adam

I am super hyped, haven't felt like this for a draft in as long as I can remember. I am in Denver for a business trip this week and basically told my company that I am leaving the event at 5pm in order to make it back to the hotel with some beers in hand in time for the draft.

Someone brought up a good point, the Bears don't want to announce anything or sign him (technically they could sign him to his contract before the draft) because what if he gets in a bad car accident or something legal comes up that would make the Bears pass on him. So it makes sense to wait until the actual draft to make the selection. About 9 hours to go......

What they do at 9 is dependent on pretty much every pick from 2-8. It would be amazing if ATL got docked their 1st rounder for tampering with Cousins, which could move the Bears to #8. No team would benefit more from an ATL docked pick than the Bears. 9 to 8 would be the biggest draft value bump (equivalent of a late 4th rounder).

I think part of Caleb's confidence is the fact that the Bears already told him they are drafting him #1. You can see how relaxed he is in that interview.

4 days until Caleb Williams is a Bears.

It's arguably a no-lose situation, which is rare. I think there are going to be a lot of teams wanting to move up for a QB. MIN at 11, DEN at 12, LV at 13, NO at 14, and technically PIT at 20 all could be looking to move up into the top 10 for a QB. That helps the Bears as that would allow more players to be there at 9. We know 3 QBs will be gone, but there is a chance that a 4th goes in the top 8. I bet someone jumps MIN and grabs the 4th QB before they can at 11. This is going to be an exciting draft, even after the #1 pick. The suspense of the top 8 playing out live is going to be crazy. Then what do the Bears do at 9.

We have had our hopes up and have been let down so many times. However, this time is so different. There is zero correlation between past regimes and Poles and Co. Trubisky's play has nothing to do with Caleb Williams. To top off this day, the Bears still have their own 1st rounder, who would be the talk of the class. Now that guy is just icing on the cake. I am good with Edge, DT, OT, or WR there.

We are 5 days away from getting the best QB prospect we have ever had since Sid Luckman. I am pinning this thread for Thursday's discussion.

I would not mind that at all.

I would not. The value of a first round pick is huge when you consider the 5th year option. So any trade that takes away a 1st rounder would be a no-go for me. There are enough metrics and analysts out there who don't have MHJ as WR1. That alone would make me hesitate on something like that.

I am just talking about any player in general. There seems to be a group of teams that are in the dead zone, and who don't look like they are getting out of it any time soon. Here are some teams and the last time they made the playoffs, a team like the Broncos is nearing a decade without a playoff appearance. The Panthers are right behind them. Other teams seem to be trending into the hole. Unless they nail their QB pick, these teams will more than likely stay right here for the foreseeable future. Broncos - 2015 Panthers - 2017 Commanders - 2020 Saints - 2020 Cardinals - 2021 Raiders - 2021 Patriots - 2021 Titans - 2021

Just an interesting way to look at it, but if you think about it, players going to 8-10 teams have no realistic shot at a Super Bowl in their first contracts, maybe even their careers, just by being picked by the wrong team. That has to be depressing. You work your butt off for 20+ years to end up with the worst company in your sector, and you are stuck there at least 4-5 years.

Interesting that only Chase was selected in the top 15, and only 2 in the top 20. It's obvious that players selected earlier are normally on worse teams, but it sort of speaks to the value of the pick compared to the overall success of the team. After QB, it feels like the trenches should be the only other picks used in the top 10, outside of generational guys like MHJ. Even then, just say MHJ goes to NE. What are the odds they are good in the next 5 years, potentially longer?

Barton is shooting up boards for some reason. The team might not have used a top-30 visit on some guys, but could've visited them during their Pro-Day, at one of the All-Star games, or at the combine. Also, any player within the Chicago-metro area does not need to count against the top-30 visits and they don't have to announce those.

I am sure this is the same for other positions, but the top drafted guys rarely win or make it to the SB (for elite WRs). Hopefully DJ Moore can beat that trend. Aiyuk was a 1st rounder and last one to make a SB, but for some reason he disappears in the post season. In 9 career post season games his most receptions are 5, most yards 73, and he only has 1 TD in those 9 games.

In Shane we trust. Geno Smith on the list, Goff and Stafford. All related to Waldron. Williams throws for at least 35 TDs.

I am just hoping for a run on QBs in the top 10 to give the Bears options at #9. Also have a CB go in the top 8 would be amazing.

Guys I would look at from the 2nd round on: Ricky Pearsall and Xavier Legette, WR Ja'Tavion Sanders and Ben Sinnott, TE Kiran Amegadjie, OT and Cooper Beebee, OG Braden Fiske, DT and Adisa Isaac, Edge

Young's size would make him undraftable for me like someone with medical history. Stroud was the safer pick, but I did not expect Stroud to be that good.

Odds that 2 Bears are listed there?

Yeah, I was just responding. At this point there is not really any reason to compare them anymore. I was just posting Brugler's comments on Williams, as he has been pretty spot on with his assessments in terms of projections in the past. There are a whole bunch of other comments on other players of interest that I will post. I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I was not expecting another Williams v. Fields thread, that was not my intention.

AZ, I was just pointing out the things that he said Fields needed to do or improve on, the "if he can" or "he needs to" or "he must", and he was spot on if you look at all of them. I really don't care about the things he did, those were outcomes visible in the eye ball test and stats. The things that were missing, absent, or lacking are just as important. What you can do is as important as what you can't do. These are Williams' and Fields' "Ifs, Needs to, and musts": CW 1. eyes need to be more efficient and manipulative 2. needs to take better care of the football 3. needs to be more consistent working on-schedule from the pocket JF 1. needs to be quicker eliminating things post-snap 2. needs to be better taking what the defense gives him instead of forcing throws 3. ball security needs work 4. needs to do a better job of avoiding hits 5. he must speed up his target-to-target progression reads and improve his urgency when the initial target is taken away 6. if he can quicken his reads and process Notice the difference? Williams coming out is a much more polished QB and player as a whole.

Super wild how accurate Brugler was on Fields in terms of the projection, not what he did good or bad in college, but what he needs to do in the NFL to fulfill his potential: "but he must speed up his target-to-target progression reads and improve his urgency when the initial target is taken away." "if he can quicken his reads and process."

Caleb Williams write-up:

17 days left until Caleb Williams is QB1 for the Bears. Pretty crazy that we may have the best QB in franchise history on the roster in less than 3 weeks. Key word "may" but man, I am pumped. I have not been this excited about a draft pick since the failed Trubisky pick. The trade up absolutely killed me, because when Pace did that, I was so sure it was going to be Watson. WTF was he thinking?