The NFL Draft is right around a month away, and teams are getting closer and closer to finalizing their boards. Kansas didn’t have a great year by any means — 5-7 overall and 3-6 in the Big 12 — but the Jayhawks do have a couple of guys who could hear their name called in April’s Draft. Kobe Baynes and Jalon Daniels are potential Day 3 guys, and so is center Bryce Foster.

Foster has the experience NFL teams are looking for and the accolades, too. Between his time at Texas A&M and Kansas, Foster was a four-year starter and a Second Team All-Big 12 selection as a senior. Foster started 52 games in his career and also excelled as a shot put thrower on the track team.

Foster is freakishly strong, has good size at 6-foot, 310 pounds, and solid feet. If it weren’t for his mediocre 40-yard dash time (5.46 seconds) and 3-cone time (7.46 seconds), Foster would probably be a lock to get drafted.

But with KU having another down year and Foster’s lack of speed, Foster’s probably not going to hear his name called any earlier than the sixth round. And that might be a little too generous.

Ultimately, though, I do think Foster hears his name called. But I don’t think it will until the end of the seventh round. And I’ve got the Chicago Bears taking Foster with the 241st overall pick.

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Why Foster to the Chicago Bears makes sense

The Bears thought they had their center of the future in Drew Dalman, but Dalman unexpectedly retired in the offseason at the age of 27, forcing Chicago to trade for a new center in New England’s Garrett Bradbury. Bradbury is a solid center, but he wasn’t quite as good as Dalman.

And with Bradbury being the only center on the roster, the Bears could use another one. Chicago has other needs like wide receiver and defensive line, but adding a center with Foster’s resume late in the draft makes sense for a couple of reasons.

One, the Bears won’t be counting on Foster to play right away, which allows him to focus primarily on learning the playbook, not so much opposing defenses.

Two, Chicago lacks overall depth on the offensive line outside of its starting unit, so Foster could potentially play a lot during the preseason. Playing in the preseason is huge for rookies, especially for the center.

At the end of the day, Foster and the Bears are a good match for each other, even if it takes a while to happen.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kansas as Bryce Foster 2026 NFL Draft: When Will He Hear His Name Called?.