is the only other one I project as a tackle in the NFL. He plays way too upright, but he has long arms, impressive athleticism and blocks with ideal effort. He seems like a really good developmental option late in Round 3 or early in Round 4.
Schmitz is my top interior offensive lineman in the 2023 draft, with Torrence not being too far behind. The former wins more with pad level, football IQ and body control, with the latter winning more with sheer tenacity, play strength and vise grips for hands. I expect Torrence to go higher in the draft, but I’d make an argument for either to go Round 1. Broeker was one of the most analytically-efficient blockers in college football this year and projects as a high-floor, intelligent blocker with a well-rounded skill set.
Avila is a powerful lineman with center-guard versatility who uses his hands very well, and Ekiyor is a dense blocker with a strong anchor and good coordination for someone who isn’t all that explosive. I’m kicking Gouraige inside due to a lack of top-notch athleticism on the perimeter, but he’s an intelligent player who thrives as a run blocker. Saldiveri is the small-schooler of the bunch who’s a bit top-heavy but has nice spatial awareness in pass protection and a well-rounded enough game to warrant Day 3 consideration.
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