dawhizz

I wasn't much of a fan of Montgomery going into the process, admittedly. I also don't like the trading of yet another future pick and I thought a lot of the mid-round RBs were similar enough that you could get nearly equivalent value in the 3rd as you might get in the 5th.

Always interested to see where others would have gone with the Bears picks. I would not have traded up for Montgomery and I assume he would have been gone when I picked at 87, so I would have gone this way: 3) Julian Love, CB, Notre Dame - Can work in the slot like eventual actual selection Duke Sweeney but big enough to develop as an outside corner as well. 4) Travyveon Williams, RB, Texas A&M - This is who I took in my pre-draft mock draft and although I think he didn't actually go until the 6th I'd have taken him here. 5) D'Andre Walker, Edge, Florida State - I probably had him as a 3rd round pick or so, so I'd take him here as a developmental pass rusher. 7a) Isaac Nauta, TE, Georgia - Although I like Dax Raymond who we got as a UDFA, I would have probably taken Nauta at this point in the draft. 7b) Emanuel Hall, WR, Missouri - Great that we got him in UDFA, I would have had a hard time passing on him as the highest guy on most draft boards at this point in the draft.

Ridley seems to me like a slower, less athletic Chris Conley, who Nagy had in KC and who KC drafted at a similar point in the draft. I don't think he's a top receiver, but he's a good guy to have on your team, runs good routes, catches the ball well, etc.

I am interested to see what he can behind a better O-line because part of the reason he broke so many tackles is because he didn’t have the clean running lanes a lot of other backs did, so he maybe didn’t have s chance to show long speed. But as it is I watch his highlights and it’s mostly goal line dives and 12-yard runs, which don’t get me super excited personally.

Meh from me. I get it, especially with all the Kareem Hunt comps, but he looks small and couldn’t break long ones in college. I liked the mid round RBs as a whole, so I bet there will be some one at 87 or when they pick in the fourth that I’d just as soon have as Montgomery (either Williams, Weber, etc.). I’ll say this - the Bears better be improved running the football next year after trading Jordan Howard for not much and giving up draft capital to move up for Montgomery.

Considering it's still 50+ picks until we pick, I don't think you can predict anything about what will be available when we pick based on what has happened so far. It's funny, the only guy I thought might conceivably be available when the Bears pick at 87 that has been picked was Darnell Savage.

Interesting development in the Gould situation: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001027539/article/kicker-robbie-gould-wants-niners-to-trade-him

The nice thing about this RB class, and maybe this is a product of not having a 1st or 2nd round pick, is that there isn't really any RB that I hate. There's some I prefer, and I may quibble with the round we take a RB or the one we choose given the available options, but apart from some of the plodders that I don't think are considerations for the Bears anyway (Damien Harris, Elijah Holyfield) I'm pretty much fine with whoever they believe is the best fit.

I am becoming receptive to this approach as well - It seems to me when you wait so long to make your first pick, one of two things happens - either you get to your pick and there is one guy still on your board that you thought should have gone at round and a half earlier that's still there, in which case you take him and don't look back, or you've sat through so many picks that there's probably 10-15 guys on your board that you thought should have gone much earlier, which at that point, why not trade down ten spots, still get one of those guys, and get extra picks. With your trade in mind, I would go: 95: Oshane Ximines, Edge, Old Dominion - Lots are mocking a RB to the Bears for their first pick, but I think it's a bad look to trade your starter for a conditional 5th, and then spend a 3rd on his replacement, and the middle rounds figure to be so bunched with RBs that you can wait a round (though if Miles Sanders is still on the board, I think that's the one RB they would take here). So I'll pick a Pace special - small school athlete with college production who can add another body to the pass rush mix. 126: Trayveon Williams, RB, Texas A&M - The Bears have looked at literally every mid-round RB in the draft, so they are drafting one at some point, but no one can seem to decide on the favorite. Personally, I think they want a guy who can run between the tackles but catch the ball well out of the backfield, with more speed than Howard had. My gut tells me the Bears are targeting either Williams or Mike Weber out of OSU with Dexter Williams and Jalin Moore in the conversation as well. I like Williams the most out of those personally, so he's the pick. 132: Isaac Nauta, TE, Georgia - Nice, well rounded TE that was never used as much as you'd think by Georgia, but can provide insurance for Shaheen's inevitable injury. I like Warring too, but I don't think he lasts this long. 143: Mitch Hyatt, OL, Clemson - A versatile offensive lineman who has a ton of big time experience and can step in as swing tackle or even take reps at guard if needed. 222: Matt Gay, K, Utah - The Bears have arguably the biggest kicker need in the entire draft, so unless they sort out things with Robbie Gould ahead of the draft, they can't afford to wait until UDFA to get their guy. Gay has the bigger leg and a little more experience in the cold. 238: Ugo Amadi, S, Oregon - When you can get a Lombardi winner in the seventh round, you do it. Amadi is pretty much exactly what the secondary needs - a safety to develop who can get immediate nickel/dime CB reps.

The guy that keeps sticking in my mind as a possibility on the DL is Khalen Saunders from Western Illinois. He doesn't have the height that you usually want in a 5T, but all the stuff I've read talk about how he's a guy you can put anywhere on the line and just gets constant penetration, kind of what we heard about Aaron Donald when he was coming out. That seems like the kind of guy Pace would like - small school with production, really athletic, but versatile so he could spell pretty much anyone on the line in a rotation, and I think I read somewhere that some teams have worked him out on offense. http://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2019/story/_/id/26553401/backflips-basketball-baby-legend-nfl-draft-prospect-khalen-saunders

Bears have plenty of cap space still and someone will shake loose in preaseason cuts if it still looks like a problem. See what the young guys can do and go after a veteran if they aren’t cutting it.

Worth noting the Daniels is only 20 years old. He’s plug and play now and can still get better.

Shaquem Griffin too.

Not lacking in confidence: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/a-letter-to-nfl-gms-anthony-miller

Lots of guys I like, but I'd prefer either Hernandez or Connor Williams. I have this feeling they take Anthony Miller though.

My guy: Fitzpatrick Would be fine with: Nelson, James, Smith, Ward Don't want at 8: Davenport, Landry, Edmunds

He is awful. If he worked at G the Giants would have tried him there. No thanks.

I’ve been trying to analyze this draft based on what Pace has done in the past, and I can’t shake this feeling that Pace goes either Nelson or secondary in the first, then trades down in the second and ends up taking . . . Shaquem Griffin. Most have heard his story by now - LB/edge prospect from Central Florida who has no left hand but had 33 TFL and 18 sacks over the past two years. Look, after Chubb all the pass rushers have issues, but Pace has valued athleticism (Griffin ran a 4.38) and isn’t afraid to be daring (see Trubisky, Shaheen, Cohen). Most have him as a round 4-5 player, but he just screams Pace guy to me https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2018-nfl-draft-prospect-shaquem-griffin-im-definitely-not-just-a-feel-good-story/amp/

I'm leaning toward Fitzpatrick (my preference) or James. My reasoning: -You hired a new offensive line coach. Let's see what he can do with what we have (or add someone in later rounds that he thinks he can get a lot out of) before spending a top pick on Nelson. -On defense, we have (or hope we have) a difference maker on the DL (Hicks) and LB (Floyd), and I like the idea of a difference maker at every level of defense. Despite what PFF says, I think Amos is our weak link in the secondary. Fitzpatrick can immediately be your starting FS, but have versatility to line up at CB or even LB with Amos at safety in certain situations. I think that makes the biggest difference. I would not be opposed to Ward either if the staff thinks he's a true #1 CB (when's the last time we had one of those), but I don't see it in him personally.

What do you mean you hated him when he was drafted? You said in that string that you thought it was a "good pick", you're only disagreement appeared to be getting rid of Marshall and replacing him with White, which is understandable, but a far cry from hating him as a player.

There will be other comparable or better WRs than Gentry available in waivers. I'd rather have Kasen Williams, for instance.

Yep. Best case scenario he made the practice squad, which you can lose to another team at any point anyway, and at this point he would just be taking snaps from other players who need them more.

This reads to me as "just in case Kevin White is bad and/or injured, let's have another outside receiver in camp."

Thank goodness the reservation wasn't under Cade McNown, otherwise Pace would have been justified in taking him off our draft board.

No real surprises here. Sutton was never a fit in the 3-4, Edison is obsolete with Grasu & Boggs, and Royal couldn't get on the field. Lasike is a little interesting considering he was the only FB on the roster and now that title belongs to undrafted rookie Freddie Stevenson, who hasn't even stepped on the practice field yet. Also saw that Victor Cruz is scheduled to visit the Bears on Monday. Not sure what he has left in the tank.