AZ54

One problem: To open up the underneath routes you need deeper routes that take time. That requires good blocking up front. Feels a little like how KC built their WR corps. No X, just get a group of WRs with speed and RAC ability. Of course they had one of the best in Hill who opened up a lot for everyone else. Of course they replaced him with Skyy Moore. There is one other possibility and that is Getsy like Eq St. Brown more than anyone else. I doubt that is true and I expect nothing from St. Brown except his ability to free up a roster spot for someone who can play.

He was one of my targets for Day 3. I really like his versatility for KR/PR but don't see him as an X. He seems more like the 3rd/4th WR, someone to compete with Pringle and Dazz for snaps. Love the deep speed and RAC. He'll be good for the typical Packer plays I'm sure Getsy will run with the WR screens, drag routes but he's got a steep learning curve on route running for a 25yr old WR.

I said it yesterday, if the draft is handing you lemons go make some lemonade and we just did that with our DBs. Plus we added Cruikshank and still have a promising Thomas Graham in the room. In front of them we have Roquan and Morrow to help in coverage.

Well we have two shutdown CBs. Rodgers doesn't need separation to complete passes he just needs to know when and where a WR will be. The DBs will be ok now but if sitting in a Cover 2 with no pass rush it won't matter. I should add we still have Quinn.

It seems like the Bears did a lot of work on 3/4/5th Rd WRs. Maybe now we know why.

We got a GM...the draft didn't fall our way and so stayed the course and went BPA, and at a position of need. "Kyler Gordon is an exceptional athlete with explosive and dynamic movement. In the run game, he comes up hard when he is the force player in zone. He is an eager participant in the run game and does a good job as a tackler on the perimeter and in space as a core special teamer. In the passing game, he is exceptional. His outstanding agility and quickness in coverage help him stay in phase. From press alignment, he often uses bail technique and closes quickly when he can play with vision. From off man, he can get a little “nosey” with his eyes but obviously trusts his athleticism in these instances. In the NFL, he has the athleticism and hips to be a starting outside corner. However, his tackling ability, instincts, and agility also project him favorably to playing inside, giving him true inside/outside flexibility."

Working the clock and likely the phones. Let's see if a trade happens.

It took DeVante Adams several years to emerge as a top WR. I like Watson quite a bit, would have loved to have him develop in Chicago, but how fast do you think he'll adapt to the NFL from N. Dakota St.? To me this was a bit of a reach since they are on a tight Superbowl clock with their QB.

That is the only QB I can see a team trading up for...at any round. Fields would have gone top 5 in this draft if not #1 overall as I could see a team trading with JAX to get ahead of Detroit.

Not on screen is what they are drinking.

Araiza has a strong leg but he aims for distance not hang time. He'll have to change his kicking style for the NFL or he'll constantly out-kick his coverage. If he gets it all together then he'd be a great asset for flipping the field.

Or Fields already knows he's just prick he doesn't to deal with for the next 4 years. The personality issues could just be immaturity too which he might be outgrowing but I'm sure the staff would have asked Fields about him.

I just thought this was funny as we are not the only ones who have the WTF moments.

That's pretty much where I'm at... when life hands you lemons make some lemonade and we really need a CB and S. If Poles and his sidekick Cunningham are the experts we've been led to believe they are, then they have some good Oline targets for us.

I was very surprised at how high guys like Tyler Smith and Cole Strange went. There always an ebb and flow to draft trends and IOL are moving upwards lately. I still like IOL. Raimann, Rhyan, and at OT I have no clue where Petit-Frere fits because his ranking is anywhere from 2nd to 5th Rd but he still seems like a reasonable option somewhere. WR: Watson, Pierce, Pickens (character questions might not fit Bears and those issues likely push Pierce's value higher). Other options: DT Winfrey S Jalen Pitre. (love his game and having him and Roquan on the field gives us a lot of flexibility in coverages and blitz packages) CB: Booth Jr. fits scheme but injury history, albeit none too serious, dropped him out of 1st Rd.

Agreed and I'm not sure Olave is a #1 WR. Don't misunderstand me, I like him a lot and he'd be a great draft pick if he fell to us, but he's sort of a Mooney + style WR. Given our roster needs he's not the type of WR you trade the farm for, and we'd be trading the 2022 draft farm to get him. Grab one of the less polished but nearly as athletic options in Rd 2/3.

Some last minute input and I think some of this is based on feedback from league sources https://www.nfl.com/news/2022-nfl-draft-sleepers-day-2-standouts-and-day-3-hidden-gems-to-target https://thedraftnetwork.com/articles/2022-nfl-draft-under-the-radar-prospects-offense-defense

Why would KC move up to 39? Who is their target?

Logan Hall had just 8 sacks and 20 TFL in 46 games against lesser competition. It's hard to get excited about that level of production for one of our 2nd Rd picks. What little I see in his highlights he doesn't appear particularly quick off the snap. He seems more like a DE in our old 3-4 front who could flex out to DE at times (run downs) when we went to a 4-man front. I think the comparison to Buckner is reasonable but in college Buckner had a lot more production (18 sacks, 36 TFL) against Pac 12 offenses and he went 7th overall.

I’ll trade our overpaid rehab project Eddie Jackson for their overpaid rehab project.

Digging around looking for nuggets of info... If edge rusher is a trade up target then they likely want one of the top 3. That likely requires a top 10 pick and the 10th pick requires 1300pts, or a little more than both of their 1st Rd picks. I can't see them moving up to top half of the 1st Rd for a WR when the depth into late 1st/early 2nd is so good and the top end talent isn't that elite to begin with. One of the top 3 CB also might be worth a trade up but might only need to be top 15. Pick 15 requires 1050pts or KC 29 and 50 picks. FWIW I scanned EDGE draft needs for teams drafting after 20th and the list includes: Patriots, Packers, Cardinals, Cowboys, and Chiefs. Toss in the 49ers who do not have a 1st Rd pick, and the Rams who do not have a 1st or 2nd (we'll exclude them right there). Packers and Chiefs make the most sense both in terms of Superbowl ready and quantity of draft picks. I can't see us making a deal with GB but if it's too good to refuse would you? https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/04/26/2022-nfl-draft-rumors-neal-dean-williams As has been expected, with 12 picks and two first-rounders in the chamber, the Chiefs have started to call teams through the 20s about trading up. It might be for a receiver. But I wouldn’t rule out an aggressive move for a corner or pass rusher either. And it’s possible Kansas City will jump from Nos. 29 or 30 up, 10 spots or so, then leap again. What seems certain is that GM Brett Veach won’t stay static. And part of that, for sure, is that the Chiefs probably don’t have room on their roster for 12 rookies to make the team.

Smoke building? This appears to be based on nothing more than Rapoport's update but usually if the league takes the next step and decides to put something on their front page news there is legitimate substance behind it. I'm starting to think there are a couple teams seriously interested. https://www.nfl.com/news/robert-quinn-wants-to-stay-with-bears-but-knows-this-is-a-crazy-business

I just posted Rapoport's Tweet about teams inquiring on Quinn. This is the first I've heard of Montgomery but combining that news with this quote and I can see where he'd prefer to avoid either the new contract for Montgomery or letting him walk but then hoping for a comp pick. The downside is that if he can see that depth so can everyone else. In that case just like Quinn, Montgomery likely only has value to a team competing deep in the playoffs who wants to use their early picks to fill other holes on the roster. https://www.chicagobears.com/news/5-things-we-learned-ryan-poles-pre-draft-presser-picks-trade-deepest-positions (3) When asked about the deepest positions on the second and third days of the draft, Poles named four different spots. "I would say the O-line depth is pretty good," he said. "There's some good depth with the DBs. There's a couple defensive linemen. The running back class may not be top-heavy, but there's a ton. It's crazy how many running backs there are. "I think a lot of it has to do with the COVID year [when all college players were given an additional year of eligibility]. A lot of those guys are kicking back, so the middle-to-bottom, definitely into free agency, there's a massive amount of players. That's why it took so much time to get the board set, not only at the top but at the bottom. There are a lot of players on this board."

The fat lady hasn't sung yet. It appears Poles has let people know he's available for the right price or by now we wouldn't be seeing rumors like this. He's quietly standing firm on his asking price or at least he's not acting desperate enough to take anything. Of course we don't know how serious teams are with this. Some might still be hoping to get a great deal from a young GM desperate for more draft picks. OTOH if there are several teams inquiring he might be getting a little bit of a sellers market. It's enough to keep me tuned in to the first night of the draft, which I'd be watching anyway.

I think you can toss in Zach Tom, Max Mitchell, or a few other names; or you can switch around the positions (i.e. WR @ 39) and still get a winning combination in this draft to fix the IOL in 2022. Or even get the future LT we need. Right now the Bears have the highest cap space in 2023 at $97mil. Setup this year with the right interior players to cut Whitehair next year and you can make that $110mil. Plus, when it comes to building a championship caliber roster there is no bigger question to answer than if Fields is the right QB. I like him but that's just the reality of a young QB in the NFL. With that kind of cap space and a full boat of draft picks Poles should want to know the answer to that question before we draft in 2023. Fixing the Oline as best as is reasonably possible, and a decent WR, gives him the best chance to evaluate Fields. Just do it.