dawhizz

New Bears 1920 video on free agency. Interesting to hear them say they feel they have starters at every position - wonder who they think the other starter at S is. More on the focus on speed, aggression, and love for football.

Wow. Much more than I thought. Bears couldn’t have gotten close to this if they wanted to.

At this point, I wait until after the draft, or at least after the first round. The Giants purported ask is astronomical and if someone else wants to pay it, fine. If he’s still in NY on Friday, maybe There’s a deal to be had, but let’s just se what happens if he’s still there after the draft ends.

I don’t really like Woods or Banks. I guess I could live with Banks in the 2nd but really don’t want Woods in the first. Change it to an Edge and I’d be OK with it.

Relevant.

It’s really crazy how two completely unlikely random events - Trapilo getting majorly injured in the playoffs and Dalman retiring, affected this draft. Think how focused we could be if we don’t have to (potentially) address LT and C long-term.

I just have a hard time finding a fit. Beyond just not liking this DT class much, it seems like DA doesn't like the big, run-stuffing NT type which is, if anything, the strength of this class. By the end of the 2nd where we're picking, I can't get excited about any of the players really. Gracen Halton seems like the closest to a fit to what DA likes that might be worth that pick, but is he giving this team anything different than playing Shemar Turner/James Lynch/Kentavious Street/Dayo those snaps?

My best guess one week out: 1) Akheem Mesidor, DE, Miami - I believe he's falling due to age and I also believe Poles doesn't care. I think now that the Bears are at playoff team the goal is "get me grown men who can play now" and not "get me young guys who can develop (as you will see with my other picks. I would not have thought this pick was possible even a month ago but I think this is pretty possible now. 2a) Treydan Stukes, S, Arizona - Yes, another 25 year old. Has the speed and versatility the Bears defense appears to be looking for this offseason. 2b) DeZhaun Stribling, WR, Ole Miss - Came in for a Bears visit. Can play inside and outside and one of the better blocking WRs in the draft, which Ben will surely appreciate. Seems to be rising into this range, but maybe a trade down into the beginning of the third and picking up a 5th or something would work as well. 3) Logan Jones, C, Iowa - The third 25 year old - this probably won't happen but he seems to fit what the Bears want on the offensive line as far as combining movement skills with aggressive demeanor, and should be ready to challenge Bradbury right away or take over next year. 4) Charles Demmings, CB, Stephen F. Austin - This probably where you get another body at outside CB. I went back and forth between Demmings, who is fast but will have level of competition concerns, and Devin Moore from Florida, who might be more ready to play but has a concerning injury history, but I decided Moor was a little too much like Terrell Smith with the injuries. 7a) Aaron Graves, DT, Iowa - Just dart throws at this point, but Graves has played inside and outside and fits the Dennis Allen type. 7b) Cole Wisniewski, S, Texas, Tech - Even with an earlier safety, the Bears might need another body there as the depth is not great. Wisniewski is big and can play in the box in a safety/linebacker hybrid role.

5% trade up 55% stay put 40% trade down

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.

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?

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.

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.

That’s fine, I just think he’s demonstrably wrong about the visit thing. The only ones we know did are Hyppolite and Frazier based on post draft comments. Can’t seem to find one way or another with Trapilo, Turner, or Newman but: Loveland says he’s never been to Halas Hall during the Bears 1920 post draft video (at 8:35) Here’s the post draft media conference call where Burden says the Bears didn’t really talk to him much prior to the draft (which suggests to me the didn’t bring him in for a visit) - it’s at 4:15: Monongai says his only pre-draft interactions with the Bears was an informal at the combine and maybe a call during the process (at 0:50):

I’ve seen people say that all the players drafted had come in for a 30 visit (like Greg Gabriel) but I’m pretty sure that’s not true. If you watch the post-draft video from last year, Loveland pretty clearly says he’s never been to the Bears facility. I’m pretty sure Burden, Trapilo, and Turner didn’t visit either even though they met with those guys at the combine/senior bowl I think.