Bears firm up two more pre-draft visits

SHARE Bears firm up two more pre-draft visits

The Bears have lined up a couple more official visits to Halas Hall for players who went under the radar of the scouting combine last month.

Oregon State safety Al Afalava is reportedly scheduled to visit the Bears soon. He’s a big hitter in the secondary who had an impressive pro day that Bears West Coast scout Marty Barrett attended.

Afalava, who is considered a strong safety, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds, quieting any questions there were about his speed. He did 25 reps on the bench press at 225 pounds, had a 10-5 broad jump and soared 40 inches for his vertical jump. That’s posting some big numbers for a 5-11, 207-pound safety, and here is a look at his pro day. If you want to see him in action, check out this crushing hit.

Still, Afalava is considered a late-round prospect. His ball skills are not the best but the Bears are not the only team looking into him. Indianapolis and Seattle have also set up meetings with him.

Iowa tight end Brandon Myers will also visit Halas Hall. He had a pretty good showing earlier this week at his pro day, running the 40 in 4.78 seconds.

He was an honorable mention all-Big Ten selection and is another late-round selection who the Bears need to get medical information on. The team could be looking for a blocking tight end in the back end of the draft. Kellen Davis didn’t take to the role real well last season as a rookie and the club missed veteran John Gilmore, who signed in Tampa Bay after the Bears refused to pay him more than veteran minimums in base salary even though they were offering the same bonus money as the Buccaneers.

Both Afalava and Myers were arrested during their college careers and may have to answer questions about those incidents.

The Latest
Jonathan Vallejo, 38, of River Grove, suffered multiple gunshot wounds in the Friday shooting and was pronounced dead at Lutheran General Hospital, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.
Brian Boomsma of Dutch Farms in Pullman and Hoffmann Family of Cos. in Winnetka made two separate offers to buy Oberweis Dairy.
Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey jumped into the national spotlight this season, becoming an All-Star, leading the 76ers to the playoffs and edging out White for the league award.
Funeral services for Huesca will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Rita of Cascia Catholic Church at 7740 S. Western Ave. in Chicago, according to the Fraternal Order of Police.