Quenton Nelson Can’t Hide His Desire to Join Chicago Bears

Notre Dame left guard Quenton Nelson is no ordinary draft prospect. He might be the best overall player regardless of position in the 2018 NFL draft.

That’s not an exaggeration. Watch him on tape for just a few minutes and it’s impossible not to go “Wow.” For a guard Nelson can do it all. He’s got the power and nastiness to punish defenders in the running game. Then he’s got the athleticism, fundamentals and quickness to wall off any kind of pass rusher. To top it off his awareness is almost superhuman at times. The guy is a complete prospect who looks like he’ll be an All-Pro in the NFL.

If he played any other position besides guard there’d be talk of him going first overall. That’s how good he is. As things stand he’ll likely still be a top 10 pick but it’s difficult to tell where he might land given all the QB-needy teams front-loaded first 5-6 slots. This will likely drop him to the bottom half of the top 10, right where the Chicago Bears are sitting at #8. While guard isn’t their most pressing need, their GM Ryan Pace is a huge proponent of taking the best player available.

If Nelson is there, would the Bears not entertain the idea of putting him on the line with Cody Whitehair and Kyle Long? After all Josh Sitton is getting old and in the last year of his contract.

Nelson loves idea of joining the Bears and his old coach Harry Hiestand

Scott Wright of Draft Countdown got a chance to interview Nelson recently. He brought up the subject of Nelson’s offensive line coach, Harry Hiestand, joining the Bears this off-season and the idea of reuniting with him in Chicago. Nelson did his best to hide any enthusiasm over the idea but wasn’t entirely successful.

"“Scott Wright: In recent years there has been a lot of consternation about how offensive linemen aren’t being properly prepared for the NFL.  That won’t be an issue in your case since you were tutored by highly-respected o-line guru Harry Hiestand, who is now with the Bears.  How did Coach Hiestand help prepare you for the next level and have you thought about the possibility of playing for him again in Chicago?Quenton Nelson: Coach Hiestand developed me into the player I am today.  He harps on the fundamentals of the game, more so than the scheme.  He’s given me all the fundamentals and I believe in the techniques that he taught me.  I’m so thankful to have been coached by him.  I’ve put a little thought into the possibility of him coaching me again, but I don’t want to get my hopes too high then not get drafted there.  I know I can go anywhere that needs a guard.”"

The idea of this happening is way too soon to predict. It’s still not clear which underclassmen are going to declare for the draft. That will definitely impact where Nelson likely end up getting drafted. One thing is clear though. Hiestand will be able to give the Bears an in-depth idea of what they’d be getting if they drafted Nelson. No doubt Mitch Trubisky would be a happy man to have a such a stud protected him for the next decade.