With the NFL Scouting Combine kicking off this week and NFL Draft just under two months away, buzz around the football world and the Bears, in particular, is ramping up.

Once again, the Bears have a Top 10 pick in this year’s draft and plenty of cap space to be aggressive in free agency. Numerous NFL analysts have the Bears taking an offensive line talent at the No. 10 overall spot. One of those possible players is Kelvin Banks Jr., an offensive tackle from The University of Texas at Austin.

Banks is an appealing option for an offensive line unit that struggled immensely in the 2024 season. Caleb Williams was sacked a league-leading 68 times in his rookie campaign, a stat that must change if he and new Bears head coach Ben Johnson are to see any offensive success in 2025.

Across three seasons with the Longhorns, Banks’ resume is impressive. During his collegiate career, he allowed just 4 total sacks in over 2,700 snaps played. In 2024, Banks was named a unanimous First-Team-All American, a First-Team-All SEC and won the Lombardi Award (an award given to the top offensive lineman in collegiate football).

NFL Network Analyst Bucky Brooks joined the Bears on the Marquee Podcast from the NFL Combine where he presented his case for taking Banks at No. 10. In his most recent mock draft for NFL.com, Brooks has the Bears selecting Banks in the 1st round.

“If the Bears want to dominate and catch up with their division rivals they have to be able to own the line of scrimmage,” Brooks said.

Brooks thinks Banks can fit into any position for the Bears’ offensive live and views the flexibility as a necessity, reflective of what the Super Bowl Champions Philadelphia Eagles have done with their dominant offensive line in recent years.

With a draft and free agency pointing towards the needs of the Bears on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, Banks seems like a convincing pick at the No. 10 spot.

Catch the full episode of the Bears on the Marquee Podcast here.