AZ54

Rumors are already picking up the Colts are putting together a can’t-refuse trade package for the 1st pick and that will likely include players. Everyone assumes Pittman will be included. if we’re going to get someone with one year left on their rookie contract I’m thinking I’d prefer Jonathan Taylor. He had a couple ankle injuries this year and it appears he might need surgery. I’m purely guessing but that might be the procedure Harry had at the beginning of the season. A backfield of Taylor, Herbert, and then just keep Darrynton Evans and Ebner. Montgomery walks and we have more FA budget. Of course Taylor would need a new deal in 2024 but right now his valuation at OTC is around $8 mil. Maybe that’s a bit low but would you rather have Monty at $7 mil per year or Taylor at $10mil? Or neither and just keep drafting RBs.

That’s where I’m at and that fits into a trade down scenario.

Ditto

It is the dual-threat success of Justin Fields and Lamar Jackson that will elevate Richardson as a prospect. To some extent Josh Allen too because he had much to learn coming into the NFL and relied on his running ability for most of his first two seasons. Teams will have more confidence there is a way to win games while the QB matures in the passing game. How high that could move up Richardson is hard to know but it's likely more than enough to keep him solidly in the first rd.

For the Will Levis fans out there, or maybe us trade-down fans. After watching some hype here I watched some highlights of him and his release reminds me of Marino's. Combined with his arm strength he's going to be a favorite of the media at the Combine. Others are taking notice.

I spent time doing some mocks and lots of trade down scenarios and subsequently started scouting deeper into the draft. The first thing that I seemed to notice is that DT talent seems to be lacking in this draft. I could be wrong but my sense is that after Rd 1/2 there isn't a whole lot of depth. There are round 2 DTs like Gervon Dexter I have no desire to draft because he's so slow off the snap. That just leads me to think FA is the way to go for fixing DT this offseason and we can focus draft picks elsewhere. I like Drew Sanders at MLB. He's got some baggage, or growth areas, since Alabama kept him on-ball but he looks pretty good off-ball in these highlights. Watching him run down Bryce Young in the open field shows how well he can move. He also has the agility to get deep in zone coverage if needed or to cover TEs. Since he has spent time on-ball he's comfortable and pretty effective blitzing. He's going to need more coaching on his keys and a little patience from fans to let him settle in but I really like his upside. Paired with Sanborn and we might be good at LB for years to come. He's a late 1st early 2nd Rd pick on some boards. https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/drew-sanders-8e48bb06-63a5-4a11-b5d0-6dee077d82e3/

I know PFF has a lot of downsides to what they do. However just looking at the first round OTs it isn't hard to find articles on how they are struggling, or were struggling during season. We watch every Bears game (and sometimes rewatch) them focusing on details and don't really see the league-wide perspective of how others in similar positions are performing. 6th overall: Ikky is better in pass pro than Jones but Jones easily outperforms him in run blocking. But if you read the article they commend him for helping lead one of the NFL's best rushing attacks. Yet who was #1 in that category? Ikky also had to deal with a subpar Oline helping him out. Sound familiar? https://draftwire.usatoday.com/2022/11/01/nfl-carolina-panthers-ikem-ekwonu-pro-football-focus-nfl-draft/ According to Pro Football Focus, Ekwonu has had a pass blocking grade over 70.0 every game since Week 2, an impressive feat for a rookie who has been thrown into the fire of what was a train wreck of an offensive line. 7th overall: https://nypost.com/2022/12/17/giants-evan-neal-eyeing-rebound-performance-after-rough-showing/ 9th overall: “Cross was remarkably solid for most of the season, but his overall PFF grade is dragged down by three games in which he posted a PFF pass-blocking grade below 40.0. Those three performances all came against elite pass-rush units, though 19th overall: Penning suffered through injuries. For those who include availability in their grades he didn't perform well. https://www.nola.com/sports/saints/saints-rookie-trevor-penning-suffered-a-lisfranc-injury-in-sundays-loss-will-need-surgery/article_92d663d2-905e-11ed-9ee9-079056dfe195.html 24th overall: Tyler Smith played well overall this year and will be a cornerstone for the Cowboys in the future but that might be at LG. https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/2022-cowboys-rookie-report-tyler-smith-had-a-rough-thanksgiving/ar-AA14AO7f?ocid=weather-verthp-feeds "Back at left tackle against the Giants, Smith once again struggled in pass protection. He allowed seven pressures and three hits on the quarterback, both of which were single-game highs for him. He was also called for two penalties in the game, which has been a recurring theme for the rookie who leads the team in penalties by a wide margin. "

Just going off PFF grades Braxton out performed all rookie LT including first round picks. If he was picked higher would we be as quick to kick him to the curb? With so many holes to fill in this roster I don’t understand why replacing him should be one of our top priorities this off-season.

This. Modest WR and CB contracts might surprise some with their dollar amount but these are core players we need to keep if we think we’re going to compete in 2024 and really 2025.

I think Irsay is done with the retreads. Jets make more sense.

Fields has to improve as a passer but he it’s already good enough that combined with his elite scrambling ability that he is already affecting how defenses play.

That second part is a big factor in this because those stadium deals are very complex with a lot of stakeholders to manage. Just looking at his age his retirement would follow shortly after the stadium is done.

Gotta love it when the regional scouts check in. Though I'm not sure what Stinger is scouting in Thailand.

Orlando can play RT. Find a RT as backup and slide Brown to LT if needed.

In some aspects yes. I don’t think he’s better throwing deep, might be equivalent, and I don’t think he’s better throwing on the run. Stroud is pretty good when moving to his right not so sure about moving to his left. Stroud is better in short and intermediate. Fields has a lot of work to do on bubble screens and outlet passes.

Yep, he's ranked at the bottom and just for reference the 2 Bears WRs (Mooney and Claypool) in there are in the middle with Claypool ranked higher.

Every single "top" WR on that list has someone really good on the other side of the field, except one. Lockett-Metcalf, Aiyuk-Deebo/Kittle, Jefferson-Thielen, Brown-Davonte Smith, Diggs- ? If you filter that list for the Bills only Diggs is at the top and the others at the very bottom.

That's pretty good and without a 1st Rd pick.

Minimum 8 wins.

Poles was very clear in today's press conference that he still wants to be conservative with the contracts. However, I agree with others that he'd pay premium money for a premium player at a premium position.

Bingo

7 teams vying for 3 prospects still works for us, and all being in top 10. Actually it's even better as it increases the likelihood of DBDB's proposed double trade down. However, I think AZ is going to take a QB. They are not enamored with Murray's work ethic. There is a reason his new contract has stipulations about how many hours he has to be engaged on his "iPad" reviewing plays/game plans. I doubt they'd trade him this year unless the new guy wins the job outright, but more likely wait a year and then see who wins the job in year 2. Unless their new staff falls in love with one, with 3 good prospects they'll get one by staying put. Having this high of a pick and good QB prospects on the board, it would be foolish for their new GM not to take advantage of the opportunity and hedge his bet at QB. However, as the Bears have proven too often, there is always at least one fool in every draft. I believe Indy is our most likely trading partner. If the Cards select a QB then we have our entire draft board available for us at #4.

Don't worry there will be plenty of teams leaking positive vibes or "talking up" Levis and Richardson but their resumes don't come close to the top 2.

LMAO.... I see HC calls GM and tells him to prioritize getting some guys who can pass block.

When he reviews Fields performance Trent Dilfer often comments how unique Kmet is as a TE because he blocks well and runs routes well. He says he is not or never will be Kelce but as an all-around TE there aren't many as good as him. He's young enough that he should continue to improve and also has many prime years ahead of him. It is worth noting that ND TE Mayer is typically listed as a top 15, and sometimes top 10 pick. I think Kmet is similar athletically although Mayer seems to have a little better short area quickness and more agility to adjust to the ball. Kmet has the edge on blocking.