jason

Concur. I can't think of a single QB in NFL history who has had sustained excellence while simultaneously having a trash OL. This works for RBs as well, with the exception of maybe early Payton and Barry Sanders. The truth of the matter is, starting at OL accentuates all other skill positions, but loading up on skill positions with a garbage OL is a good way to waste high-priced talent.

I didn't include all the Bama players. I just included those that I thought might fit at the draft positions after the hopeful trade-back. No way the Bears could get all the UGA players.

Similar to previous years, a team could draft pretty much all Alabama players and it would be good draft. Trade Back 1.XX - Brian Branch, S 2.22 - Jaymyr Gibbs, RB 2.XX - Tyler Steen, OT 2.30 - Eli Ricks, CB 3.1 - Henry To'oTo'o, LB 4.1 - Byron Young, DL 5.1 - Emil Ekiyor Jr., G 5.XX - Cameron Latu, TE I can't say I'd be entirely upset by that. Normally, the position sequence isn't my favorite, but grabbing all Bama players would be awesome.

So far I like him, too, but it was not just Pace. He had the moronic 2017 Draft where he mortgaged the future for Trubisky, ignored the obvious choice in Deshaun Watson, who had obviously better everything, and also missed on a generational talent in Mahomes, but he also whiffed big on Kevin White. All of that makes it easy to forget about Emery, who made the Shea McClellin, "WTF was that"-pick that absolutely reeked of smarter-than-conventional-wisdom-and-everyone-else bravado.

PoTAYto, PoTAHto for me. I just picked Wypler because him and Tippmann are interchangeable in terms of how the draft pundits are ranking them, and if I had to choose, I'd pick Wypler because: He played at Ohio State like the QB. He played at Ohio State like the 1st round OT and the QB. Ohio State is a better football school than Wisconsin. I hate the state of Wisconsin. I'm forever soured on Wisconsin players after Carimi. Number 5 reinforces number 4.

1,000,000% agree!! I simply don't understand how a team can draft a rookie QB with a first round pick and not make the OL the very next priority. We've seen it over and over with rookie QBs getting blasted, changing mechanics, losing confidence, and blindly chucking the ball - and their career - away because the OL couldn't keep them clean. The truth of the matter is, 99.9% of the QBs who get drafted in the first round have all the skills necessary, but some have intangibles that allows them to more easily deal with the growing pains. But if that can be avoided, why risk it? This is true of not just rookie QBs, but also young vets. I'll go to my grave thinking the Bears had a franchise QB in Cutler, but ruined him because OL never got the love it needed. Very early on he was shell-shocked while the Bears were busy trying out scrubs like Frank Omiyale, Chilo Rachal, Michael Ola, Vlad Ducasse, Charles Leno Jr, and Jamarcus Webb at multiple positions.

Concur. I'm so sick of saying it every year and reading Bears' fans talk about getting more WRs, TEs, and RBs every year. For once I want to see my idea tried. Then I'll forever say, "Well, at least they focused on OL for once." It's time for the Bears to join the new-age NFL and do everything possible to invest in the offense, the QB, and whatever it takes to make #1 & #2 succeed. Generally speaking, a superb OL makes a QB comfortable, and that's absolutely what the Bears should focus on in order to maximize Fields. I'd love to see the following to make Justin Fields as comfortable as humanly possible: 1.9 - Paris Johnson, RT, Ohio State 2.53 - Luke Wypler, C, Ohio State The rest of the picks can be BPA with a smattering of obvious need inserted. Looking for explosive playmakers and long, rangy defenders would be priority.

I appreciate the optimistic Bears' fans, because it's difficult to have that demeanor with the history. That's definitely not me, but a glimpse of it shines through every year during the draft when I think, "Maybe this is the year the front office does what makes the most conventional sense instead of trying to prove they're the smartest guy in the NFL."

WOW! He looks good! Great home run speed!

No way in hell I'd pick this guy at 9. Arrest - Poor decision making Overweight - Poor self-control Didn't do all the drills - Poor accountability Smells like Alonzo Spellman to me. Hard pass.

Call me crazy, but I like Deuce Vaughn from Kansas State. Ignore all the conventional "he has to be whatever-feet tall"-nonsense. His height is an advantage if anything considering how he runs. Dismiss the "he doesn't work in goal line"-BS. Deuce is an absolute monster and a three-down back. As long as the coaches aren't morons and don't try to slam him through the A-Gap three times in a row (**cough** memories of Garrett Wolfe mismanagement **cough**), then he's fine in GL situations because nobody hits him cleanly. What's more - I know this is blasphemous before I write it - he gives me Barry Sanders vibes. He's a 2-3 inches shorter, 20lbs lighter, but every bit as elusive. Some of the cuts are absolutely ridiculous. Makes elite defenders miss in a phone booth. And his perceived lack of home run speed never seems to cost him when he's running away from defenders who think they have the angle. I'd target him with our first pick in the 4th round.

Why is TE listed? Kmet is under contract.

Isolating Sanborn as Sam (Samborn?) means he will be asked to cover the TE. That could be an issue.

We sure about that? Now that they’ve apparently signed Edmunds as well, who is another ILB, that means Sanborn is nothing but depth.

I like DTR as a Fields clone, although I've heard to his initials from some as: Decide To Run Doesn't Time Reads

I don't get this signing. Sure, he was a killer for Philly last year - at a third of Roquan's price and equal Roquan's production - but Sanborn was incredible as a rookie UDFA. Why spend $20M for Sanborn's stats at the same position? Roquan in 2022: 169 TOT, 103 SOLO, 66 AST, 11 TFL TJ in 2022: 159 TOT, 99 SOLO, 60 AST, 10 TFL Sanborn in 2022 64 TOT, 50 SOLO, 14 AST, 5 TFL (6 starts) 160 TOT, 125 SOLO, 35 AST, 12.5 TFL (Extrapolated X2.5)

Horrible contract.

Orlando Brown, LT - Braxton Jones & Larry Borom can sit the bench and learn. Daron Payne, DT - Obviously fills the biggest need on defense. Dalvin Tomlinson, DT - Get two Bama boys together and their production skyrockets. Let the franchise transformation begin.

I love this scenario.

Notice I never said his players didn't love him. They did. I think Lovie is likely a great man, in terms of fellowship, and he's able to get players to buy into his program. But it's a helluva lot easier to do when you walk into a ready-made defense with Urlacher, Briggs, Tillman and several other solid players.

I see what you're saying, but I think FOMO kicks in at that point. Teams who want Player X would be worried that another team has that same QB as #1 above all others, and terrified a rival would attempt to trade in front of them to steal their guy.

BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!???? That's such a horrible contract. If you compare what he did/does to Sanborn or a dozen other lower round draft pick LBs, there is a difference, but not a difference that makes such a contract remotely acceptable.

Any properly functioning franchise has the GM and HC tied at the hip. They should have very similar philosophical approaches to team building. If a GM provides the picks and the HC chooses to play clock-control-offense, then the HC isn't doing his job.

He wasn't the scapegoat. He was the source of most problems. He was horrible at game management, horrible at clock management, ignored offense, ignored offensive line even more, subpar at drafting (we all know he was involved), thought he was smarter defensively compared to his DC, made nearly no game time adjustments, and only succeeded because he walked into a defensive roster that had a perfect-fit-once-a-generation-talent HOF'er (Urlacher) playing alongside another defensive stud who is a fringe HOF candidates (Briggs) and a uniquely skilled DB (Tillman) perfectly suited for the bend-don't-break-emphasize-turnover philosophy. And if it weren't for the fluky 2006 season (Devin Hester selection & 5 return TDs, the "crown their ass"-game, etc.) then Lovie likely would have been fired even earlier.

If that happens, someone call my wife and tell her to take me to cardiology.