AZ54

I can't wait for this sideline show to begin with Brian Schottenheimer as the band leader and Matt Eberflus playing second fiddle.

What catches my eye is the quicker cuts Monangai can make versus the two step change of direction we see with Roschon.

It all forces a defense to plan for many options in the game. I'm curious to see how Ben uses all these talents against the Vikings defense. If Caleb can read it quickly and get the ball into the playmakers hands these players can feast.

He’s a better player than Roschon Johnson.

Wow down to a single weak link on the Oline. I hope that’s all we’re dealing with because it will be a massive change from the jail breaks we’ve seen the last few years. FWIW our new center has the exact same issue as Braxton with bull rushes so time will tell. Hopefully the new Oline coach can help both of them fix it.

Braxton is pretty good as a run blocker. I'd say for the running game we're likely to be among the best in the league this year.

This is going to be the hot topic all off-season and maybe into the season. Bears are starting it off correctly by keeping Darnell Wright at RT. That leaves us with a 3 way battle at LT. https://bearswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/bears/2025/05/01/bears-ozzy-trapilo-will-play-left-tackle/83388491007/

I still have the vision of Ben Johnson in the draft room hearing about trading up for a RB and like a little boy at Christmas being excited for his new toy. Then being disappointed when it didn’t happen. Then the box opens up later and inside is “stud” Luther Burden.

None of which means he didn't inquire about moving up. I fully expect him, and every other GM, to be doing that throughout the draft to assess trades values up or down as the process plays out. As far as I know teams won't disclose who they are picking until agreement is reached on value. Since it's a fact we didn't reach an agreement with any team on a trade up I find it suspicious anyone would know who we were thinking about trading up for...unless the leak is from inside the house!

RB is one of the easiest positions to find a good player. I rather like the backup OG we got late in the draft and the CB, and the RB. I'd have been equally happy with Skatebo too. It's kind of a wash for me either way. Regardless I'm not that concerned about finding a RB this year or next as long as our Oline is doing it's job.

If I'm banking on one I'll take the guy with an elite work ethic.. Chubb.

If you really want to do a poll make sure to include the collective opinion of "the board" because I'll take that any day over any analyst. That may sound like nonsense but the varied opinions and the debate here all add more value to my evaluation of players than any 10-20s clip from Brugler or Jeremiah. Yet through it all, not one of us, nor "the board" is completely correct. FWIW I find I disagree with Jeremiah and Brugler a fair amount, even though I like both. Shedeur Sanders getting drafted where most future backup QBs get drafted was a correct call by me. If you listen to them enough you can figure out what traits they prefer the most in their evaluations. But what trait does your coach value the most? What traits fit your scheme the best? What role does your coach plan to use that player for? Those topics are all discussed here best. In the end Jeremiah had Banks listed as 27th overall and the next day he put out his last mock draft and had him going in the top 10. That type of cognitive dissonance is all over the draft media landscape.

The only GM who got all the guys he targeted for the draft was Phil Emery. Good players are going to have a lot of buyers. I have no doubt a RB was on their wishlist of upgrades. However, I like how Poles played the hand he was dealt. While I think Ben Johnson wanted a RB, perhaps even one of the Ohio State RBs, I don't think he was disappointed in the least by the WR that fell in his lap in Rd 2. In the press conference afterward Johnson commented how impressed he was with overall organization of the draft process, how the draft was managed by Poles, and I think by correlation the good talent that was added to the roster overall. Meanwhile his old team was doing this: https://www.detroitlions.com/news/detroit-lions-trade-up-2025-nfl-draft-wide-receiver-isaac-teslaa "The Lions moved up 32 spots from No. 102 to No. 70 in the third round to select TeSlaa. Detroit gave up pick 102 in the third round of this year's draft and both of their third-round picks in next year's draft to get into a position to select TeSlaa. Detroit received a sixth-round pick this year (No. 182) and a sixth-round pick next year in the trade." I don't know anything about Tesla except he is a good athlete but was generally ranked as a day 3 prospect, and that could have been anywhere from Rd 4 to 7. They are going to miss those two 3rd Rd picks next year.

Exactly. We're carrying 4 OTs on the roster right now with 1st Rd pick, 2nd Rd pick, 3rd Rd pick (albeit a late 1st/2nd Rd grade), and a 5th Rd pick. There was chatter that Kiran could play inside but that is not why he was drafted. That's two years in a row with significant draft capital toward fixing LT. We have to assume the team is happy with Darnell Wright. Something is going to give I just don't know when. OTAs and snaps at LT will give us our first insight. Braxton will be on the sidelines. Whatever they try first is what they feel gives them the best option to succeed. If they are splitting first team snaps out of the gate then it's a wide open competition. Do they even try Darnell at LT early this offseason?

Yes. We’re staying the exact same thing. It was not viewed as an urgent need but a pick could or would have been made if the value was there.

Or players simply didn’t fall to them where they had them ranked. Or Luther Burden was simply too good to pass up. You can’t simply infer they like all of our RBs better and didn’t view it as a need.

I don't know that anyone can trust that based on what was seen last year from Kiran. I do know that coaches have had a little bit of time to be around the players before the draft. They'll have a feel for where Kiran is at physically based on workouts. They have tape on him from a couple games and college. IMO they bought an insurance policy. Not the best one either. There can also be some thought that we'll just primarily work Kmet on the left side whoever is there at LT. There's going to be a big question mark at this position until we see what happens in Week 1. Then we either have a full blown crisis or we settle down and start to see some decent offense.

I think I watched 5 plays of his highlights and viewed him as slow, stiff, and not very strong. If a DE is going to be that tight moving around he better bring the power.

Good point.

J.P. Richardson is pure slot WR. Has some quickness and should also challenge for the PS. There is nothing certain about the bottom end of our WR group although I believe Duvernay has the returner job locked up. Scott and Olamide Zaccheaus are far from locks. Richardson has better hands than both, adjusts to the ball well, and appears to be better at creating separation. On the flip side the veterans have more speed. Other than that we have the long snapper from Iowa to make our punter happy. Given all of our issues at LS last season who knows if he has a shot to win the job. For everyone else their career highlight will likely be the invitation to Bears training camp.

Jahdae Walker also has potential. Very poor production last year and I have no clue what was behind that. What stands out to me is his 3-cone drill time of 6.71, especially at 6'3". Usually those are the guys who can get in/out of their breaks fast. You can see that quickness on the highlight film too with the ball in his hands. Can he do all the other professional things it takes to be an NFL WR? He should compete for a PS slot. https://draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1092035&DraftYear=2025

This safety should have a shot at being depth on the roster, or end up on the practice squad. He's not big but plays with the proper attitude. https://nfldraftdiamonds.com/2025/03/tysheem-johnson/

No thread this year. Kinda indicates our lack of desperation to find talent on the fringes on the NFL world, which is a good sign. https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2025/4/26/24417474/chicago-bears-2025-undrafted-free-agent-news-and-rumor-tracker-udfa-nfl-draft These UDFAs are reported to have signed with the Bears. Jereme Robinson, DE, Kansas (link) Tysheem Johnson, S, Oregon (link) Jahdae Walker, WR, Texas A&M (link) Xavier Carlton, DE, Cal (link) Jonathan Kim, K, Michigan State (link) Luke Elkin, LS, Iowa (link) J.P. Richardson, WR, TCU (link) Power Echols, LB, North Carolina (link) Major Burns, S, LSU (link)

I like Harmon but he's very similar to Dexter and can't really bend so he's easy to avoid. Aside from that he's great at getting pressure up the middle. That would have been very welcome on our team. Kaleb Johnson is a good pick at RB. Jack Sawyer offers very little in pass rush, he's just going to be a rotational guy in the NFL with no starter potential IMO. That's ok as a 4th Rd pick but I think his name and school increased his theoretical value. The Bears have 3 players who will be contributing on day 1. We have future starting TE1 in Loveland with clear Pro Bowl potential. A likely starting WR3 this year in Burton (not much competition) with potential to become WR2 in the future and replace DJ Moore. Both positions were clear needs and both were good value picks. Ozzy Trapilo just feels like a backup swing OT or maybe a future starting RT. He's not a starting LT for sure. From a draft standpoint this one feels like a reach to me. However I do like the depth and competition we now have on the Oline. This reach I think confirms the end of the Braxton Jones era I just don't know the expiration date. I suspect the team is quietly hoping Kiran can win the job this offseason and Trapilo is just an insurance policy with the last ditch effort being to move Wright to the left side. I hope we never see Wright move. Shemar Turner I like quite a lot. We needed more depth at DT and pressure up the middle. He definitely will contribute this year and has potential to be a good starter down the road. With Grady and Shemar the energy level on the defensive front is going way up this year. Lastly...Pittsburgh has no QB.

I think there’sa link in Jacob Infantes story on Windy City gridiron.