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Here is a great podcast from Pat the Designer and Jason McKie talking with Caleb's HS coach. He basically debunks all the "red flags". Also talks about Olu as they were both on the same team. So if anyone needed more info about Caleb and his family, they hit the coach with some pretty straightforward questions. Pat is really good at what he does. I am finding his Podcast with Courtney Cronin to be the most level headed of the bunch. er

With 5 picks between 120ish-200ish, I could see Poles using one or two of them on a player trade or even to move into this year's draft if he really wanted to. Hearing how weak the draft is after Round 3, it does make sense to hold onto next year's as it will be deeper.

Also, this is how 2025 is lining up (estimates): 1st Round CHI #20 - Projected Starter 2nd Round (CAR #37) - Projected Starter 2nd Round CHI #52 - Projected Starter 3rd Round CHI #84 4th Round CHI #120 5th Round CHI #155 6th Round (PIT #194) 6th Round CHI #196 6th Round (MIA #200) and to put the 2 drafts into perspective, the 2024 draft is worth 4615 pts, the 2025 draft as listed above is worth 2,050 pts. With 9 picks, I say there is less of a need to trade #9 unless everyone on your board for that value is gone, which is extremely unlikely.

Yes we are. No matter what happens at 9, 75, and 122, this ends up as a pretty epic draft: 1st Round - Caleb Williams + #9 2nd Round - Montez Sweat 3rd Round - #75 4th Round - Keenan Allen + #122 5th Round - Ryan Bates Basically 5 starters + a 4th rounder and Ryan Bates.

I am sure they are. If they can't get Williams, they are better off trading down and getting extra picks.

Williams top 2 WRs were Tahj Washington and Brenden Rice, he now gets DJ Moore and Keenan Allen. His top TE was Lake McRee, now he gets Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett. Jayden Daniels could go from Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas to Kendrick Bourne and Demario Douglas.

The more I think about it, the more I think the Bears are taking a player at #9 or if anything only trading down a few picks. My assumption is the Bears do not expect to be back in the top 10 any time soon, so if you are that high, get the blue chip player, because you will always have a chance to draft a guy between 20-30 every year. Guys I would select if at #9: MHJ, Nabers, Odunze, Alt, or Murphy. If they are all gone at #9, I am ok trading down, but would need to get an Edge, Bowers, or Newton, and depending on what number they move down to, even consider JPJ. As long as it is WR/DL/OL it fills a need.

I know the Bears need to go BPA, but if they trade down, I would really like them to address Edge in the first or second round. Then with the other 3 picks, get a WR, DT, and Center. Running a ton of mocks, if the Bears don't trade down, they are only getting one blue chipper at 9. By the time they get around to their 3rd rounder, it is more rotational guys at that point. That's probably where you can get your Center. So unless a small group of players falls to #9, they seem better off trading to mid-teens and picking up a 2nd rounder. Byron Murphy is a name I keep seeing at #9. I think he is now in the mix after the WRs and Bowers. The Edges seem to be falling to mid teens.

Did MHJ even show up at the combine? I thought he was a no-show from Day 1?

McCarthy is sneaking up some draft boards.

Listening to the Locked on Bears Podcast today, Lorin Cox reviewed the Swift deal, and in his opinion, he doesn't think the Bears got a good deal because of what guys like Saquon, Jacobs, and Pollard got. First off, in free agency, it takes two to tango. Secondly, those two sides have to come to an agreement on the terms, which is not easy. He then compares the Swift deal to the Pollard deal as a supporting fact. I disagree there. Look at Pollard's stats on the same exact team pre-injury and post-injury. He is down over a yard per carry and 3-4 yards per reception, a huge drop off in the same offense. That is a huge red flag for me. Saquon is also a red flag. He averaged 3.9 yards per carry last year and his long was 36 yards. Again look at his two seasons pre-injury, when he was truly elite, 4.8 yards per carry, 8.2 yards per reception, long of 78 for rush, and long of 65 for reception. Post injury, averaging barely 4.0 yards per carry and 6.3 per reception. Philly is getting the latter numbers. 27 RBs had a better YPC with over 100 rushes last year. Guess who else was below Saquon? Josh Jacobs and Austin Ekeler. So Pollard was tied for 25th, Saquon was 28th, Jacobs was T-38th, and Ekeler was T-38th. = Swift? T-8th. Herbert? T-8th. Foreman? The guy Swift is replacing, was also 28th.

That's great, I knew Allen was good on the field, I wasn't familiar with his game off the field. So kudos to him. Poles and Flus got something going. Outside of a few weeks of Nagy's Club Dub, this culture seems more stable.

I think part of Flus' appearance and demeanor is media driven. I would probably have odd body postures or looks if cameras were on me all day long too. Hell, I would probably be fired after the first day.

Damn media. lol. Yeah, if he was an alum, sure, go for it. It is a big day for the school and he lives in the area. This however, is much different. A newly signed player to a team that has the ability to select a player from the school is there supporting team/player. Like I said, I don't recall ever hearing something like this.

Where are you getting this? Allen played at Cal, not USC.

Who is a former USC player? Keenan Allen played for California, not USC. He is not an alum.

No, he is an alum, and visiting his old teammates. Allen is not a USC alum (he went to Cal) and has not played college ball with any players on the USC team other than Velus back in 89.

Ryan Leaf feels like the Josh Allen that failed. There are so many different career arcs.

When is the last time you saw an active player attend a pro day?

I suspect they will be at the LSU and NC pro days as well. Oregon also has a bunch of other players that are draftable by the Bears.

Penix reminds me of a better version of Josh Dobbs. I think Penix will be more successful than Dobbs has been, but probably not an elite QB.

Yeah, the NFL or the Players Union need to do something. Technically a player can determine which teams he can play for just by withholding medicals. What about visits? Are they mandatory? Can Caleb Williams turn down a Top 30 visit? I am fine with players having freedom do to what they want for personal reasons (like I said before - player has an embarrassing medical condition unrelated to football performance and doesn't want it disclosed), but it should not impact league balancing and parity. Otherwise, bad teams will get screwed out of the best players who just bypass them in order to get selected by a better team.

Those are some odd shoes, I don't know if they are necessarily lift shoes or for a specific sport. Found them: https://www.cettire.com/products/givenchy-tk-mx-runner-sneakers-923724293/ Givenchy brand, some high end French company that makes all kinds of designer crap.

McCaffrey's brother and McConkey also fit that mold. Both WRs that could be available when the Bears select, especially if there is a trade down.

I believe it will be on NFL Network (if you have it) later today. There is a ton of it on social media. All around impressive. He wasn't nervous, seemed really loose, was having fun. Again unless something comes up from his camp about a hold out or something weird like that, it is hard for me to see the Bears taking anyone else at #1. It will be interesting to see what they do for the LSU and NC Pro Days coming up.