dawhizz

Roderick Johnson also still available, right?

Pretty much the only way I see of coming out of this draft with a day one starter in 2017.

We have a bunch of decent not great guys in the secondary, but this was a draft deep at DB where you could get an above average starter at S or CB in the 2nd. Now we didn't and I don't see the point of addressing it. Is a rookie CB we get in the 4-6 rounds going to be better than BW Webb/Callahan/LeBlanc? Is a safety we get in the 4-6 rounds going to be better than Amos/Bush/Hall/Houston-Carson? I don't see it. Depth isn't he problem. Quality starting caliber players are, IMO. I think with the four remaining picks, you look for positions without that depth. I'm thinking that means, in no particular order swing tackle with starter upside, WR who can play outside, pass-rush specialist, and maybe a versatile DL. Bold wildcard Ryan Pace prediction - The Bears use one of their 4th round picks on Zane Gonzalez, the kicker from Arizona State. Conner Barth was not particularly impressive last year and he's clearly the best K in the draft.

Why make this pick after signing Sims (to a pretty decent contract) to fill a similar role? Does Zach Miller just get cut?

No one who will help much this year, sadly. Maybe Tedric Thompson at safety and a potential outside receiver?

Do not like. Consider seeing the level of competition can he even be a factor this year? If not, you come out of the first three rounds of the draft with zero help for your team this year.

As I type, there goes Williams. Still have Josh Jones, Justin Evans, Obi on the board. Wildcard if Pace goes pure FS - Tedric Thompson. Gotta get one of those guys, IMO.

A starting safety (Marcus Williams?). I'm just not sure you can trade down far enough in the 2nd to get a 3rd and still get a starting safety.

Also gave up our 7th this year.

I'm willing to bet there was no other offer and Bears just got played.

Would be shocked if we don't trade down. Still value picks in the 2nd and 3rd at places the Bears need help. If not, I assume safety.

I'm ok with Trubisky (I'm the one who thinks he's Mahomes with better mechanics). It's the trade up that burns me. But if he's a franchise QB, no one will care. Now we trade down in the 2nd and try to get some value back in the middle rounds, where we can still get potential starters at S,CB, TE.

Trade up. All those picks. Trubisky. Speechless.

Pace talked a lot today about drafting players with top intangibles, who fit the positive "vibe" in the locker room, and wanting to immediately get better. I'm taking that to heart here when I try a draft that makes sense and that Pace might be trying to pull off based on that criteria. I'm assuming no trades, though I'm sure the Bears would love to trade down in the first and then back into the first to get Kizer. 1) Jamal Adams, S, LSU - Clean medicals, solid player, and reportedly one of the best leaders LSU has had in a decade. Hooker is a better pass defender, but Bears were worse in run defense than pass defense last year, and Adams is a better pass defender than Hooker is a tackler/run defender. Plus, you don't want to draft scared, but Hooker's medical questions are hard for me to overlook and maybe even harder for Pace to overlook. 2) Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss - Bears have reportedly done a ton of work him and he can help at TE and outside receiver. 3) Josh Dobbs, QB, Tennessee - Top leader, smart guy, great arm, and plenty of starts under his belt. Plus, his running ability can give him some experience this year in short yardage/goal line situations. 4) Chris Godwin, WR, Penn State - Doesn't have great size or speed, but gets the job done, particularly in big games, and great team player who is an asset blocking. 4) Dalvin Tomlinson, DE, Alabama - Smart versatile defensive leader. Can be a run stuffing compliment to Bullard on the end or kick inside on passing downs. 5) Cam Sutton, CB, Tennessee - In a deep CB draft, someone will tumble. Sutton's probably more of a nickel with fringe outside corner size and is coming off an injury, but if healthy he's got starter ability. Team captain. 7) Cameron Lee, OT, Illinois State - Developmentsl tackle with great size who is more technically sound than lots of small school guys and hasn't missed a practice or game in two years. This will surely be obsolete in 24 hours . . .

Trading up to take Watson would be dumb as hell.

I feel the same way. The fact that he can't even work out is huge, especially for a one year wonder.

As far as player we are most likely to regret passing on, I would say Malik Hooker, but I keep hearing a great safety still isn't worth a top pick.

Do you like it more if it's Peterman or Dobbs? They all have problems.

I expect hate from this, but here we go: 1) Jonathan Allen, DE, Alabama - I'm torn between him and Adams. But the Bears biggest defensive problem last year was stopping the run, and Allen is probably the best DL at stopping the run and there aren't many others in the draft who can do it as well as he can. 2) Marcus Williams, S, Utah - Bears get their ballhawk to start with Demps. 3) Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami - A lot on the board seem to hate him. And he did have problems with pressure last year. But he impressed me in the Gruden QB Camp, and he's the first QB I can remember in recent years who was projected to be a 1st or 2nd round pick his previous year, went out and had a better year in all respects, and somehow lost 2 rounds of value. For the record, I would be fine with Peterman or Dobbs here as well. 4) Jordan Leggett, TE, Clemson - For all the reasons mentioned above (which means there's 0 chance he's a Bear). 4) Julie'n Davenport, OT, Bucknell - Need a project to groom at OT and he's one of the few who should be available in the middle rounds who has LT upside. 5) Josh Reynolds, WR, Texas A&M - I'd like to see a big physical outside WR project somewhere in the middle rounds. Reynolds is my favorite, but there are plenty others who would fit the bill. 7) Zane Gonzalez, K, Arizona State - Barth is not the answer.

See, I think you already found Kwiatkoski. You have two starters at ILB that just signed multi-year contracts, Kwiatkoski, and Timu/Anderson (who were OK when they were in there), plus Christian Jones and play inside in a pinch. Is a late round pick going to be a real upgrade from Timu? I tend to doubt it. I think you need to find a Kwiatkoski type at OLB. Floyd is obviously a long term-starter, but Houston and Young are nearing the end of their deals and are prime cut/trade candidates. Acho is mostly a special teamer and Robertson-Harris sounds like he's transitioning to DE, so there's no young talent at OLB except Floyd. I'd like to see a well-rounded tackling machine/unheralded guy in the 5th or 7th (we don't have a 6th round pick) to develop at OLB. Maybe Blair Brown can be that guy. My "guy" is Jalen Reeves-Maybe out of Tennessee. He's a little undersized and missed his senior year with a shoulder injury, but racked up great numbers in his sophomore and junior years (101 tackles, 11 for loss, two sacks as a sophomore, 105 tackles, 14 for loss, six sacks, four pass breakups as a junior). He'd probably be a 3rd round pick without the injury, so he's definitely worth the risk for me in the later rounds as a developmental guy.

For the record, I kind of like Kaaya and Dupre in those spots, but I'll join in the fun/potential misery: 1) Garrett Bolles, OT, Utah - Bears brought him in for a visit recently, but hopefully not because they are considering actually taking a 25-year-old project at #3. 2) Davis Webb, QB, Cal - I don't hate him, but I hate him here. 3) Eric Saubert, TE, Drake - It's a little early in a great TE draft to get a guy with the reported physical tools, but who is coming from a small school and can't consistently block or catch. 4) Lorenzo Jerome, S, St. Francis - In a great safety draft, Bears fall in love with his turnovers and overlook the fact that he's short, slow, and a small school guy not ready to contribute. 4) Noah Brown, WR, Ohio State - It's hard to find a WR in this draft I don't like, but it's hard to get behind a guy with like 40 career receptions. 5) Austin Rehkow, P, Idaho - Bears try to solve one punter drafting mistake by taking another one even earlier. 7) Hardy Nickerson, LB, Illinois - Bloodlines pick who can't play outside in a 3-4 and won't make the team inside.

For why Trubisky is rated so high, it's a short sample size with one year starting, but he showed everything you want to see in the one year - arm strength, mobility, accuracy, etc. You'd love to see him do it again, obviously, but he looked great this year. The more I watch, the guy I'm having a hard time geting on board with, weirdly, is Watson. Obviously the record is great and he had some great comebacks against really good teams, but you do you realize he had 30 interceptions the last two years and 17 just last year. By comparison, last year Trubisky had 6, Kizer had 9, Mahomes had 10, and Peterman had 7. Hell, even Kaaya, who everyone hates now, only had 7. And when I watch the games, Watson could have more than he has. A lot of his completions seem to be slants, screens, or throwing the ball up to Mike Williams. I would be less than thrilled taking him at #3 and would be livid if we traded up to #2 to take him. As for 2018, I'm not sure what you mean by "hidden gems", but the top QBs are projected to be Sam Darnold from USC, Mason Rudolph from Oklahoma State, Josh Allen from Wyoming, Luke Falk from Washington State, and Josh Rosen from UCLA.

I'd be OK with it, but wouldn't love it. I'm a fan of Adams in the first. Humphry is OK in the 2nd, but I think there will be better players at bigger need positions there (TE, QB). I'm not really a fan of the 5Ts further down the draft, so I'm pretty meh on Watkins. It seems to me if we don't take Allen/Thomas in the 1st, I'd just as soon just see what Bullard can do next year - he flashed in preseason last year and I'm not giving up on him and it sounds like Roy Robertson-Harris, who the team was high on last year, is bulking up to play 5T as well.

In the admittedly few games I've watched of both Mahomes and Trubisky, I came away with the impression that their arms are fundamentally very similar. The difference is that Mahomes tries to do crazy things that occasionally work, and Trubisky stays true to his fundamentals. Honestly, everyone keeps saying "man, if you can get Mahomes to break his bad habits, with his arm strength, watch out", whereas I'm starting to feel like Trubisky is already what Mahomes would look like without his bad habits.

Honestly, the approach by the Bears doesn't seem that hard to figure out and it seems to me with the Bears picks and the amount of work they have done on these guys they should be able to execute it: 1) If there's one guy you love and see as a can't miss, franchise guy, you take him at #3 and don't look back. (I find this unlikely because no one seems to think any of these QBs are "can't miss" guys, but it's possible). 2) If there's another position player you see as a can't miss, franchise guy at #3, you take him and figure out QB later (see below). 3) If there's a couple guys at QB you love, you try to trade down a bit if possible and still put yourself in a position to take one of them. In the unlikely event one is already gone, you probably take the other at #3. 4) If you don't love any of the top QBs, go elsewhere in the 1st. 5) If you went somewhere else in the first, and a guy you really like is still there at #20, you start figuring out how you can trade back into the 1st and take him. 6) If one of the top four QBs is still there when you pick in the 2nd and you like him, you take him. 7) If there's a 2nd tier guy you really like (Webb, Peterman, Dobbs, Kaaya), you evaluate the QB market and determine if you should take him with your pick in the 2nd, trade down in the 2nd and take him, trade up from the 3rd to the late 2nd and take him, or stay with your pick in the 3rd and take him. I would be pretty surprised if the Bears don't take a QB in the first three rounds and can't see it being anyone other than someone from this list: Trubisky, Watson, Mahomes, Kizer, Webb, Peterman, Dobbs, or Kaaya. I have favorites and least favorites, but I don't hate any of those guys, but the real questions will be where was the Bears QB drafted, was it good value, and did we adequately address our other needs.