AZ54

Yes it's always where I start. If your best plays don't impress there's no need to see the rest.

Given what we just saw in the Superbowl it's surprising more Bears fans are not clamoring to make our Dline that good. Having Jarrett and Dayo, adding Nolen or Grant puts us on that path for the next few seasons. Tack on a 2nd Rd DE and I'll be very happy.

Walter Nolen and Kenneth Grant are the two to watch. Nolen is a little bit better at 3-tech but can slide to any position on the line even DE. "Prospect Projection: Day 1 — Pro Bowl Caliber" https://thedraftnetwork.com/2024/06/19/walter-nolen-scouting-report-nfl-draft https://thedraftnetwork.com/2024/06/18/kenneth-grant-scouting-report-nfl-draft Prospect Projection: Day 1 — Pro Bowl Caliber

If I were adding to Superbowl competitive roster I'd likely take a different route. For now I'm prioritizing building a playoff roster and we've still got holes at DE/DT rotation, and a definite need for a starting S next year. ILB will be a need next year as well. Even drafting another good TE who will see 20-30% of the snaps adds game winning value each week. As opposed to drafting a 1st RD IOL who sits for 3 years or until we have an injury. They also didn't know if Kelce was coming back for that last year. Again, we're talking 1st Rd value here. None of this means don't draft depth later but we were about to pay huge money to KC's former 5th Rd pick to play RG. Our Oline starters have come from rounds 1,2,3,4, and 5. I expect my GM to be capable of finding that depth later in the draft. I expect our very accomplished and highly sought-after Oline coach to prove his worth as well.

I still think that was a horrible draft for the Lions. Johnson might be wearing a Superbowl ring if they had selected Will McDonald (10 sacks last year) to compliment Hutchinson, or even better CB Christian Gonzalez would have really helped their defense especially once they had Dline issues. Calijah Kancey had 7.5 sacks last year at DT and he went at 19 overall right after Detroit selected Jack Campbell at 18. As good as Gibbs has been I think they could have easily grabbed De'von Achane in the 2nd (a reach but less so than a RB at 12) or just take Achane when he was on the board in the 3rd and had similar productivity from the RB position. Both Gibbs and Achane average 5.5 and 5.6ypc for their NFL careers. Achane was drafted 16 picks after Detroit chose QB Hendon Hooker in Rd 3.

Simmons is my top ranked OT. He didn’t make the list either. Nor did my favorite top 20. DT Grant. DE prospects around pick 10 is like a wasteland. Both Warren and Jeanty make the team better for sure. given our lack of a decent third WR you can make a very good argument for Warren and more Two TE sets. Run or pass we’ll choose.

You made me remember Ben at the press conference when a reporter asked him what he was going to do to make the transition to his offense easier on the players. His answer: Nothing. This isn’t going to be easy and none of them should expect it to be easy.

At no point have I heard Ben Johnson mention Swift. Nor any of our RBs. In his various press conferences or media interviews that I’ve seen I think he’s mentioned everyone on the offense (current version with recent Oline adds), even Braxton, in a somewhat positive light. For sure I don’t catch everything in the media but I’ve watched many of them. As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned to listen to what people do not say as much as to what they do say. That all fits into a lot of other contextual stuff like motives and so forth. This is lying season. IMO there’s something to this but we likely won’t know until after the draft. If any has clips of him talking about Swift please post them.

I can’t imagine any team heading into this deep RB draft class trading for Swift. You might be able to trade him later in the year to a team with a lot of RB injuries.

I agree. I don’t think either of them will be worse than Jones. So at a minimum you keep the same performance at LT for a relatively low price. If there is upside then that’s a win win situation.

There are positions where depth is more critical and Dline is at the top of that list because 4 DTs and 3 DEs will see snaps every game. RB is similar.

There is a lot of agreement on that strategy but trades require two teams to agree. This thread is about what we should do if we’re stuck at 10. I’m curious who you would write down on your draft card?

Zabel would be great to have but using a first round pick who will not have a starting spot for at least 3 years is not a good investment for our near term Superbowl window.

I wasn't expecting this. I'm definitely expecting this with Thuney. Now it gets interesting to see how much cap space we can free up for this year. https://www.si.com/nfl/bears/news/chicago-bears-act-quickly-to-reward-key-offensive-lineman-with-a-contract-extension

Yeah that kids got some quickness and is an easy-hands catcher. He sits at 57 on Draft Network's board. He might make it to early 3rd Rd.

He's competition for Scott. Might be better than Scott on route running/in out of his cuts. Not as fast in a straight line plus he's a basket catcher not a true hands catcher. Although Scott shares that trait on many catches as well. As 4th/5th WRs go this is ok but IMO we still need a valid #3 WR.

On Kenneth Grant I can find highlights and multiple breakdowns of his game. If you like the stats side of it Adam Mason does a good job of summarizing it. People will focus on value but he's easily a top 20 player and there are plenty of pundits thinking he's top 15. We have a glaring need for a player of his caliber on the defensive interior. I'm not going to worry about 5 spots of draft value. In this draft the top 10 aren't nearly as good as last year's top 10 players. In terms of draft grades on NFL Network Kelvin Banks 6.42, Grant 6.36. I'm not as high on Banks as others at LT. I'll have to watch more film on him again to clarify why he didn't stand out to me. Why Grant over Derrick Harmon who has a 6.38 grade? Agility and speed. Harmon is powerful but has tightness and more of a linear ahtlete, similar to Dexter. Good players for sure but we've got one of them already. Grant will be more effective on stunts IMO and can play multiple positions even some 3-tech. He'll also be better off chasing some of these fast young QBs because he can turn and run. For me the best justification: Bears fans deserve another Refrigerator.

Don’t ask me about a RB at 10 in the deepest RB draft in a decade.

If we’re stuck at 10 my options are Josh Simmons. Depends on health but watch the OSU pro day and if we grab a team visit later in the process. LT of the future. Armand Membou. Elite athlete. Less than ideal arm length but good enough with his feet. He needs coaching on technique. Kenneth Grant. Elite athlete. Stud for both run D and pass rush as NT. Fast enough to chase down RBs. I won’t complain one bit about having an elite Dline. https://www.totalprosports.com/ncaa/kenneth-grant-michigan-wolverines-340-pound-tackle-penn-state/ Mason Graham should he drop I don’t like the DE value at 10 I feel we can get a similar player at 39.

You have a lot more faith in Brisker staying healthy than I do. He’s not far off from a medical retirement if he gets another concussion.

Start looking at safeties. With our cap space rapidly moving into the trenches we aren’t likely to keep a big contract at safety next year. Plus I doubt the team will feel confident giving Brisker a big second contract with his concussion history. LB is the other 2026 cost cutting we’ll see but age and health issues are less of a concern right now than safety.

That’s where I’m at. Send everyone to his pro day.

Every time I go through the exercise of “would I rather” have Jeanty or Simmons at LT? Or Kenneth Grant paired up with Dexter? Or even Zabel as our OC long term? Jeanty never rises to the top.

The elite defenses have interior pass rush. You can survive with strong and long dudes who can snag the QB when he comes their way. Or who can squeeze the pocket.

Add Kenneth Grant or Deone Walker