dawhizz

I would like to read/hear an explanation of the switch from LT to RT. That’s generally considered a demotion but maybe they had a stud LT come in. EDIT: Found This: https://www.knoxnews.com/story/sports/college/university-of-tennessee/football/2022/08/05/tennessee-football-darnell-wright-right-tackle/10187298002/

Plus, keep in mind that while Skor was a guy who was pegged as a potentially great OG who might not be able to play OT, the Bears took a guy who can definitely play OT and could probably be a hell of a guard if needed. So I would argue they maybe got the more versatile guy.

Watched the Poles press conference on Twitter. I hope he’s good at his job because I really like him. Says that Wright was their top tackle in the draft and they were really sold on Wright’s tone-setting and aggressive nature. (He didn’t really say this because he wasn’t asked but I get the sense they think he can play LT in the NFL.) Poles went with the O-line coach to do a private workout and they were impressed that he kept performing at a high level as they tried to wear him out. They gave him terminology and had him explain in back to them, had him do sets and changed plays, etc. and he passed all those tests. His performances against top draft picks was a big plus as well. They had one other team call to move up but things never got close and they would have moved far enough down they were worried they wouldn’t get Wright. Says they made a few calls just to feel out the bottom of the first round and will see if they think they might need to move up tomorrow to get a guy in a place that makes sense but also said they could move down. The way he talked I wouldn’t be shocked by a trade up (maybe Keeanu Benton?).

I like seeing that he stays balanced -my issue with Skorondki was that he seemed to constantly be getting bent back and barely holding onto his block, but I don’t see that with him.

https://firstroundmock.com/2023/03/darnell-wright-will-be-a-10-year-nfl-all-pro/

I don’t hate it. I wanted an OT and I like it better than Skoronski because I know Wright can play RT right away. But if you take a RT in the top ten he better be a great RT right away. Otherwise I might have preferred Broderick Jones who can play either. But as far the most sure thing at the exact position the Bears need, he’s hard to argue with.

Just going to put out one "my guys" mock draft before it all gets blown to hell: 9) Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State 53) Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE, Kansas State 61) Clark Phillips, CB, Utah *Trade down in the 3rd get a low 5th & a 6th *3) AT Perry, WR, Wake Forest 103) Zacch Pickens, DT, South Carolina 133) Kobie Turner, DT, Wake Forest 136) Cory Trice, CB, Purdue 148) Ji'Ayir Brown, S, Penn State 5*) Alex Forsyth, C, Oregon 6*) Will Mallory, TE, Miami 218) Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB, UCLA 258) Xazavian Valladay, RB, Arizona State

Lots of good detail on how the deal went down here too: https://www.panthers.com/news/the-room-where-it-happened-inside-the-panthers-trade-for-the-top-pick

Disagree, I thought Gill looked good last year. Third best on franchise history in punting average as a rookie, only one punt blocked, pretty good at pinning teams deep. No way Poles bails on him after one season.

Then again, if he didn’t have love of the game questions, we wouldn’t be potentially In a position to draft him.

My guess at this point: 9) Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State 53) Keeanu Benton, DT, Wisconsin 61) Derick Hall, DE, Auburn 64) Tyrique Stevenson, CB, Miami *Trade down the first pick of the 4th round and get a lower 4th, a 5th, and a 4th next year 4*) Jonathan Mingo, WR, Mississippi 133) Byron Young, DT, Alabama 136) Juice Scruggs, C, Penn State 5*) Sean Tucker, RB, Syracuse 148) Daniel Scott, S, California 218) Jake Witt, OT, Northern Michigan 258) Marte Mapu, LB, Sacramento State

On Carter, my concern is we don’t really have that leader on defense who is going to keep Carter in line and accountable. Edwards is that kind of guy but he’s new. I don’t get the sense Eddie Jackson is that guy. If we still had Hicks, he would be a perfect guy for that role. I’m kind of coming around on Skoronski. I’m not sure he can be a great RT, but it’s hard for he to see him being a complete failure their and I think regardless he would be a clear upgrade from what we trotted out there last year. I still like PJJ more though.

Yeah the rest of the article is paid. I signed up since it’s just $8 for a month and I’ll probably cancel after the draft. But it’s interesting stuff.

And here’s the one on Jalen Carter. https://www.golongtd.com/p/part-5-dl-does-jalen-carter-love

I’m somewhat suspicious of the scouts Bob McGinn cites in his yearly breakdowns, but this paints a pretty pessimistic view of the OL prospects in general, especially if you pony up for the full article: https://www.golongtd.com/p/part-2-ol-buyer-beware

I almost took Bresee instead. I think he might be the better fit.

19. Calijah Kancey DT Pittsburgh 50. Cody Mauch OT North Dakota State 53. Felix Anudike-Uzomah EDGE Kansas State 61. DJ Turner CB Michigan 64. Siaki Ika DT Baylor 103. Jayden Reed WR Michigan State 133. Isaiah McGuire EDGE Missouri 136. Will Mallory TE Miami (FL) 148. Juice Scruggs OC Penn State 218. Malik Cunningham QB Louisville 258. Daniel Scott S California FULL RESULTS START NEW SIM

Was messing with scenarios and wondered what people would think of the draft below. I’m kind of intrigued with the idea of getting Kancey and pairing him with a huge dude on the line.

The trade down situation is interesting - seems like most reports say teams have 15-18 players graded as first round picks. That’s also the range where the Bears are suspected to want to trade down to. Do they do that knowing the guy they get might not be graded as a first round pick on their board?

Also saw the had CB Cory Trice from Purdue in today.

Pick swap of like 15 spots in the 7th round and the Rams pay a lot of the salary. Definition of a “nothing to lose” trade.

I feel like I've looked at so many rankings and evaluations at this point that I can make a pretty good case for or against just about anyone in the draft, but here's where I'm at on a hopeful/realistic mock draft for the Bears: 9) Paris Johnson, OT, Ohio State - Biggest need if we are trying to set Justin Fields up for success next year and checks all the boxes as far as character, length, athleticism, and versatility. 53) Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE, Kansas State - The Bears need an edge in the first four picks. I could probably make a case for a lot of guys here, but FAU seems to have the best combination of production, length, and speed while also having the size to hold up as a 4-3 DE. 61) Clark Phillips III, CB, Utah - Again, there's lots of CBs in this range I like, and maybe the CB the Bears draft depends a little on whether they see Gordon fitting best outside or at nickel going forward, but I'm hedging a bit here by taking Phillips, who can definitely play nickel but might be just feisty enough to play outside too. 64) AT Perry, WR, Wake Forest - Adding DJ Moore is great, but they are also an injury to DJ Moore away from having the exact same WR group as last year. Lots of the 2nd/3rd round WRs are the small speedy type and I'd prefer to give those reps to Velus Jones going forward (though I do really like Tank Dell), so I'm going to go with Perry, because the Bears don't really have a developmental X receiver on the roster, Perry's basically George Pickens physically, and the Bears passed on Pickens last year and shouldn't do it again. 103) Moro Ojomo, DT, Texas - I'm not real sold on the 3Ts when we get out of the first round, but Ojomo is young enough and disruptive enough to warrant a pick here hoping he can contribute on rotation and grow into the role. 133) Ricky Stromberg, C, Arkansas - Between Whitehair, Patrick, and Kramer I'm not sure OC is enough of a need to go with early, but Stromberg seems to have the strength and movement skills to maybe push one of those guys out and maybe even for a starting role. 136) Cory Trice, CB, Purdue - The CB depth chart is pretty iffy, so I'll be happy to spend another pick on a tough prototype press corner who can project to the outside. 148) Ji'Ayir Brown, S, Penn State - I'm glad Eddie Jackson had a partial bounce-back year last year, but I'm still not sold on him at that price going forward, and our only back-up at this point is Elijah Hicks, so let's reunite Brisker with Brown, who can play either safety spot, play in sub-packages, and be a special teams demon. 218) Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB, UCLA - There are some rumblings he will go earlier than this, but we've heard that about a lot of QBs in the past. We are obviously changing our QB profile so he fits well with Fields and Walker, and I'd certainly rather have him running the offense in an emergency situation than Peterman. 258) Xazvian Valladay, RB, Arizona State - Valladay runs a bit upright but he shows enough speed, hands, and elusiveness producing in a big conference to push Ebner on the roster.

I still feel like PJJ is the clear pick. I don’t see a box he doesn’t check for them: - Familiarity with Fields - Character - LT/RT flexibility - Long arms (like Braxton) - Athletic mover - Aggressive finisher