AZ54

Some of this can be bluster designed to show everyone else they shouldn’t waste their time trying to get the first pick because the Colts will match our beat it. Best to just stay away. Ballard has gone from dream job with top QB to a spot where he absolutely has to get the QB pick right. He literally cannot sit at 4 and risk all the top QBs being gone when he picks. If he did he might be fired that day. He can’t trade with Houston and it makes no sense to trade to 3 with AZ and take who is left. Go big or go home.

Too late for sure now. https://bearswire.usatoday.com/2023/02/15/chicago-bears-close-on-arlington-heights-property-stadium-update/

https://www.si.com/nfl/bears/news/colts-owner-follows-up-on-qb-comments-with-more-humor

That makes a lot of sense. If I'm Poles I'm letting teams, and anyone else watching who is talking to who at the Senior Bowl, see me chatting with LV/ATL/CAR GMs.

We know they want to keep him. I'm not a cap expert but unless he signs before FA begins they may have to franchise tag him to keep him. A tag hits available cap if I'm not mistaken. They have some options on cutting players like Leno. I couldn't say how that affects their roster (i.e. is there a young player in place to take over as starter) but those are things we can watch for leading up to FA.

The value of QB over WR is well known and it is far easier to find good WRs in Rd 1-3. But eh, that's just not my problem

We did see things differently. I thought he played well overall but IMO he was often late on his reads. Or KC suddenly developed an elite secondary to match up against those WRs. In some ways it was similar to what we've seen from Fields and it led to pockets collapsing and scrambles outside the pocket. He was often successful outside the pocket. When the pressure was on in the 3rd quarter he wasn't able to respond although that was the case with the entire team. Their road to the Superbowl was easy maybe that led to some nerves and execution issues when it got tight. The fumble was inexcusable for an MVP type QB and was the difference in the game. We can't ignore that stuff as it completely changed the momentum of the game.

This whole Wash trade proposal was some Wash fan's fantasy trade/draft. In a quiet week for real draft news Bears fans latched onto it. IMO any deal with Wash their offer has to start with McLaurin. Without him in the deal I don't think Poles should talk with them.

They still have to pay for a QB somewhere somehow or try to draft one. Even Hieneke, if they make him the starter, won't come cheap maybe $10mil. They are in a really bad spot at 16, too far down to trade up. They might hope Richardson falls to them but he's definitely not ready for snaps this year. That leaves Carr (seemingly headed to NO), JimmyG, or a trade for Rodgers. They are stuck in a QB position familiar to Bears fans over the last few decades.

Well said as talent definitely impacts the way a defense reacts. The Eagles just played really poor defense. It's unfortunate they always give MVP to skill players because IMO it was the Chiefs' Oline that deserved it. They just ran over the Eagles front 7.

Trading down in advance does not bother me if the value is there. There is plenty of precedent for that. The Eagles did that the year they drafted Wentz and the timing was one week before the draft. That's all post-Combine, pro day, and team visit with player so we have a long way to go. However, with so many potential bidders, and two division rivals, in the mix it could force someone to trade up earlier than that. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/eagles-now-have-no-2-pick-after-blockbuster-trade-with-browns/ "It's official: The Eagles have agreed to a trade with the Browns to move up to the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. The expectation is that they'll take one of the top two quarterbacks, either Jared Goff or Carson Wentz. The details: The Eagles get: The No. 2 pick in 2016 and a 2017 fourth-round pick. The Browns get: The No. 8 pick in 2016, the No. 77 pick (third round) in 2016, the No. 100 pick (fourth round) in 2016, a 2017 first-rounder and a 2018 second-rounder."

Upside players are nice to have on the practice squad and these guys may well end up there. Given the massive gaps on this roster I'm more focused now on finding players who can contribute this year. Trying to find some day 3 gems.

Two edge players with those high picks and both are more run defenders than pass rushers. I think we should be taking chance on at least one athletic guy with more pass rush upside. Also, TDN has Morris ranked 98th overall so I'm guessing PFF has him in the 50s which is a wild swing in evaluation. I'm ready for some combine data so we can start closing these gaps and get a better feel for how things will play out.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10064870-8-prospects-who-should-hear-names-called-during-2023-nfl-draft-after-combine-snubs Good article about some players who will not be getting any press coverage in the next few weeks since they won't be at the combine. Watching what I could find on them, just two stood out to me as players we should have on our board for Day 3. DL Kobie Turner. He can get penetration as shown in the game against Clemson. Among other plays you see him chasing down plays 10yds downfield and causing a fumble so he should be a fit for Eberflus HITS ethos. He's not fast but has a bit of quickness. There just not a lot of highlights so https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IivMa1VRhHw TE Daniel Barker. If you are looking for a pass catching TE he seems to fit the bill very well. He hasn't had much production in college and BR associates that to his choice of schools. I always wonder too if that's a result of poor work ethic/discipline but the video of his time at Mich St he seems focused on what he needs to do to get to the NFL. Since he played at Illinois maybe someone here has more input. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V3CrxpyY3s

What do the Texans do? Work to convince people they don't care about a QB. https://www.si.com/nfl/bears/news/bears-needs-so-great-trading-way-down-makes-sense "There is much speculation now that Houston might be looking not for a quarterback but for defensive line help because the Texans hired former 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans as head coach. If the Bears move down to No. 4, they might miss the chance at both Anderson or Carter." Lately rumors are running counter to the QB narrative but honestly Demeco Ryans and all the QB issues he's seen in SF can't make him blind to the fact he needs a good QB. Name the Superbowl they won without a top QB? Nobody cares about getting to the Superbowl if you lose, even Rex Grossman did that. The article makes a good point that we might not covet either Anderson or Carter since they don't fit well into our scheme. Again, we should make it known we'd go back further if the value is there (i.e. those teams at 7/8/9) and see what's on the offer table. Will that pressure be enough to get Indy to move off their spot to secure whoever it is they want?

Saw an ESPN clip on Youtube last night where Kiper was saying this is a bad draft, he only has 80 players with good grades. Effectively as compared to typical top 100 he only has 80 players with high enough grade. If Poles sees the same it could affect what he does in a trade down where he's more open to a 2024 pick. For anything related to the 1st Rd trades he'll likely still want anything 2nd/3rd Rd but do you really want to bring in 10 players from this draft? If he trades down later in the draft (2nd/3rd Rd) rather than a 2023 4th/5th he might prefer next years 3rd/4th from a team. For reference Kiper said last year he had 120 players graded out (let's call them potential starters).

Will McDonald that high?

Teams at 7/8/9 continue to intrigue me. Raiders: With Brady removed from the equation, Raiders fans, at least those I know, are focused on trading for Rodgers. That's a long shot IMO unless and until Rodgers forces them into a trade. His contract is very complex and it's hard to know if there's a trade clause option he can use. Just on the surface the Raiders have $18mil in cap space and Rodgers is due $60mil in salary this year. Unloading Carr frees up $29mil so they aren't far off. It makes for chatter in the offseason but I can't see how this is remotely feasible. Is Green Bay really willing to walk away from him after that big contract last year? With Brady and Rodgers out of the equation where do the Raiders turn? JimmyG is not much different from Carr although he likely knows the offensive system. He'd be an expensive stop gap but what did the team really win? They could do a rebuild and sell off some players but that seems like a tough sell after going all-in on Adams last year. ( Hey Tom, it's Josh McDaniels on the phone again...do you want to talk to him or should I tell him you're out walking on the beach like last time?). Atlanta and Carolina: Both teams are all-in on a rebuild and stuck on the outside looking in. Can they get high enough to get one of the top 3 QBs? Neither will get to #1, it's likely they don't even want to. But they will likely want to get to 3, 4, 5, or 6 which is ahead of the Raiders.

Whitehair never looked natural at Center and I don't think that's gotten better with age. There's a reason they mixed in Eiselen late in the season and it's because they are searching for someone better than Mustipher. I don't really know what Lucas Patrick is but for sure he was never better than a backup in GB. He didn't even look good enough to be a backup in his time on the field with us but maybe the injuries played into that. We are only paying him backup money, albeit good backup money at $4mil/yr. I just don't see a reason to bank on him at all and I'd rather sign someone better and then cut him saving $4mil in cap space. Then let Mustipher, Eiselen, or a rookie battle it out to be a backup. Was it Mauch who played C, OG, OT in the Senior Bowl and played well at all 3? That versatility is really valuable. He could end up starting at LG and be backup C. He could end up the starting C too.

It would be great to go into the draft not needing Oline and ideally only needing one DT to fill out a good 3-man rotation. There is CB talent early in Rd 1, as well as Edge talent throughout top 100. Fit in a LB/WR somewhere on day 2/3. I'm hoping for 5 picks in top 102 (first pick 4th Rd) if not more. In the end I don't think it's likely we fix WR via FA as the money is too high and talent pool is mediocre. Plus the balance on contracts, assuming they extend Mooney and then Claypool a year later, would be poor. We really need young talent there to pair with Velus. By the way having the first pick in Rd 4 is big plus for us because some 3rd Rd talent usually drops and if there is depth it gives us a night to plan and possibly trade back a bit and grab a 6th Rd pick in exchange. Or we just outright grab the guy who dropped.

We can get by without a blue chip stud at WR simply because Fields commands so much attention as a runner. That tends to occupy at least one 2nd level defender even on obvious 3rd and long passing downs.

We need a consensus top QB so somebody really wants to get to #1. Then two who are really close behind in grades for that to work. It's about that cluster of teams 7/8/9/11/13 (might as well toss in the Jets) who will need that 2nd or 3rd QB.

It's likely going to be a wild offseason with draft rumors. Here we are fresh off the Senior Bowl with apparently two teams kicking the tires on a trade for #1. It appears Tenn was one of the teams. I say kicking the tires because at this point that's about all that is being done. If this is true, most likely the Titans GM just wants to know if Poles would be willing to drop back to #11. I'd say yes we are open to deals involving picks and players. I assume we'd want to include Jeffrey Simmons. Using Draftek.com trade chart: 1ST PICK = 3000pts 11 = 1250, 41 = 490, 72 = 230. for a tot = 1970. I don't know what Simmons would be considered in value but for sure we'd be looking at next year's 1st (one rd lower value so figure 490pts) and likely their 2nd Rd too (250pts). Would Simmons cover the 300pt gap? Or is he worth even more than that, maybe give back their 3rd Rd pick. The caveat here is if we sign say Payne and someone else at DT in FA. Then we don't need another high priced DT. For now this is just teams getting an idea if it's even worth talking about a deal down the road. https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bears/todd-mcshay-says-texans-will-do-everything-bears-no1-pick

With John Michael-Schmitz showing well that should give us a few good targets at OC if we choose to use the draft to upgrade there.

I caught Bowen's comments as well. I'm not opposed to drafting a good FS, if nothing else we need better depth there but that should be a day 3 value pick if someone drops to us out of the 3rd Rd.