Bears meet with newest Notre Dame offensive line prospect at NFL combine

The Chicago Bears were deeply tied to the two top offensive line prospects in last year’s draft — because they were both coached by their offensive line coach Harry Hiestand.

Notre Dame isn’t sending the likes of Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey into the 2019 NFL Draft, but there is one offensive line prospect from the Fighting Irish who is at the NFL combine.

Alex Bars missed most of last season with torn ligaments in his knee, but he was coached by Hiestand for four years before.

Notre Dame lineman Alex Bars met with the Bears on Wednesday night. He raved about Harry Hiestand’s impact on his career: “He’s a phenomenal coach. To be able to play for him would be an amazing opportunity.”

— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) February 28, 2019

Bars met with the Bears at the combine on Wednesday night, and he could fall right in the range that Ryan Pace is picking this year.

He has starting experience at both guard spots and right tackle under Hiestand’s tutelage, with the potential to fill in as a backup on the interior early in his career.

#NFLCombine key measurements thread…

9. #NotreDame OL Alex Bars
Height: 6-5 7/8
Weight: 312
Hand: 9 3/8
Arm: 32 6/8
Wingspan: 79 1/8

— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) February 27, 2019

The Bears should know more about Bars than any other team in the NFL, and he could be a more likely pick for Chicago than Nelson or McGlinchey last year.