AZ54

It's just one analysts opinion but it matches my opinion so I like it. (that's a little tongue-in-cheek humor so relax) http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000077...-2017-nfl-draft Hooker: "He has the best ball skills of any safety I've ever evaluated in college" This is the first time I've seen two safeties in the top 10 let alone the top 5 on anyone's draft board. It's still very early in this process so we'll see how things play out over the next 3 months but from what I've seen Allen is not going to be a dominating player in the NFL. He's blocked far too often by a single OG/OT for my tastes, and I think he benefits from the talent that surrounds him. He'll be good and he'd be an upgrade and improve our Dline but we have huge needs in our secondary. To see Hooker ranked this high is surprising, and he's moving up rapidly on other boards. If we're not drafting a QB, then next biggest need meets draft grade you go with it and forget about the "rule" that S is not a top 10 pick. Adams is up there too in top 5/6 players and I like him a lot, actually like him more than Hooker at this point. This is a passing league and we need players to defend that down the field. Either one of these players really improves the backend of our defense and we should be giving them serious consideration at #3. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings

Miami's line performed well, at least their running game did. Interesting to see us take one away from Gase.

First off, I'm bored so I read a couple threads on a Patriots board. How's that for tolerance? Anyway, it's not clear the Patriots have Garoppolo on the trading block. Shefter simply said that he thinks if they were to trade him the offer would have to be what the Vikings gave up for Bradford (1st/4th). Now if they are seriously interested in trading Garoppolo we have to ask ourselves... For me whenever someone in a QB starved league doesn't want their future starting QB it's a huge question mark, especially coming from a team that is right at the end of their franchise QB's run. There are no reasons the Patriots cannot give Garoppolo a contract extension into the 2018/19 seasons. If Garoppolo loved the organization so much and felt that his best shot at future success was there then absolutely stay and continue to learn from Brady until it was his turn. They have $68mil in cap space, 3rd most in the NFL! They have some key players to sign but this is far from a team in dire straits. Trading Garoppolo means Belichick is saying is that he can find Brady's replacement in either late 1st Rd/early 2nd Rd, one that is better than what he has on his roster today in Garoppolo and Brissett. Or his answer is Brissett, a QB who didn't even know any of the offense when he had to take the field early this year. At which point we have to say, if Belihick sees a future starting QB out there then why don't we? And if Brissett is really better than JG why then do we want JG? Despite their question marks, the top 3 QBs in this draft are all better prospects than Garoppolo. Keep in mind that in the last draft Belichick was so confident in JG that he felt he had to use the 91st pick in the draft on Brissett. That means he used a pick to put someone on the bench (3rd QB), a pick that could have easily brought them any number of players that contributed to their teams this year at positions the Patriots needed help in: TE Higbee, RB in Howard, QB Prescott. Why not grab one of those players to help win a Superbowl, and then, in the 2017 draft grab the QB? Or he could wait until the 2018 draft when JG leaves in FA, which by the way he could tag him and trade him at that time. Salary cap limits don't apply in the first part of the offseason. The 49ers traded Montana. Packers cut Favre knowing they had Rodgers. Colts cut Manning knowing they could draft Luck. Teams absolutely look to the future when the future is already on the roster or knocking on the door. I see zero reasons the Patriots would not be thinking the same way. If JG is top 15 QB material there's no way they let him leave. If he's not top 15 QB material there's no reason we should want him.

I'm not that high on Jefferson. He'd be a solid upgrade over HJQ but he's not a good coverage guy and he has some inconsistencies in his play. He's probably going to get far more money than he's worth in FA. I think can Amos fill the SS role equally as well as Jefferson.

Kazee looks like a very good late Rd prospect. Need to see how well he runs but there's no denying his football instincts.

This early in the process rankings are all over the place. They have Malik Hooker 37th at GBN and there are people talking about taking him in the top 10. It seems clear Hooker will end up as a 1st Rd pick. OTOH they still have Peppers listed 5th overall which I totally disagree with. In most place Peppers has already dropped back to a mid-1st Rd pick, maybe even later. I think that fits better with a guy who is not that good in coverage, even if he has the athletic ability to do so. There's too much projection on Peppers for him to be a top 10 pick IMO. We'll see what positions these two hold on GBN in March. http://draftboardguru.com/top100/ There is a lot of evaluation still needing to be done and over the next month things will balance out. I like these exercises on our board because we live in different regions and see players around the nation. That gives me a good indication of who to start looking at in the mid to late rounds. We're not going to get much media coverage on players in the backend of the draft.

Being bold, getting outside the box and making people say WTF. Let me lay the groundwork for this. I see Garrett gone #1 overall and the 49ers taking a QB, likely Trubisky. With that the Bears shock Mel Kiper and take Rd 1 #3 overall Jamal Adams S athleticism to play all DB positions and leadership to get everyone lined up before the snap This puts Jonathan Allen on the board at #4 for the Jaguars and with Solomon Thomas now sitting as the 3rd best player overall ( http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings) both these DEs (Allen, Thomas) go next. The Jets bypass a QB here which ultimately nets Cleveland exactly what they want when they draft DeShaun Watson with the 12th pick. Cardinals feel too much value on the board and too many pressing needs to take a QB 13th overall. With Kizer still on the board Pace knows he must get ahead of the Texans. He finds a trading partner at 18 in Tenn and gives them Alshon Jeffrey, a big proven WR they need for Mariotta, and our 2nd Rd pick. Tennessee also gives us their second 3rd Rd pick (#83 overall). Rd 1 #18 QB D. Kizer In Rd 3 of a deep draft Pace drafts: #67: CB Rasul Douglass #83: WR Isaiah Ford Rd 4 OT Conor McDermott

I don't disagree on your points but the thread is about making a bold prediction. For me that means something unexpected and a bit shocking. Taking Watson with the 3rd overall pick would fit that description for me. I don't actually see Watson as a high end QB either. I think his ceiling is mid-level starter, which is someone you can win with. I see more upside with either Kizer or Trubisky but if Watson can perform consistently in the NFL that would be an improvement for our roster. Maybe we should put this being bold question another way and ask: What would Emery do?

I wouldn't. If they do that in the midst of a "bad QB" draft they are telling the world they made a big mistake last year. I would however give them a 5th Rd pick for their troubles and take Lynch in exchange. I liked Lynch last year too but wondered how he'd fare coming out of a 1-and-run system (1 read that is), especially since he played at a program that seeing competition well below the NFL level. He hasn't done well at all. Mariotta came out of a 1-and-run system too but he transitioned far better. With so many college's using this style of offense it makes me wonder how you figure out who can quickly discern the reads across the field?

Agreed, a classless approach to covering a no-risk contract from the Bears. Especially in a league where almost every season teams go from worst to first.

That context is different from my understanding of the 5T which I thought was inside the OT. Outside the OT is where GArrett belongs, so we're in agreement and he absolutely has the ability to go out as far as the wide 9 although with that strength I'd keep him in closer. I assume the 6T and 7T are spots over and outside the TE. I can't imagine any TE who wants to, or can, match up against Garrett especially in today's NFL where TE's are more of the move types. They are going to lose big on either power or speed which means their OT has to be occupied with Garrett as well. That leaves a nice consistent gap (meaning play after play) for the LB to cover the run or blitz into. This is the NFL so most teams can cover him with double teams but we have Floyd on the other side and some beef up the middle in Goldman and Hicks that can't often be handled one on one. It's been a long time since we had a defensive front like the '85 Bears but Garrett, along with an improved Floyd and Goldman, could see a return to that kind of dominance.

I don't view Garrapolo as less risk than the top 3 options in this draft. Each has their own issues and concerns IMO. Is JimmyG's lack of arm strength a concern as the season goes deep into Dec/Jan (should we make the playoffs)?

Great news and well deserved.

No way does Garrett belong as a 5T DE, with that rare combination of explosiveness, strength and the ability to bend the edge he absolutely belongs on the outside. He does have the strength to move inside occasionally, and will be a beast on stunts with his ability to convert speed-to-power, but I don't see him making a living as a 5T. He's young and he's already tossing around OTs with his lower body strength. He will dominate his edge as well in the running game handling both gaps. McPhee also does this very well but he doesn't have the burst to convert back to a pass rush like Garrett. A player like Garrett on the edge makes an OC start taking plays off the table. That right there makes the rest of the defense better. If he's there at #3 take him.

I'd have to say taking Watson with the 3rd overall pick would top my list.

At the time I did this I used the top 100 board here: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings All players were within about 5 spots of where I selected them. Things are changing quickly and a day after doing this Bolles suddenly showed up on a CBS Mock at pick #20. When I did this I think he was ranked about 30th overall. Jackson was shown as 54th overall and as I said I think he might slip back to early 3rd. That will likely change once the combine is over.

Then I must be on to something. I am surprised you don't like on OT in the 2nd Rd. I've seen Bolles mocked as high as 20th in the 1st Rd, ahead of Robinson.

Maybe I should have posted it like this because I haven't seen a single complaint and this is a thread Jason started. FA #1 - Eric Berry FS (like duct tape across the entire secondary Berry fixes all sorts of gaps) FA #2 - Terrelle Pryor WR (Cam Meredith gives the Bears a bit of confidence in the WR corps and the Bears decide to move on from Alshon Jeffrey and field the most athletic tandem of big WRs in the NFL) FA #3 - Kyle Juszczyk FB (with no good options at QB the 2017 Bears will rely on their running game. Go out and get one of the best FBs in the NFL to help clear space for Jordan Howard. Juszczyk is versatile, good in pass pro, can catch/run as well as make excellent lead blocks and is good on special teams where we could use leadership. Forget what FBs "make", use some of that Cutler/QB position savings and just pay the man) http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/...1227-story.html 1. QB Trubisky/Kizer I'm waiting on more draft info, right now I lean toward Trubisky over Kizer. 2. OT Garrett Bolles Good feet, good power, bad attitude. 3. CB Adoree Jackson Not quite the size Fangio wants but has all the athleticism needed to match up well on the outside and he has balls skills. I think he falls a bit just because so many CBs go ahead of him teams start drafting other positions and he has some work to do as a CB. His ability as a KR/PR is also welcome. 4. TE Adam Shaheen He has the size to be a good inline blocker yet can run/catch. DII so he's got a lot to learn but I'll let the man-among-boys tape do the talking 4. WR Artavis Scott fits the need at slot WR has some deep speed and can return kicks 5. RB Brian Hill competes to backup Howard 7. ILB Jaylen Reeves-Maybin more of good coverage LB, which was Timu's biggest liability.

No because a) not a big fan of Peppers as there is far too much projection into what he can become as a safety in coverage and coverage is the main deficiency in our secondary. DeShaun Watson just showed why he will be a high 1st RD draft pick. King and Ramczyk would be good pickups in the 2nd Rd although I'd take the OT first in a deep CB draft.

This was a game filled with players who will affect the draft on the first two days. I only saw the 2nd half and it's recorded so I'll likely go back and watch it all. For now... Jonathan Allen: In two college playoff games I've yet to be impressed. I don't see the game wrecker I was expecting to see but he can also be holding back a bit knowing he's about to make $30 or 40mil. His stat line was good 7 tackles, 1 sack so one of these days I'll go back and watch the game and focus even more on him, unless of course our friends at Draftbreakdown cut it up. DeShaun Watson: Speaking of making $30 or $40mil there is no way to watch that game and not come away thinking Watson is the first pick in the draft. On the game's biggest stage against a defense loaded with NFL talent he was spectacular in the 2nd half. He was under some intense pressure at times and took some big hits and still held onto the ball and his composure. If you're the owner of the Browns who recently suffered through the Johnny Manziel era Watson's leadership on the field as well as his answers in interviews afterward had to catch your attention. There is zero chance he's not a top 10 pick, and it's quite possible he goes first overall because he won't be there for the Brown's second 1st Rd pick.

This early in the coaching carousel process I think this is more speculation than fact. Both Fox and Mccoy may be open to that but McCoy was a successful OC before he went to San Diego. I wouldn't be surprised to see him offered a job by one of the new HC around the league, especially one who was a defensive coordinator. I think he'd want that role before coming to Chicago and working with Fox again. I'm not as down on Loggains as most are. I was actually impressed that he kept our offense moving with a lot of backup pieces. When you're down to 3rd/4th string WRs and 4th string QB expectations for anything from the offense dropped to zero. He still got points on the board, or in the case of Hoyer he still kept the offense moving. People point to Howard being the reason for all that but fact is in the 2nd half of the season stopping Howard became the priority of defenses. When everyone knows what you're going to do, they focus on stopping it yet you still run it down their throat... I like that identity. We had no identity on offense the first few weeks and it showed. He found his gem of an identity in Howard and built up the running game to where nobody was able to stop it even when Kush and Larsen were in at OG. I find it interesting that Fox finds McCoy and helps him become one of the better OCs and then off to become a head coach. Fox replaces him with Adam Gase and over the next few years helps Gase become one of the better OCs who then leaves to become a head coach. Fox finds Loggains and... ?

I'll be the one who isn't on board with this thought. We need a couple pieces IMO. CB2: I like Porter just as the #2 CB not the #1 role he's been playing for us. He struggled a lot this year but after hearing he had to have his knee drained every week in order to play on Sunday's I can't fault his toughness. I don't know what his injury was but it was clear he had trouble cutting off that leg. He should return to form over the offseason. I also think he brings some good leadership qualities to the DB group that we need with so many young players out there. NB: I like both Callahan and LeBlanc. Both play very well in the slot for us, Callahan also played well outside. Problem is Callahan can't stay healthy so it's hard to count on him. LeBlanc would have stood out more, and made more plays had we not moved him all over the place. Despite that he showed steady improvement and even played decently on the outside where he's not ideally suited to play. Keep both as #3/4 CBs and we're in a good spot IMO. SS: I still like Amos. Much is made of his lack of coverage skills. He's not bad in coverage he's just not great. I think his skills fit better in and around the box. Put a quality FS next to him, ideally someone who can direct things on the field as Mike Brown used to do, and I think he'll be a good player for us. IMO we have job openings for CB1 and FS. This is why I'd be good with Pace paying big money to Eric Berry. I think he'll get the DBs lined up across the board and he's good enough in coverage to make the big plays we need. I could also see Jamal Adams in this role. CB1: There's a lot of talent at CB in this draft and it will go into Rd 2 and even Rd 3. We're not going to get a rookie to come in and play at that level in year 1 but if he can play at the level Porter does when healthy we'll be ok having Berry covering things deep. Depth: I like Hall and think he has the potential to be the CB2 when Porter's done. Fuller certainly should be in the mix and again I think if he can get his technique right he can be a CB2 long term. There's just no reason to walk away from him right now given the state of our DBs. If he beat out a healthy Porter to start I'm fine with that. Bush: Love his athleticism but he's got a lot to learn. I don't see him as a starter next year but hopefully he can take over as the 3rd S on the roster. HJQ: I was optimistic he'd improve this year after his initial playing time last year. It just hasn't happened. He's late to everything. He can hit but he does that as often as he misses. Hopefully Houston-Carson takes his job next year. We need starting quality at CB1 and FS. If you can get a Pro Bowl type performer at either spot it lessens the need for elite talent at the other spot.

Bummed about this. I think he's done well converting our veterans and new players to the 3-4 front.

I've watched some film on him at Draft Breakdown. He's a really good player and I like him a lot more than Peppers because he can cover any of the DB positions (slot, CB, SS, FS). He's a smart player who can diagnose plays quickly and reportedly has excellent leadership qualities. The downside is that he sometimes takes bad angles on his tackles and he'll miss some. He doesn't miss a lot of tackles but you'll see him flash by the ball carrier a couple times per game. On the flipside, he arrives at the ball carrier with bad intentions and he's strong in his core and lower body. Good quick twitch type of athlete, not sure how fast he is but he is definitely not slow. He'll close a 10 yard gap in a flash and effortlessly blow up WR screens (yes, even from 10yds off the LOS). He's excellent on kick coverage. Improving the tackling angles (really just ease up a bit at the mesh point) should be something a coach can get him to improve upon. I think he'd be a great fit for us.