While the Bears continue be linked to Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald at No. 14 overall in many mock drafts, the club continues to investigate interior defensive linemen who are projected to come off the board in the later rounds.
The Bears are believed to have done extensive pre-draft work on Princeton defensive tackle Caraun Reid, who is rated as the 8th best at his position in the 2014 NFL draft class by the ESPN Insider NFL Draft Tracker.
Reid, 6-foot-2, 302 pounds, lined up at nose tackle for Princeton last season, but could project as a three-technique in the NFL given his pass-rushing skills. He reportedly had an impressive week of practice at the 2014 Senior Bowl, arguably the most important pre-draft event for NFL talent evaluators.
A three-time first team All-Ivy League selection, Reid finished his collegiate career with 168 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 41 tackles-for-loss and seven blocked kicks.
Reid was a finalist for the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year award in 2013.
The last drafted a player from the Ivy League in 1999 when the club selected fullback Jim Finn in the seventh round out of Pennsylvania.
Reid is the latest in a long list of defensive tackles the Bears have shown legitimate interest in leading up to next month’s draft. The group includes, but is not limited to, Minnesota’s Ra’Shede Hageman, Notre Dame’s Louis Nix, Florida’s Dominique Easley and Arizona State’s Will Sutton.