AZ54

Agreed, that makes for better TV.

A week or two ago I asked why Poles hasn't declared Caleb will be the first pick in the draft? This is now the worst kept secret in the NFL especialy after watching his pre-draft press conference when he was talking about Caleb in glowing terms. After reflecting on that a bit I now believe he's just doing this to give that moment to Caleb. Caleb has been very clear this has been one of his goals for a long time. IMO that's a class move by Poles not to steal the spotlight and that moment from him by making the announcement early.

I would say he’s keeping his options open. First see who is still on the board at 9 then compare against any offers you get.

Not entirely correct. Some of us had Darnell Wright as the target. All the glory goes to the dice that I rolled.

If there was tampering it affects the entire league not just the Vikings. Any other team, including Chicago, could have pursued Cousins, although there is a logical end to the list of suitors. So the Bears were potentially harmed, as were other teams. Awarding the ATL pick to Minn further harms the Bears and the other teams that could have pursued Cousins. If they do that they are idiots.

If you pick at 9 you should come away with a blue chip player at a premium position. These days with colleges running so many wide open offenses it’s not hard to find a good WR outside the top 15. If you really want a WR at 9 you should just trade down maybe way down to late first. Otherwise the drop off at the premium positions OT DE QB is rapid.

Never thought I’d say this but we just need Caleb to do what Geno did in Waldrons offense. In that light it sure doesn’t seem like a high bar.

This anti-Williams fan is finally seeing a different side of Williams, a more mature one that fits what I expect from a starting NFL QB. More importantly for me is that this is the actually the first time I've ever seen Caleb genuinely smile when talking about the Bears (when he mentions the good time he had on his 30 visit). Talent for me was never the biggest issue although I do still have concerns about some of his bad habits such as bad throws under pressure, and how loosely he carries the ball when scrambling. Plus he's not the most accurate deep passer but he's good enough. I was more worried about 1) would he even play in Chicago, and 2) would he have the work ethic and maturity to handle this job in the NFL. Kudos to Channing Crowder, Ryan Clark, and Fred Taylor for putting together a quality interview, really a deep dive into the person who is Caleb Williams. I remember after we drafted Trubisky I came across an article about Mahomes. In short, during college Mahomes was totally focused on getting to the NFL. He wasn't into the party scene, didn't drink, just focused on football. I had him as my 1b to Trubisky as 1a because I'd seen him have numerous multi INT games where he'd make risky throws all over the field. If I had known the character side of both players there's no way I'd have taken Trubisky over Mahomes. Looking back it's clear Trubisky doesn't really want to put in the effort to be a starting QB, not physical but the mental side with film study. After listening to him in this interview now I don't see that being a problem with Caleb. I also feel like he's gained some maturity or perspective on things as he's gone through the draft process. Without saying it directly, it seems to me he hints that there are some things he'll do differently and better in the future.

No too rich for me. Also the drop off to the 3rd or even 4th/5th best WRs isn't that great this year. We also have Bowers out there as a really good receiving option, and with the right supporting cast he might pose more of a problem to defenses than Harrison.

Depends on how you define "risk". If you simply look at it as a numbers game then yes there are more failures in later rounds. If you look at it in terms of investment, not just money but also opportunity cost then the miss on a top ten pick is really bad.

I don’t buy that argument. I’d buy the crappy GM drafted you argument better. Even teams with bad QBs always can find decent options to pair with a good roster. It might take a year or three to get that FA QB but in the meantime you’re building everywhere else on the roster. Derek Carr. Cousins. Just look at what Shanahan has done with cast off QBs. That includes Purdy because nobody wanted him. If a GM is doing their job right you should be on a competitive roster in year 3. Year 4 at the latest.

Because he was underrated coming into the draft process. I saw him in one game midsession. He was just stonewalling guys and making it look easy.

If the Bears have Barton rated that highly I wouldn’t argue the pick over JPJ.

True. They do say if we go pass catcher at 9. also true the only value at 9 would be Odunze or Bowers. really easy for a writer to throw that out there.

sorry I sent that before reading the whole thread which was blowing up quickly. I see your strategy but if it were me I’d rather take JPJ at 13. Glaring need. Blue chip talent and no position change adjustment needed. He’s good enough to slide out to G IMO so that pick covers depth at all the interior spots. I see Killer’s point about the value but we are talking about investing in protecting a #1 QB. Sometimes you can’t always get the value proposition right while the downside risk to the higher value position of QB means if he’s your guy you just take him.