AZ54

Even though I've been saying I want to sign Berry, for some reason right now I feel like Calais Campbell and Trubisky is the best value. I'm not wavering on the QB and my mind is telling me CC will come a bit cheaper than Berry. It's always hard to predict what happens when the frenzy kicks off but last years big FA DT Malik Jackson didn't do much so maybe there will be less of a market demand at this position. Anyway, K. Short is the top dog this year. Berry has the bigger name recognition over Campbell, especially after the playoffs. Because of his age, Campbell will be looking at a shorter contract 4 years so maybe we can bring him in for $2-3mil/yr less or with a lower guarantee which gives us more flexibility down the road. That leaves $$ to sign another player for depth, or makes it more likely we sign a talented FA CB. CC doesn't fit Pace in terms of age but he is young enough and talented enough to get 3-4 good years out of him plus he fits Pace and Fox exactly in terms of leadership. Berry does as well and if the money is even I'd go with Berry.

Type of player who fits what Pace wants to a T.

I agree. I can put up a new thread and there might be 30 or 40 views before one of you complains about it. There's a lot of people who stroll through here and say nothing. I've said it before, if I were in their shoes I'd be scouting around for ideas on what to write about too. If nothing else you can at least get a sense of what the fan base is thinking.

Great article from the Suntimes. Everybody in the organization is down there and everybody is fully engaged in the scouting process all the way down to the equipment manager Tony Medlin. I give Pace and Fox a lot of credit because this is the kind of response you want to see out of an organization when things didn't go well. http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/real-fo...at-senior-bowl/

For version #1. Can we do a second draft (sorry for the pun) after the combine and free agency?

Malik Hooker skyrockets to 4th overall per this analyst... http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings I have to admit I'd love to have him in deep middle coverage when Aaron Rodgers is scrambling around. I might even be hoping he throws it deep.

He's getting a lot of good press at the Senior Bowl (NFL Network analysts had a lot of good things to say about him) and from what little I've seen he's pretty athletic. He is not, however, Jamal Adams or Malik Hooker. That much is apparent within the first few plays watching him. Still he has some good coverage skills and looks every bit the part of a guy who can cover TEs well but I don't see him handling quicker slot WRs like Adams can, nor does he have the elite speed Hooker has. Just someone to keep an eye on when we get to the combine. http://www.walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2017rumors4.php

If they get along off the field yes. Not saying they have to be friends but there has to be some type of relationship there to have any benefit. If one is a prima donna WR ala Brandon Marshall then it might not be a good situation and maybe the QB was hoping to get away from dealing with that idiot. Plus college is where athleticism can often keep you in the play regardless of assignment discipline or technique so players with high level of talent don't always arrive with the work ethic to succeed in the NFL. That could upset a relationship if one doesn't want to put in the work alongside the other. If Chad Kelly, who has off the field issues, thinks he can just come in with his boys and it will all be easy he'd be dead wrong. For some reason writing that just gave me a bad Cade McNown flashback.

Jarron Jones in the 3rd would be a good pick. He has 1st Rd talent but some inconsistencies in his game. Hooker in Rd 2 would be a steal but we all know that ain't gonna happen. On a side note: Desmond King is likely going to drop as he does not have the deep speed to play on the outside without help and that is showing up in at the Senior Bowl.

From WalterFootball.com I found this interesting rumor regarding the Jets... http://www.walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2017rumors2.php "These sources also said that quarterback Christian Hackenberg developed well behind the scenes as a rookie. .... This analyst wouldn't be surprised if the Jets went the veteran quarterback route to compete and see how their young quarterbacks improve in 2017." ------------------------ People wonder why a team would trade for Cutler? His current contract is not cheap but it is far more GM friendly vs. making a much more expensive mistake like Houston did with Osweiller. If you think your draftee from last year might need one more year to develop before taking over then you need a QB to handle things for one season. A trade for a player like Cutler allows you to use high draft picks on players that can contribute this season. I saw someone speculate if the Jets would trade Wilkerson for Cutler (maybe we throw in something else to balance). I doubt they'd do that given the fact they need to keep as many good players as possible to win next season. Sheldon Richardson though is another story. He comes with some baggage including one argument with Brandon Marshall after a loss. That can be either a positive or a negative. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/j...shall/92489070/ Or possibly calling out teammates for slacking off... http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/j...shall/92489070/ and the big one with his arrest... http://www.espn.com/blog/new-york/jets/pos...-to-hide-arrest He's all boom or bust with odds leaning toward bust. I don't see Pace taking that risk.

I like the draft not sure I love it....yet. That's mainly because I have so many questions on Allen at the #3 pick overall. I still don't see him being a player who will command constant double teams, or as a player who can consistently win 1on1 against OTs in the NFL. RT's yes. At this point I'm not sure that if we want a 5T at #3 then maybe Solomon Thomas is the better choice. I think Thomas is the better edge player among the two because he's more athletic, with Allen probably the better interior player. The draft process will make clear where each fits but either player makes our Dline very good. I think it's fair to say there is no way Moreau lasts until the 7th Rd after being the top riser coming out of the Shrine game but if he's there he'd be a great pick. I've watched a few of Mahome's games. He definitely has all the physical tools needed and can throw accurately even on deep routes. His physical talent could easily put him into Rd 1. OTOH he also makes some crazy decisions when under pressure and will throw into tight coverage. As a 2nd Rd pick he's worth developing but I suspect after two years of Cutler this staff is going to look for a QB who prioritizes taking care of the ball. IMO Mahomes and Trubisky are the two best QBs when forced to move outside the pocket and there is a ton of value in that skill to extend plays. I also think using a 4th Rd pick on J. Davenport is too early for him as he really struggles with speed. In this round I prefer someone like Chad Wheeler out of USC or Antonio Garcia who has the physical tools to handle LT in the NFL if he can improve his technique. Here he is against Clemson, and I have a lot of respect for Clemson's Dline as does coach Saban (now). http://draftbreakdown.com/video/antonio-ga...s-clemson-2016/

Because we'll have four years with the best OLB/DE combination in the NFL. Perhaps most importantly is that Garrett is about as sure of a thing as a top draft pick as you can find. We won't find that among any of the QB candidates. That performance from two edge defenders can do a lot of damage and then when we have to cross the bridge of new contracts we'll figure it out. If the cap is a problem, then we can always tag one (Floyd) and trade him because if he is among the leagues better pass rushers we will get a 1st Rd pick in exchange.

Sefo Luifau . ... If we're talking about skipping QB in the 1st Rd then he has to be on our list. He can make all the throws needed in the NFL and as usual played in a spread offense.

I watched 3 quarters and kept wondering when it was that Pittsburgh hired Mel Tucker. That was the worst defense I've seen in a very long time. Rush 3 with a cover-none behind it.

They can leave if the Bears let them go. Remember the rumor was that Fox and Pace didn't want Fangio back. I would say SF was testing the water on that rumor. With no GM and no HC in place that likely means ownership sent the request, and quite possibly this was something discussed during interviews with Shanahan.

We need to keep Fangio. http://bearswire.usatoday.com/2017/01/21/b...nt-dc-position/

We had one of the best running games in the league last year with Howard behind this Oline. Obviously we need to get better on the edges in pass protection but I prefer to keep the strength right where it is in the middle of this Oline. Add to what is already good.

Love the way Brett Hundley finished that game.

I think it was just last week and at least a couple of us were speculating on how the QBs would fare as the draft analysis moved forward. I said I felt Kizer would move up quite a bit from his late 1st/early 2nd Rd slot. It seems that process is starting to happen. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/nf...10-with-no-qbs/ Here Kizer is ranked 13th overall, 2 spots behind Trubisky who is 11th overall. Jeremiah has Kizer 15th overall, Trubisky way down the road at 31st. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000077...-2017-nfl-draft It's still early and these are just a couple opinions but overall I get the sense both of these QBs will end up grading out as mid-1st Rd picks. Add in the desperation QB bump and they are easily top 10 picks, if not top 5. Despite that I don't think either of them will be ready to start a game in 2017.

I believe there is a solid foundation building on this team. The Cowboys won 4 games in 2015 due to a lot of injuries including at the QB position and ended up with the 4th pick in the draft. One year later they won 12 games with few injuries to key players and rookie QB. Let's be honest: Prescott was good but he wasn't better than Romo. IMO at his best he was equal to Romo but Dallas stayed with the hot hand and decided to stick with the rookie and look to the future. I hate the Cowboys. But I had to include that for perspective. They stayed the course with their coaching staff and added some more pieces. If they didn't use a 2nd Rd pick on Jaylon Smith they may very well have won the game last week. They passed on guys like: TE Hunter Henry, LB Myles Jack, DT Chris Jones, WR Michael Thomas. I don't believe we have a team ready to compete for the NFC Championship if healthy (as Dallas did) but I do think if we add the right pieces this offseason plus some better health we will compete for the playoffs. The QB position above all will keep us just outside playoff contention.

It's early and tough to put this one together at this time. Kudos to Jason for all the work to read what we've been posting over the last few weeks and organizing it. It will be interesting to see how early predictions compare to a final draft version right before the draft. I like what Pace has done his first two years. It's not all perfect but I see the arrow and trend pointing up. With that, we're still 2 more off-seasons away from being a solid playoff competitor. There are two paths to take to NFL excellence: Defense or Offense. Offense naturally has to have the franchise QB, the hardest position in all of sports to fill. Defense on the other hand requires a few great players, easier to find versus a QB, across the 3 levels of the D. The talent in this draft is laid out perfectly to enable the Bears to build a great defense. We can fill DE with Allen and still get a solid CB/S in Rd 2. LIkewise we could draft future Pro Bowl Safeties in either Adams or Hooker and immediately convert our DBs to at least an average ranking, if not better. We could still find a solid DE in Rd 2. QB becomes job 1 in 2018. For now I'll stand by my first preference to fix the QB position and draft Trubisky at #3 if he's there. I still feel there is something good to the way he plays the game and he hasn't come close to his potential. I watched the bowl game against Stanford and how he handled all the pressure in the pocket from Thomas was outstanding. There were a couple throws on the picks that weren't ideal but I think those are things he can learn on late reads as he gains more experience. I accept that he will not make the Bears a better team in 2017. If Trubisky is not there then take the 2 year approach and build a great defense. I start with Adams, more of a sure thing than Hooker, and his versatility and leadership across the secondary is a windfall for the needs of this rebuilding team. I'm not sold on Allen as others are so I think we can get a good prospect at DT/DE in Rd 2 in someone like Wormley or Watkins. Let Hicks and Goldman be the DT stars. Jason... you want first preference so it's QB Trubisky at #3.

Find us a TE with the first 4th RD pick and this is a winner.

For me at the top is accuracy at all levels of the field. If you can't consistently threaten a defense deep downfield you'll never be top starter in the NFL. Next is ability to read a defense. As Ashkum stated, the QBs coming out of the 1-read offenses don't learn anything about scanning the field. Worse is that all these coaches now make them turn around and look back at the sideline for the play adjustments which again, takes eyes off what the defense is doing. Those guys have a lot steeper learning curve when they get to the NFL. Even though he was in a 1 read offense I liked Mariota because when he was on the move he still kept his eyes downfield, and often made accurate passes on the move. He was reading the defense as the play broke down (better than Cutler does) so I felt he'd be able to pick up that aspect pre-snap over time. Lucky guess on my part. The scouts and coaches get to meet these guys and work them out so they should have a big leg up on this analysis yet they get it wrong in the first round year after year. I'd say that's in part because they place more emphasis on the physical attributes assuming the coaches can get the mental aspect corrected. Right now IMO this is the biggest knock on Kizer, among several but he also has some redeeming traits in how he handles pressure in his face. Trubisky on the other hand seems to be able to handle reading the defense as plays break down. Both are young and inexperienced so good luck figuring out where they are on their learning curve. Then I try to remember all the failed QB projects we've had in Chicago. What killed Grossman was wilting under pressure, couldn't read the defense well enough didn't know where to go with the ball when the blitz came. We came to realize later he didn't have the study habits and work ethic needed to succeed. Cutler fails under pressure too but in a slightly different way as he thinks he can still make that big play, and when he screws up he thinks he needs to come back and make a bigger play to make up for it. Any signs of those killer traits?

The more I learn about Adams and Hooker the more comfortable I am with either as our 1st pick. I still have to watch some games of Hooker but what I've seen so far he's the first prospect I recall who compares to Ed Reed. Last year everyone hyped up Jalen Ramsey, an elite athlete who went 5th overall last year, but Hooker seems faster at least in game speed. This is a guy who you can comfortably leave in single high safety spot and know you have both sidelines covered deep. I expect with that much athleticism Hooker would have no trouble in man coverage. He's not as physical in tackling as you'd like to see but the ball skills he has are exactly what we need the most in our deep coverage. Hooker is young and doesn't have a lot of experience at his position yet so the best is yet to come from him but that also means you're projecting his ability more than Adams. Adams on the other hand is the jack of all trades and lines up everywhere. He'll cover any TE in the NFL well. He is smart and instinctive, comfortable working in the box around traffic, and he'll smack guys hard around the LOS. He has enough speed to also handle single high safety role but I think he's a tick slower on top end speed than Hooker. The combine will be interesting. Adams also has the leadership you want to get everyone lined up correctly. I understand the concern about drafting a S so high but this is a passing league now more than ever. Eric Berry went 5th overall, same for Ramsey. Then when you start looking at CBs, there are almost always 1 or 2 in the top 10 picks. Patrick Peterson 5th overall. Those are players that just cover one side, whereas elite safeties who can line up and cover players from multiple spots, depending on what the offense wants to do, seem like a better value.

Pretty impressive http://www.chicagobears.com/news/article-1...2f-03827eaf1319