Pixote

I wouldn't be surprised if Poles was looking at Lucas, saw NEP leapfrog us to draft him, and decided he wasn't going to take a chance on losing Logan Jones. I'm Okay with taking him early.

Maybe it's a good sign. The majority of posters on the forum wanted the Bears' GM to select a specific player before the draft. How often does it happen? Usually, instead of the player we all agreed on, the player selected is someone we never considered. I've been with this forum since DaWebmaster, Jeff Timms, started it up. Caleb Williams and Brian Urlacher are the only 2 I can think of besides Dillon T (who very few of us expected to be available).

Dillon Thieneman ran a 4.35 40 at the combine. More speed has been added to the roster. I'm still trying to figure out how I read a different name (can't recall the name, but it was certainly not Dillon's) being announced as our pick. I was disappointed they would pass on a Safety everyone thought would be gone by the time we picked. Good job, Poles!

Wait, they drafted Dillon Thieneman? I thought they announced someone else. Fantastic pick!

Never fails, every year they surprise me. Hope this guy is good. I confess, I don't know a thing about him.

Wow, tough to choose. Might be Safety but not the one everyone wants. ;-) Lots of Edge left. OT?

Proctor went a bit higher than I expected.

A 3 and a 5 to move back 3 spots. I hope Poles will get an offer as good as that.

If we stick to drafting defense, we will have a good chance of drafting 4 day-one contributors. They were that bad. It will be difficult to find many day-one contributors on offense. They were that good!

From what I've read. From what I've seen on the limited amount of tape I have reviewed. This is a piss poor draft class. You have a dozen players with the WOW factor. The rest have many question marks in their evaluation. We are discussing potential edge players in the 1st and 2nd rounds who are being graded at least a round higher than they would be in a much deeper draft. If the opportunity is presented, I wouldn't blame Poles for trading for 2026 picks for 2027 picks. Unless you have a team roster full of other teams' leftovers, I don't see many of these players being day-one contributors.

Yeah, should have researched it. I actually deleted my post. He's 21. It was a post on "X" should have known it was bad info.

I've said I prefer an Edge as our pick if we do not trade down; however, I can certainly understand drafting a left OT in the first. The thing I see when I view images of Lomu is a tall, skinny guy, yet he is supposed to weigh 311.

My guy would be Akheem Mesidor. My #1 priority in this draft would be to give our DC a 3 down player who can start day one, game one, THIS YEAR, and pressure/sack the QB. Yes, he's 25. Yes, he had foot surgery a few years back. But players like Bain will be long gone. I think Mesidor will be the last one standing when we pick at #25 to fill the role I want Poles to address. If no one is available to fill the role I want to prioritize, I want to trade down and get another round 2 pick.

I want a player from a tough conference with at least 2 years of starter production. No 'hidden gem' from a small school in a weak conference. No player with 6 total sacks in 3 years, "but it must have been the scheme." Potential is nice, quality stats are better. And I have to add, forget about the guy who can jump out of the swimming pool. Age doesn't bother me so much. If I draft a guy 1st round and he gives me 5 years of blue-chip production on a rookie contract, hallelujah!

Does it increase the value of our pick if traded? 🤣

I just can't figure out Cincy. If I had to choose, straight up, one for one, between Hendrickson and Lawrence, I'd choose Hendrickson without hesitation. Yet they allow Hendrickson to walk without compensation and give up a top 10 pick in this year's draft to sign Lawrence. Fire the GM!

That's great to hear. Great draft pick. Nice to see players we drafted being extended. Especially when the player has proven not only to be a valuable asset on the field, but also a good guy when he takes off his cleats.

NFL.com reported Cincy gave Lawrence a $28 million one-year extension.

An article on SI.com: Bears Must Target Alex Highsmith as Elite Consolation Prize for Dexter Lawrence says the Steelers might be interested in trading Highsmith. Personally, if Poles wants a FA veteran to add for the pass rush, I think there are better options. Highsmith has missed 10 games over the past 2 years due to injuries. We don't need another aging veteran on IR.

Will Anderson of Houston just signed a 150 Million 3 year extension. 134 Million guaranteed! So does Lawrence use that as leverage? Who knows? I've seen players insist on being traded, then sign for less than they were being offered by the new team.

Way too much IMO. The dude is good. But you can get a Pro Bowl-caliber player at #10, dirt-cheap for 5 years. Gamble? Every pick is. But signing any free agent with a huge contract late in his career is also a gamble.

If I'm not mistaken, Schoen, the NYG GM, is the brilliant mind who allowed Barkley to leave and sign with the Eagles. I wouldn't be surprised to see him screw this up. Lawrence is traded for a 2nd or 3rd round pick. Does Poles make the trade? I doubt it. The Bears' future cap health would be at risk.

This is a quote from an article I read about Kevin White being the worst draft bust in the past 25 years. Poles constantly getting extra picks has paid off, more darts to throw. LOL

I'm sure you're right. However, just because they confirm he was the best option to turn to doesn't mean there will not be a big drop-off. I read he was ranked 30 out of 40 qualifying centers in 2025. The encouraging point is that he will be sandwiched between two outstanding guards.

Looking at the players' positions, it is encouraging that they have 3 centers listed. I am very leery of the guy we picked up from NE. Maye was sacked 47 times. Now, it's not all on the Center, but???