dawhizz

But can't you make the same argument about the guys who came out early this year? I mean, Kaaya looked like a stud as a freshman and sophomore, then didn't progress as a junior and now he looks like a mid-round pick. But no one has a problem with Kizer or Trubisky as first round picks, yet another disappointing year by Kizer or another 13 games to pick apart for Trubisky might have landed them the same fate. And would a third year of Mahomes playing sandlot football with mechanics all over the place still look so endearing?

I just can't see the Bears taking a QB at #3. Fox and Pace need to start turning this franchise around. I would be shocked if they used the first pick on a player that would be least likely to help this team this year. One other thing I don't really get about the people who want a QB at #3: I keep hearing the argument that the Bears won't be picking at #3 again, so they have to take advantage and take the QB. But it seems to me that either (a) Glennon will do well, which will lessen the need for a QB, or (2) Glennon will do poorly, in which case we're probably picking high again next year. I personally don't think 4 QBs are going in the first round, so I think you take an impact player at #3 (if you can't trade down), and then target a QB in the second round or trade back into the back of the first round if a guy you love is there.

I agree. If you consider him, it shouldn't be until after the draft shakes out and you see if you were able to add someone there.

He's still rumored to be available and after the Tim Jernigan trade there is speculation that he would cost a mid-round pick. He's had issues in the past and is in the last year of his deal, but the Bears have plenty of cap room to absorb his deal and even extend him. He would make the line potentially scary. What about #3 to the Jets for #6 and Richardson? The Bears wouldn't need Allen/Thomas anyway and at #6 could still go QB/Adams/Hooker.

I may be in the minority, but I'm fine with Timu and Anderson as the backups at ILB and Jones can still play there in a pinch.

It's not hard to find references to Quintin Demps as a free safety either (http://www.profootballweekly.com/2017/03/09/chicago-bears-fill-need-at-safety-by-signing-veteran-quintin-demps/apb3eza/ http://texanswire.usatoday.com/2017/03/11/...aft-need-list/). None of those sites are directly from the Bears and, let's be honest, they are guessing as to Demps' role on the Bears until someone tells us what it's going to be, and it's going to be relative to who is on the roster, but I would argue that a depth chart that has Adrian Amos as the FS (he has 0 career interceptions and 6 career pass defenses over two years) and Quintin Demps as the SS (who has 7 interceptions and 15 pass defenses over the same period of time) may want to reevaluate its understanding of the meaning of those terms. I mean, would you disagree that Demps is the best pass defender currently on the roster? If so, shouldn't he be the default FS? And, for the record, I think Adams would be fine at FS, at least as much so as Adrian Amos, though to answer Lemon's questions, there's not much of a difference between free and strong in the Bears system: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...0519-story.html

I don't get this at all. Safety is an important part of the secondary and having a safety who plays the run and the pass well is difficult to find and very valuable. Once such a player is identified, he is rarely available (see Eric Berry). The Bears haven't had a great safety since Mike Brown and may not have even had a safety that qualifies as above average since then, depending on how you feel about Daniel Manning and Chris Harris. The lack of a good safety has been a major reason why the Bears defense has stunk in recent years. I understand this is a great safety draft. But I think too many people misunderstand what that means. Sure, part of what it means is that you can likely get a likely starter later than usual. Could the Bears draft a starter in the third round? Very possibly. But, in all likelihood, that's probably just going to be another average starter. Which is undoubtedly good value. But the Bears have been using the middle rounds to find average starters for years. Chris Conte, Adrian Amos. Major Wright. All OK. None above average. None premier. The other part of what "great safety draft" means this year is that there are premier safety prospects available. That is not always the case. In the last ten years there were zero premier safety prospects in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2015. In 2010 was Eric Berry and Earl Thomas. In 2012 was Mark Barron. In 2016 was Jalen Ramsey (if you consider him a safety). That's it. Four premier safety prospects since 2008. Two of those players are All Pros. One (Ramsey) is probably on his way. The other (Barron) disappointed. That's a pretty good success rate in a limited sample size. Fact is, you don't get a chance at that all-pro safety that often. Most agree there are two in this draft. One has an injury history and has only started on year of college football. The other defends the pass, is aggressive against the run, has never missed a game, and is universally considered one of the leaders in this draft. Jamal Adams. And I don't understand how that's not worth the #3 pick. DEs like Thomas and Allen are available every year. So are CBs like Lattimore. So are QBs like Watson and Trubisky. A safety like Adams is not available every year and the Bears, drafting at #3, are in the rare position to take him. Would I like to get him at #10? Sure. Who wouldn't? But more than that - I just want to get him.

The more I think about it, I think the Bears almost have to take Jamal Adams at #3: By all accounts, he's a great leader, which you need and has no character concerns. He's an immediate starter and probably the biggest immediate positional upgrade you can make. No health concerns (Hooker, Lattimore, Allen). Has all the tools you want. Seems to be safest bet outside of Garrett to be a pro bowl player, which we desperately need. The only knocks on him that I've seen are based purely on a question of value, either (1) Should a safety go that high? and (2) can you get comparable value in rounds 2-3? The second one is a legitimate point, but if he's an above average safety, are we going to really care if a couple of the 2/3 guys also do well, especially since some will also bust?

What would be the point of adding another mid-round safety? The Bears have been trying to solve the safety problem with mid-round picks (rounds 3-5) and veterans since 2010 and gotten nowhere. Why add another Major Wright/Chris Conte/Brock Vereen/Adrian Amos? I know this is a better than average safety draft, but you need a solution, so if I'm the Bears, I'm taking advantage and taking a safety in the first or second round. Safety opposite Demps is pretty clearly our weakest position on defense, IMO.

No one would ever do this, but considering what you are looking for in the draft is big time difference makers, what about a strategy of compiling as many picks as you can grabbing a ton of boom or bust guys? Just get the physical freaks figuring that the light has to come on for some of them and if you even if you hit on 2 great players, 1-2 decent players, and a bunch of busts, that's about as good as you'll do in a normal draft: So let's say you are the Bears and you trade down to middle of the first and grab an extra 2nd and maybe a 4th and 6th along the way: 1) Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech - The one QB who you think, "if everything he fixes his flaws, with his physical gifts, he's a top 5 QB." 2) Obi Melifonwu, S, UConn - May not be there, but he's the physical freak of the safeties this year. 2) Evan Engram, TE, Mississippi - He's small for a TE, but 4.42 40 is still unheard of. 3) Roderick Johnson, OT, Florida State - All the physical tools to be a dominant T, but needs technique work and has consistency/focus issues. 4) Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE, Villanova - 6'7" 300 is perfect 5T size and broad jumped 10'8". 4) Tyus Bowser, LB, Houston - Another small school guy with perfect NFL measurables. Best 3-cone among LBs. 4) Isaac Asisata, G, Utah - Top bench press at the combine. 5) Robert Davis, WR, Georgia State - Has the height, weight, and speed of a #1 WR (Mack Hollins from UNC would also qualify). 6) Speedy Noil, WR, Texas A&M - A character nightmare, but a dangerous return man/slot receiver with 4.4 speed and a 43" vertical at 5'11". 7) Brian Allen, CB, Utah - Very raw CB who is 6'3" 215 and ran a 4.48 40. Part of me likes this draft. The other part sees something Al Davis would have loved.

I would and I would take a QB (especially since the premise of your questions is a run on QBs), unless Jonathan Allen's medical concerns drop him down, in which case I can see an argument for him. Otherwise, you take whoever you like most between Kizer and Mahomes, Then you have plenty of 2/3/4 quality picks to address your other needs.

Would be fine with me.

The only QB on the roster besides Glennon is Conner ashes, who has played in one NFL game and is coming off a major injury. Let's not pretend this is anything other than what it is: competition. I would think (hope) this doesn't change the draft strategy one bit.

If they use signing Mark Sanchez as a reason not to draft a QB in the first three rounds, everyone should be fired immediately following round three of the draft.

He's perfectly competent and a good "last resort" to have in the bench because he can contribute in special teams. He's not a speed demon exactly, but he has good vision on returns and gets more than he should. I don't see any reason to draft a RB.

I would be mostly OK with this except for Boulware, who seems like a waste of a pick at a position we are pretty set at. There's guys like this every year who are "just a player", I don't see any need for him this year. I would prefer a big outside WR project since I'm not sold on any of the WRs on our roster. Someone from the Josh Reynolds/Kenny Golladay/Mack Hollins/Jalen Robinette camp.

If he makes the team something has gone horribly wrong.

I've been watching some Mahomes games and I have to say - he terrifies me. He definitely has the best arm talent in the draft. Some of the throws he makes are unreal. But his mechanics are frequently awful. Throws off his back foot. Backpedaling from pressure. Throwing with both feet off the ground. Blind throws. The Jay Cuyler comparisons are concerning and completely warranted, except that Cutler was more pro-ready because he came from an offense much more similar to an NFL offense. You watch the receivers in the Texas Tech and they are frequently wide open. There's a 5% chance Mahomes is Aaron Rodgers 2.0, but there's so much work to do with him and so many ways it can go wrong.v

I don't think this is true, at least not yet. I saw it thrown out as s possibility by one of the Bears writers this week, but it was more like a "depending on how the draft goes and how the roster is shaking out, this could be done," if something more official has been announced, I didn't see it.

I had proposed this elsewhere as a Browns trade down: Trade #3 to Browns for #12, #33, #108 (4th round), #187 (6th round) and a future 3rd. The other one I could see is the Jets moving up from #6 to #3 to by packaging #6 and #39 (total of 2110 pts) to jump ahead of the Jaguars and get Fournette. They need a jolt and have two third round picks which might mitigate the loss of their 2nd round pick.

I find myself torn between two trains of thought here. On one hand, I think Pace wants to give Glennon every chance to be a successful starting QB and this team's franchise QB. But Pace knows this team needs a franchise QB to be a good team, and the later you draft a QB, the less likely you are to land one of those. So I wonder if he might take his favorite QB at #3 (I assume that's Watson) to give himself two chances at finding a solution at the position they desperately need to solve, knowing Glennon is on a pretty reasonable contract going forward.

Nice. Updating my avatar in tribute.

Lots of positions have been addressed, but very few problems have been solved, IMO. I'm interested to see how other people think we should attack the draft, besides of course a BPA approach, but here's what I think I would do: **Trade #3 to Browns for #12, #33, #108 (4th round), #187 (6th round) and a future 3rd. The Browns are trying to recreate the Cowboys - they've spent the offseason beefing up their O-line, now they need their Zeke, but have to get ahead of the Jaguars and Jets to get Fournette, so they do. 1) OJ Howard, TE, Alabama - Given Glennon the help he needs part 1. I balk at this a bit because I know this is a deep TE draft, but he's obviously the best guy and maybe the best in a few years. 2) JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, USC - Given Glenn the help he needs part 2. I'm not sold on the receiving corps - lots of ifs and maybes. Smith-Schuster is my current draft crush - I love his tape and he's only 20 years old. 2) Marcus Williams, S, Utah - We added Demps, but I still don't think we have another startable safety on the roster. I would add the playmaking Williams, start him with Demps, and make Amos/Bush battle it out for third safety. Jones-Quartay is cut. 3) Davis Webb, QB, Cal - I think this is where the Bears get their QB of the future. It might be Peterman, depending on how they liked him at the Senior Bowl, but I like Webb's size and arm strength more, plus he's a nice copy of Glennon, so they can both operate out of the same offense. 4) Damontre Kazee, CB, San Diego State - The Bears have lots of big corners, but need some more completion inside, Kazee's got a lot of ints and has a little Nathan Vasher in him, I think. 4) Dan Skipper, OT, Arkansas - Even after adding Tom Compton, need more OT competition. Skipper might be too big (6'9"), but there's not a lot of OT prospects in this draft who might be able to handle LT, but he's one of them. 4) Jaleel Johnson, DE, Iowa - Competition for Unrein/Bullard at DE and might even be able to play a little inside. 5) Ejuan Price, LB, Pitt - Undersized edge rusher that maybe Fangio can find a role for. Need more pressure on the QB 6) Stevie Tu-Ikolovatu, NT, USC - Need a legit NT for depth behind Goldman. 7) Zane Gonzalez, K, Arizona State - I was not impressed by Connor Barth last year and I doubt the Bears were either. Thoughts? What do others want to see in the draft?

No, because you have zero proven commodities: - White has 19 receptions in two years in the league and have never caught a touchdown. - Meredith is a second year undrafted free agent who needs to step up. - Wright is three years removed from a productive season, which looks more like an aberration than the norm. - Wheaton is coming off a year when he was injured all year and looks like just a slot option. - Randle is a complete enigma. - Bellamy is the classic guy who is OK to have at the end of your bench, but you always want to upgrade. I still think you have a target a big outside receiver in the draft early to push those other guys and/or guard against injury.

Except for the whole 3-13 thing.