The Bears finally addressed their offensive line in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. After taking Colorado guard Arlington Hambright with the 226th overall pick, they drafted Tennessee State guard/tackle Lachavious Simmons with the 227th pick.
The 6-5, 315-pound Simmons, a fifth-year senior from Selma, Ala., started at left guard and left tackle Tennessee State and was a first team all-Ohio Valley Conference selection at tackle in 2019. He started six games at left guard as a junior in 2018. He started all 12 games in 2019 — playing left guard and left tackle — on an offense that averaged more than 400 yards per game. Simmons played in the Hula Bowl all-star game in January.
The last Tennessee State player the Bears drafted was future Hall of Fame defensive end Richard Dent, in the eighth round in 1983. The Bears also drafted Tennessee State linebacker Waymond Bryant fourth overall in 1974.
