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What I want to come out of the draft with and where I think we could get it: Starting-caliber DE - 1st to 2nd round, maybe third if you trade up/down to the beginning of the round and someone is sliding (Derrick Moore?). Starting Safety - 1st to 3rd round, maybe fourth if you trade up/down to the beginning of the round and someone is dropping (Bud Clark?). Guy would could push right away to start at #2 CB - 1st to 3rd round Center that could conceivably start next year and/or push Bradbury this year if he struggles - 2nd to 5th round, unless they see Newman as the future at C in which case you maybe need a backup guard in that same range WR who dresses and could start in a 3WR set if needed - 2nd to 5th round After that I don't much care. DT makes sense if you think there is a difference maker in the 1st/2nd, but much after that I'd just as soon play the three guys they signed, plus snaps for Shemar Turner there to go with Grady Jackson and Gervon Dexter returning. That seems to me like a solid, if potentially unspectacular, DT group, which is fine doing into a draft that's pretty unspectacular at DT IMO (which I theorize is precisely why they signed those DTs in free agency). OT - I've resigned myself to the fact that OT is a real first round possibility and I'm (grudgingly) OK with it, though I'd still be pretty surprised if it happens. Maybe you take a mid round guy with a lot of LT experience (Markel Bell, Jude Bowry, JC Davis, etc.) to give you one more crack at a LT, but you currently have Jones, Willis, Benedet, and Kiran (I still believe!) to battle for the LT position and you probably aren't going to do much better than that this year outside of the first round (I think that's why they signed Jones and Willis but we shall see). LB depth would be nice if you love a guy (I can't help but think Kyle Louis could be a target) but I'm pretty much good with the depth there. RB - If you like one and see it as a value pick, great, if not, I'm OK with what we have for now. TE - Same as RB.

My preferred approach as well except I’d be ok if BPA is a CB

I always look trenches first and move outward. 1st rd - I take the best pass rusher at edge, 3t and/or 1t. If I don't see difference maker there, I look to see if Safety is BPA. Continue this process through 4 rounds. Order of importance, for me, is DL, S, EDGE, LB and OL.

How I look at the roster: We need a starting S to play with Bryant. I would say maybe draft two. There are 5 that I judge are scheme friendly; Theinaman -Scott-Kilgore-Stukes-Clark. Several that could be starter quality Mc-Warren-Haulcy-Ramsey- Wheatley Edge rusher, we didn't add anyone here. I think Booker takes a step forward. Dayo comes back. Faulk)scheme fit but no production Parker) could be the pick Messidor) old but very productive Young) could be the pick Lawrence) sleeper bear pick Jacas) my favorite Moore) middle round pick Dennis-Sutton) very possible middle round pick Max Llewellyn) later round pick DT) McDonald) not a scheme fit IMO Woods) scheme fit but not a fan Miller) possible fit Halton) could be the guy Capehart) a low profile maybe Proctor) sleeper pick 8 Sacks 2025 Benny) scheme fit Durant) scheme fit These are the 3 biggest needs in my opinion. The 3 first picks go here IMO Of course they could draft a LT, LB, CB, WR, RB or C. What say you

Some pundits think we could draft a RB to replace Johnson as the third RB or grab one high and move Swift. Swift isn't going anywhere. After J. Love there isn't another first round rated RB as to be surprised by a Poles pick. I think we do late in the draft. We still have Brown and Haskins on the roster. Since they keep them around, could they be our third back? Haskins is 5'11" 226 at 4.53 speed. Brown is 6'1" 205 at 4.69 speed. I think Haskins could take Roshaun Johnson place as a power third back. Neither are a heavy load type back but could play a needed backup role. I think they draft a later round speed back to add to the mix. Several fit that profile.

On Gabriel's podcast today, he said that today is the last day for top 30 visits. That you can still do private visits not at the facility or zoom calls are allowed up to the day before the draft. On the private visits you are not allowed to workout or do medicals. I suspect the visits are more for medical and character reviews that come to Hallas Hall. You are not allowed to do field workouts during the top 30 visits either which I didn't know before.

I havent done the amount of film study I usually do this year, so I cant really agree or disagree with your critiques of Iheanchor. If or when I watch more film of him, I will definitely look for the things you mention, so thank you for that. I still think our first pick goes LT though, but I suppose Im making a generic statement about need, and not one driven by close evaluation. I also think unless Lomu is there, we'd like to trade down from 25 if there are any takers. Iheanchor (for example) could probably still be had a little lower, and the 2nd tier of Edge Rushers certainly can.

I understand being covered at LT with the questions on the team but who can come in and play day one? Ozzy will be back at some point and if a rookie needs time to develop it confuses 4 OTs in the room in the future. We need the value of that pick to start.

I’d gladly take Lomu. Iheanchor just looks too awkward (for lack of a better description) to play LT and he takes some really bad sets with his feet. He does that at RT and it won’t get better at LT. Proctor is just big powerful and stiff. Lomu on the other hand is a fluid athlete who can dance with the pass rushers. He doesnt have ideal length, but enough that he can make up for it with his feet. Downside is Lomu needs to get stronger and better in the run game but he still seems to anchor better than Braxton.

I think we will go LT with the 25th pick. Proctor, Lomu or Iheanchor are mostly likely in my opinion, depending on how the board falls. I think that Edge player comes in the second round. A Safety too.

I just don’t see the Peter Woods thing. At all. Setting aside the fact that the Bears added 3 DTs in FA and have Shemar coming back to join Dexter and Grady, “athletically talented underachiever” has essentially never been a Poles draft pick type. There’s no precedent for it, and my sense is that Dennis Allen and Ben Johnson have even less interest in that type than Poles. Five career sacks in college and I’m spending a first round pick to make you my 3T? Are you kidding?

Scott played several positions but most list at CB. I'm curious if Bann drops if any interested in him? Never really looked at him because he is generally a top 5 pick. It's hard to read Poles, he could surprise everyone and take a player constantly being projected to us, Peter Woods.

Passing this along as I ran across it today, on Poles’ search for players that fit DA’s defense. https://www.bleachernation.com/bears/2026/04/06/bears-gm-on-defense/ I am starting to think Meaidor is a real possibility. Poles singled him out in a recent interview with McShay. https://atozsports.com/nfl/chicago-bears-news/bears-ryan-poles-shares-his-true-feelings-on-akheem-mesidor-red-flag-age-2026-nfl-draft/ TJ Parker looks like the other decent first round pick fit at DE if they stay at 25. Keionte Scott looks like a reasonable second round pick target, though I’m a little hesitant to project a rookie changing positions to start at safety where the Bears kind of need an immediate starter.

When I analyze a prospect, I look at highlight film and 2 to 3 games. I read at as many profiles as I can find and form an opinion. I think but I don't know who will be great, good, or a bust. I will trust the bears scouting department. As far as Mc-Warren, the best I can tell is he is a Brisker clone. If they wanted that type of player, I think they would have resigned Brisker. Thieneman is the ideal pick and can play NB, SS and FS with speed of which I think DA wants. Mc-Warren doesn't have the flexibility or speed. There are a few other that fit that criteria, Keionte Scott, Treydan Stukes and Jalon Kilgore. None of them are first round picks. If they do Mc-Warren then they think he is draftable at 25 and I'm wrong. I think they drop back in the second round and first pick will be a DE . As far as the first round, does anyone think they would draft Messidor? His is 25 but he will add to the pass rush right away.

I think with McNeil-Warren, its his hard hitting that draws attention. I dont think that is the type of S Allen wants, so that would be a shock if taken. Dillion Thienemen would be the most ideal S after Caleb Downs, but odds are he goes to Minny.

Not really at 25, but the potential surprise pick in 2-4 rounds to me might be guard. I’m working under the assumption that they want to keep Newman at guard and take advantage of a pretty good center draft and draft a center in those rounds, but they did talk about Newman playing center after the draft, so it’s conceivable that they take a guard in there instead (and I’ve hardly looked at all at the guard crop) that might be an heir apparent to Thuney while Newman is the future center behind Bradberry.

I assume this is in reference to pick 25. There are several positions I’d be shocked about in the first round but at the top of my list has to be QB. Followed by LB and Center. Both positions of need but no clear value in the first. Simple stuff aside, of the players likely on our board and available at 25 I’ll be most disappointed if we draft safety McNeil-Warren. I still don’t understand the hype around him. To me he represents that first player where we say “you can get similar talent between 25 and 40 or maybe 50. But he’s just a safety which is not a priority position on the football field unless the guy is an elite athlete. He’s not. In this case I say improving the D closer to the LOS makes more sense then I don’t need a safety to make a tackle ten yards downfield.

yeah our picks throughout that period and in years before and after have been mostly atrocious. So Im just saying, I don't take Greg Gabriel's clickbait as "evidence" If someone wants to say a player is good or bad for a REASON that makes excellent discussions, and I always learn something in those. But to just say "well Brugler and Gabriel say..." is not a discussion, it's just a brick wall that kills the discussion. It's been extremely quiet here, unfortunately.

He was our first pick that year. I felt Angelo was doing great until the Bears found success and some how they got lazy and cute drafting. They never had luck drafting offensive line though. I hope that page is turning

Oh for sure, I absolutely trust our Coaches and Scouts now much much more. And yes, youre right Gilbert WAS a third rounder - Ill edit that.

We only have one year of the combo Poles -BJ draft expertise but the first year was a win win success. I still think other draftees could be solid contribters going forward. Not all rookies develop at the same timeline. I think King got promoted because of his input into the draft system. It will remain to be seen what effect Ian leaving has on the process. I think AZ had the best take on Gabriel, a part of the old boys network that is not aging well. I personally like him because we have talked on X DM with him and he's a down to earth say it like it is person. Of course he's not always right but I like the history he had with the bears and loyalty to the team being a born and bread Buffalo guy.

Gilbert was a 3rd round pick. They drafted some studs fell apart when I felt Lovie got power. The Bears were a perennial playoff team, we just scratched that surface. I feel pretty good with the direction the Bears are heading but we will see if BJ fills in for the loss of Cuningham

Actually Turner and Newman were reported on Reddit to have visits. I not trying to die on the hill that Greg is always right, I have a tendency to trust pundits that still have ties to the NFL. If he gets bad information of course he probably shouldn't reported it. No one hits every take.

I even question Gabriel's abilities as a scout. He was with the Bears from 2002 until 2009. He was part of a pretty dysfunctional scouting department. Here are all the first, second and third round picks we made during those years. yes there are a few names, but maybe only one that would be worth a mid round first round pick. And LOTS of misses, which is why he and they got fired. For example, they scouted that Hester would be good as a DB. And SO many busts on this list. There was a time on this board where people could discuss their opinions about players, but now whenever anyone does, they get shut down with quotes about how their opinion isnt in lock step with some "expert" or "pundit" - so now we just get regurgitated narratives, and we cant really even discuss our own opinions. That's why the board is slow. We are all being told to bow to someone else. I'll bet most of us have found other boards now too. I know I have. First Round OT Marc Colombo DE Michael Haynes QB Rex Grossman DT Tommie Harris RB Cedric Benson DB Danieal Manning TE Greg Olson OT Chris Williams Second Round CB Charles Tillman DT Tank Johnson WR Mark Bradley DB Devin Hester DE Dan Bauzin RB Matt Forte WR Juaquin Iglesias Third Round OG Terrence Metcalf LB Lance Briggs WR Bernard Berrian DT Dusty Dvoracek RB Garrett Wolfe LB MIchael Okwo WR Earl Bennett DT Marcus Harrison DT Jarron Gilbert

Yes. Greg Gabriel isn't the insider he paints himself to be.