AZ54

He'll be stopping in Chicago for a visit before the draft. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000064...er-on-nfl-radar

I'm interested but first and foremost is what his contract demands are. He's a really good player but as stated above, he's not elite like JJ Watt. He's going to want Malik Jackson money and based on his performance vs. Jackson he's correct to ask for that. I'd walk away from that but if he's willing to come in just under that bar, maybe the $13mil/yr range I might be talking to him. 12 sacks from an interior Dline position is pretty good and it's tough finding players who can do that. He instantly makes our OLB pass rushers better just from pressure up the middle. Compensation to the Jets...I'd gladly swap picks in the first round... 11 for 20. I don't want to give up our 2nd Rd pick. I think the draft value at 20 is pretty similar to what we can get at 11, I just hope the Jets think differently. There is no reason to push for this deal. The Jets are the ones in a bind with $175k in cap space, needing to sign Fitzpatrick, and DT talent is abundant in this draft. Fitzpatrick has nowhere else to go right now but after the draft that will quickly change as teams re-assess their needs. Denver is the wildcard in the QB market. We did business with the Jets last year and it worked out very well for them. If compensation from other teams is similar to our offer that good will could push the deal to us. Pace needs to sit back, relax, and let the Jets clock tick.

After posting in Jason's "Best Mock I can do thread" about CBs I figured I'd just summarize what I see of the top CBs after watching film on Draftbreakdown. I'm copying what I wrote about Hargreaves in that thread. Among the top 4 CBs in this draft I could live with any of them. I'm just not confident grabbing one at #11. We could drop back to #20 and grab whoever is left and be just as well off IMO. That's kind of the way this draft is after the top 10 picks. Hargreaves... It's not necessarily size sometimes it attitude. Some guys just love getting into your grill and making you work hard. Others can do it but prefer to be off a bit and use their athleticism to get back into position to make the play. I feel Hargreaves is the latter. Watching games against Alabama, Ole Miss, and Tenn I see: Elite cat-like quickness, excellent burst. Good speed but not elite long speed. He does not have the extra gear to catch up to WRs in the NFL. When tackling he prefers to take out the knees. He is not (at least I haven't yet seen) a square up tackler. If he does not dive at your knees (good RBs will at times set that up and make him miss 2:10 in the Tenn video) then he will side-slip and grab and drag. His quickness and burst make him good in run support because he can cover 10 yards so fast to get where he needs to be. This guy is not going to ever be considered a shutdown CB IMO. His quickness will get him INTs when the QBs throws behind the WR. In press coverage I see a guy who will reach out and quickly try to mirror a WR. Can he jam someone at the LOS? Maybe, but I'd like to see it before I buy it. Let me clarify, I think Hargreaves is good in man coverage even right off the line but I consider press coverage as a CB working to delay the WR, or reroute him off the LOS. That may be semantics but IMO if you want a CB who can reroute a WR and hold up the timing of a play Hargreaves isn't that guy. He is the guy who will mirror the WR and undercut the pass at times which works great on simple out routes, or quick inside slants. I think on other routes downfield he will get beat early off the line and stacked by bigger/faster WRs. I'll be happy to see another team put him on an island against Kevin White. Scheme will make a difference with Hargreaves because if he has a good safety over the top he will work his magic on the short and, to a lesser extent, the intermediate routes. I don't exactly know what Fangio prefers to have. -------- Jackson... I watched a bit of William Jackson III today. I saw him at the combine and he impressed me with his movement skills but in games he plays a bit stiff, or maybe it's just his long legs make him not as quick twitch in cuts. There is a big drop off in response time to cuts between Hargreaves and Jackson. Hargreaves will match up well against someone like Antonio Brown, Jackson won't. Jackson would match up better against someone like Alshon Jeffrey, Dez White, especially downfield. Jackson is more willing to throw his body into a runner, it would help if he added another 10lbs to his frame. Jackson isn't that good at press coverage either but I think the mentality and frame is there to better grow into that skill. --------- Eli Apple has just a couple games to watch on Draftbreakdown: NIU, Mich St. If I could put Hargreaves skills on one side of a line and Jackson's on the other, Apple would fit in the middle. He's more willing to take on a RB straight up than Hargreaves but at times hesitates to do so. In coverage he's good at mirroring, probably quicker on breaks than Jackson, but he's often grabbing at WRs after 5 yards. It's going to take him some time to break that habit. I think he holds up better downfield against the bigger WRs than Hargreaves. --------- Mackensie Alexander... If you want attitude on your defense this is your guy. He'd fit in with the 85 Bears defense. He's not afraid to mix it up with WRs around the LOS. His quickness is not far behind Hargreaves but he looks to have a little more long speed than him. Neither are elite in long speed. At times Alexander will look to hit hard other times he's side stepping and grabbing like Hargreaves. Nonetheless he's more physical. What I like best is that Alexander really wants to contest the WR making the catch. He's not going to be a shutdown corner but he's the kind of player you like to have on your side in a game. --------- (skipping Kendall Fuller I just don't think we'll want any conflict in the locker room if Kyle struggles again) Artie Burns.... Classic track star playing football. He's got all the physical traits you want except he just doesn't like to hit people sometimes that leads to him missing tackles. He can cover for the most part. I just wonder how guys like this handle the next level where the physicality goes up a notch. --------- Xavien Howard... Good football player but his physical talent isn't close to the above players. He absolutely needs to be protected over the top because he just doesn't have the speed to keep up. He's physical around the LOS, no hesitation to jam WRs off the line, and has enough quickness to be effective against short to intermediate routes. --------- Will Redmond... Smaller version of Hargreaves. More physical, more attitude around the LOS but lacks the muscle to do much with it.

It's not necessarily size sometimes it attitude. Some guys just love getting into your grill and making you work hard. Others can do it but prefer to be off a bit and use their athleticism to get back into position to make the play. I feel Hargreaves is the latter. Watching games against Alabama, Ole Miss, and Tenn I see: Elite cat-like quickness, excellent burst. Good speed but not elite long speed. He does not have the extra gear to catch up to WRs in the NFL. When tackling he prefers to take out the knees. He is not (at least I haven't yet seen) a square up tackler. If he does not dive at your knees (good RBs will at times set that up and make him miss 2:10 in the Tenn video) then he will side-slip and grab and drag. His quickness and burst make him good in run support because he can cover 10 yards so fast to get where he needs to be. This guy is not going to ever be considered a shutdown CB IMO. His quickness will get him INTs when the QBs throws behind the WR. In press coverage I see a guy who will reach out and quickly try to mirror a WR. Can he jam someone at the LOS? Maybe, but I'd like to see it before I buy it. Eli Apple has some of the same traits but you can also find some plays where he squares up on a RB and makes the tackle. I'm not a big fan of his but a smaller but more pesky Mackenzie Alexander seems to fit the bill a bit better. I'll spend some time this weekend (starts today for me) and review the CBs.

I like Rds 4-7 much better than Rds 1-3. I just don't see Hargreaves as a great fit for what Fangio wants in press coverage, nor having the size downfield to contest taller receivers. In Lovie's cover-2 he's a great fit. I don't see good value in Hunter Henry in Rd 2 compared to what else is available, especially the DT talent or maybe grabbing a better OT prospect. IMO for TE the value curve fits best around the 4th Rd and I'd be just as happy with a guy like Higbee in the 4th or 5th. Scooby followed by Smith? ...not a fan of back to back ILBs. The rounds they were selected in is likely to swap now that Smith appears to be recovering well. If we took Smith in the 3rd Rd would we really take Wright in the 4th? I doubt it. ---- On a side note: Most of us are not looking at RBs but we've done enough poking around in FA to make me think we will be drafting one. One of these days I need to start watching some film on them.

Houston played well the last 8 games. Young also played well but he is the better fit for a team wanting a 4-3 DE. I would make that trade, Young/Barwin, except I don't like Barwin's $7.3mi cap hit in 2016 and $8.3mil in 2017. Now if Philly picks up his $3mil guarantee for this season and we're only on the hook for $3.75mil then it works quite well. Next year Barwin's contract is structured so he can be cut if needed with just $600k in dead money and $7.75mil in cap savings.

Smith's injury is still very serious and despite the positive news he has a very long way to go before anyone can know if he'll be the same player. At #11...yes I'd be upset. If medicals are good perhaps 3rd Rd I'd be ok. 2nd Rd is where it gets dicey because there will still be good players available at many positions that can help us this season and down the road.

I'm impressed. I realize mobility is different from simple straight directional moves, especially a leg press, but a squat with that much weight requires plenty of stability in the knee. More importantly, since nerve damage affecting lower leg function is the top concern it requires his base/foot to be stable. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000064...ter-knee-injury ...told NFL Media's Mike Mayock he is already leg pressing more than 600 pounds and squatting more than 400 in the weight room as his recovery continues. "It's just a matter of time. I'll be fine," Smith said. His medical check-in in 2 weeks will be very well attended.

First, I love seeing my favorite game gaining popularity in other nations. This guy has all the measurable you want at WR, or maybe at TE. I watched the highlight film and felt he would make a better move-TE than WR because his first step seems a bit slow. Then I see that he ran a 6.65 3-cone drill at his pro day. Those two don't match up IMO but we have to consider his highlights are most likely just him playing in Germany without the benefits of advanced training like he has been receiving in the last few months. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000064...er-on-nfl-radar FWIW the self-proclaimed best player in the draft, Jalen Ramsey, ran a 6.94 3-cone drill at the combine. He obviously has a ton to learn and there is risk given the level of play he's seen but after this performance he's going to get drafted. The question is where. Would you draft him? If so, what round and for what position? I'd draft him with one of our 6th Rd picks and I'd start him out as a slot WR, not really any different than how we flexed out Zach Miller last year. Who is going to cover him? Give him a season to add 10lbs and learn how to block better and make him a move-TE with some part-time blocking assignments.

Davis appears to be a player that will be cut so there is little reason to trade a good player for him unless we get a decent draft pick in exchange.

If he ends up here, signing Larsen would be a good step forward despite his poor ranking from PFF. Oddly, he was drafted by New England and eventually wound up in Arizona where he replaced a benched Jonathan Cooper. Cooper is now with New England and expected to help fix their leaky Oline. We have the guy that beat out Cooper for a starting job and NE didn't even look his way? Blocking scheme likely plays into that and he might be a better fit for what we do versus what NE does. https://www.profootballrumors.com/bears-exp...ign-ted-larsen/ I still think he's good depth worth bringing in to compete for a spot. He had interest from 49ers and Seahawks who both knew his work well since they are division rivals. Why things didn't work out at either place would be nice to know. Falcons took a look at him as well.

I think the variance is because some of these players' skills lean so strongly one way versus the other. Cash IMO is an in-the-box type. He's great in that role, if that's what you want from your safety. Among the 3rd day prospects, Sean Davis is at the top of my list because I want more of a coverage guy but he is big enough and has the attitude and ability to be successful in run support. I don't see that same coverage skill in Cash, Killebrew, or Thompson (who takes too many wrong steps in coverage but might be correctable). If teams want to do what the Cardinals have done with Buchanan they'll find some help in this draft. This is what makes a guy like Myles Jack so valuable. If you want him to step out and cover a move TE, or even a slot WR, you could still keep two other LB on the field for run support. You get a lot of scheme flexibility with a guy like that.

I didn't like what I saw from Adams, looks very stiff and slow when running routes. I only get to see one or two games from these guys so it's possible he was fighting through an injury.

I'm curious who teams are talking to and at NFL.com they show us having spoken with 10 players (I'm sure it's much higher than that) but on that list 5 are WRs. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000064...ayers-nfl-teams Then what traits are we looking at? Most are bigger WRs with the exception being Coleman. Devon Cajuste stood out to me because at 6'4" and 235lbs he's pretty close to what Zach Miller does for us. Reportedly Cajuste does not have the quickness needed off the line to get separation from CBs, but he has good enough speed against LBs. He'll need time to gain strength and learn blocking but he has the hands you want. He originally went to Stanford as a TE prospect but was good enough at WR they kept him there. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players...8/devon-cajuste I could see us taking him very late in the draft, 6th or 7th Rd. At this point we're not going to find another move or H-back type of TE in FA. If Housler and Lee compete for the blocking role then there is some room on the roster for a player like this especially with Miller's injury history. I watched some film a couple days ago, other TEs I like: Tyler Higbee...good movement down field with speed and quickness, plus good hands. Needs work as a blocker. Listed as 4th Rd prospect. Austin Hooper also from Stanford. Projected 2nd - 3rd Rd and I'd rather not spend that high of a pick but he's got a good all-around game. A little shiftier when running routes than Henry IMO and more athletic, able to make difficult catches.

I think we can give Scooby a 4.8 now since that is what he ran at his Pro Day. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/nfl-dra...arizona-pro-day He fits in the same mold with Matekevich, they might as well be twins: Matakevich 6'0" 238lbs, 4.81 forty, 2.80 20yd, 1.66 10yd, 22 reps @ 225lbs, vertical 31" broad 9'4", shuttle 4.50 Wright 6'0" 239lbs, 4.80 forty, 2.82 20yd, 1.67 10yd, 22 reps @ 225lbs, vertical 31" broad 9'5", shuttle 4.47

True but Alexander, Apple, and Jackson III fit his press cover style better.

Sam is a good guy but I think this falls into the category where the agent calls the team, and team takes a no risk deal. That's all good I just hope we get some fast competition for edge rusher into camp.

If correct, we should be keeping a close eye on Sean Davis once we get to the 3rd/4th Rd: 6'1" 4.46 forty Played Safety and CB No doubt Jalen Ramsey is at the top of Fangio's board.

Definitely worthwhile signing for competition at the bottom of the roster. Whatever happened to Bruton?

I'm surprised too. I have to wait to see what his Hill's contract and cap hit is for 2016.

This is from the WTF department: 3/25: Laquon Treadwell said that the Bengals, Browns, Bears and Cowboys have shown the most interest in him. - Read more at http://www.walterfootball.com/nflrumors/te...J3yVQJggMKyL.99 The only thing I can think is that the Bears are keeping open the option to trade Jeffrey. For this to work they'd have to get a high 1st Rd pick. Can also be a little strategy toward getting Jeffrey to sign the deal on the table. Anyone else got any ideas on why we'd waste time on this smoke screen?

He knows what he is (see video). We know what he is. Let's make it happen. http://www.csnchicago.com/bears/nfl-draft-...lb-dadi-nicolas

No doubt he outperformed Mariani as a KR. I didn't see him outperform Mariani as a slot WR, plus there is the simple fact that Deonte can't catch punts. Last year Deonte admitted he wasn't too confident on punts. Touchbacks have now been moved to the 25yd line. That makes life much tougher for a guy like Deonte to make a roster solely as a KR. If he wants a job he'll have to show up elsewhere as a slot WR or PR (not too likely if he can't catch the ball) and maybe as as special teams gunner. IMO there is no way Fox keeps him around just to return kicks.

I liked Thompson and felt that he did some nice things in the passing game considering he was added to the roster so late in the year. With a full offseason to learn the offense I can see him challenging Mariani for a spot as KR/Slot WR.

At first I wasn't sure which way they'd go but now I'm starting to agree with you that the Saints aren't that interested in Hill. If they felt Hill could be the move TE for them running routes down field they'd have signed him to a new deal for something far less than what Fleener got. Instead they went after Fleener with a big contract and they also went after Hoomanawanui early in FA. It might have been a case where they threw a low contract at Hill early and when he said no they went after Hoomanawanui who took a deal worth ~$1mil/yr with $1mil guaranteed. Either way Hill wasn't valued to the tune of multiple millions per year when they had the cash and roster spot available. If, as someone else stated earlier, the Saints prefer to keep 1 TE in to block while the other works down field then they now have their top 2 TEs. With so little cap space and so many needs on defense they will either stick with their practice squad players to see who earns a spot, draft a TE late, or search for a vet on a min contract later in FA. Hill's best value to them was as a special teams player and they have a number of cheaper ways to fill that spot.