Arlington
Hambright.
Arlington
Hambright.
Colorado
"Chicago drafted a junior college champion and Colorado left tackle at No. 226 as a guard project, and he stuck around the league for five seasons with one start."Pre-draft read
Hambright was the starting left tackle in Colorado's offense in 2019, a 6-4, 307-pound graduate transfer who started all 12 games after stops at Garden City Community College and Oklahoma State. His primary trait was athleticism: he moved well in space, climbed to the second level quickly and could reach and seal defenders on the move in the zone run game.
His secondary trait was functional strength, with 29 bench reps at his pro day. In pass protection he had the feet to mirror but lacked the length to play tackle in the NFL. His athletic ceiling was solid for an interior lineman, and his signature was the versatility to line up at any spot on the line.
Outside zone scheme that asks linemen to move laterally, reach defenders and climb to the second level on the move.
Year 1: inactive backup guard and practice squad developmental player. Ceiling: reliable sixth or seventh lineman.
Power-gap, man-blocking scheme that asks him to drive-block bigger interior defenders off the ball on every run.
His athleticism made him a better fit for zone than power schemes.
Buffs' lineman Arlington Hambright earns Pac-12 Offensive Lineman Player of the Week honors
His Pac-12 weekly award after Colorado's 2019 win over Stanford.
Colorado Offensive Line Vs. Colorado State 2019
Colorado's line against Colorado State in the 2019 opener.
From Garden City to the League-Meet Arlington Hambright
Garden City feature on his path from junior college to the NFL.
Hambright projected as a developmental guard with tackle experience, whose athleticism and versatility appealed to teams on Day 3. Evaluators saw a mobile, physical lineman who could play in space, but whose shorter arms and uneven résumé pointed him inside at the next level.
After winning an NJCAA national title at Garden City, he redshirted at Oklahoma State in 2017 and started the first five games of 2018 before an injury sidelined him until the Liberty Bowl. As a graduate transfer at Colorado in 2019 he started all 12 games at left tackle, earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 and a Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week award. The flags were only one full season as a starter, the 2018 injury and inconsistent hand placement.
Most boards viewed him as a late-round or priority free agent lineman. Chicago took him at No. 226 as a developmental guard with the athleticism to fit its outside zone scheme and the versatility to back up multiple spots.
- 01
Athleticism
Moved well in space for a 307-pound lineman, climbing to the second level quickly and reaching defenders in the zone run game.
- 02
Versatility
Played tackle at Colorado and projected inside, giving teams a backup who could line up at guard or tackle on game day.
- 03
Functional strength
Put up 29 bench reps at his pro day and showed the upper-body power to control defenders once he locked on.
- 04
Finishing mentality
Credited with 75 knockdown blocks at Colorado in 2019, playing with an edge that showed up throughout his tape.
- 05
Proven reliability
Started all 12 games at left tackle in 2019 and earned a Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week award against Stanford.
- 01
Limited starting résumé
Started only one full season at the FBS level, giving evaluators a small body of work to project from.
- 02
Short arms for tackle
His arm length pushed him inside, where he still needed to prove he could anchor against bigger interior defenders.
- 03
Injury history
Missed most of the 2018 season at Oklahoma State with an injury, raising questions about his durability as a prospect.
- 04
Inconsistent hands
His hand placement was uneven in pass protection, which let defenders get into his chest and push him back.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— No athletic data recorded
| Yr | Team | G |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Oklahoma State | — |
| 2019 | Colorado | 12 |
| Career | — | 12 |
Offensive linemen carry no statistical line, so only games and starts are recorded. Oklahoma State and Chicago confirm five starts in 2018 before his injury and a return for the Liberty Bowl; his 2018 game total is unverified. Colorado confirms 12 starts at left tackle in 2019. Junior college seasons at Garden City (2015-16) are not included.
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
The realized outcome: a journeyman backup guard who moved between practice squads.
Late-round guard who developed into a starter after several years as a backup.
Versatile late-round lineman who spent most of his career as a reserve.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Hambright made Chicago's roster as a rookie in 2020, appeared in nine games and made his only NFL start at left guard. The Bears released him in 2021 and kept him on the practice squad, then he spent the 2022 offseason with New England and moved to Indianapolis, where he bounced between the practice squad and active roster and played two games in 2023. He appeared in five games for Tennessee in 2024 after a Houston offseason stint, and was briefly with the CFL's Montreal Alouettes in 2026.
In hindsight the pick returned about what a No. 226 selection usually does. The athleticism and versatility that made him draftable kept him in the league for five seasons with five NFL teams, but the lack of length and the technical inconsistency that evaluators flagged kept him from ever earning a steady role. He finished his NFL career with 15 games and one start as a reliable depth lineman who never won a starting job at any stop.