jason

Yep. Arden Key is just about the only guy I want the Bears drafting in the first round if they go for an OLB. Otherwise I want OL.

I've watched a Davenport highlight or two, and I don't see any way he's a 3-4 OLB in the NFL. He'll end up as a 4-3 DE if I had to guess (also mentioned here). He's a freak alright, but he's not the right person for 3-4OLB. Hell, he'd be better for the Bears if he gained 20-30 lbs of muscle and played 3-4 DE, since all he does is bull rush and set the edge.

I absolutely do not like Carter. I think he's going to be a massive bust. I just don't see the explosion out of the gates teams need from a 3-4 OLB. His rush skills are very limited as well.

This seems like a match made in heaven. A team has... 1. A troubled locker room and needs a disciplinarian. 2. Plenty of talent. 3. An aging, veteran QB. 4. A bad defense that needs to be turned around by a defensive mind. 5. A new GM looking for a head coach. It would not shock me in the least if Fox gets fired, and immediately gets thrown into the mix as the #1 name for the Giants.

Even better. I guess they're not even considering the possibility the Bears win, which would then give them the possibility of the #2 seed. I haven't worked out the various tie-breakers, but the NFL.com site doesn't have the queens as having an auto-bye yet, so there is still a chance for the Rams. The Bears should be drafting 7th.

Honestly, the entire list save one person is fine with me. But there is no way in hell I'd cut Sitton. If healthy, he's probably the third best player on the entire offense behind Howard and Long.

I agree with you. #7 looks like the likely spot. I really think the Broncos beat the Chiefs. The Chiefs have virtually nothing to play for. Also, the Niners are on fire. I also think the 49ers beat the Rams. By the time they play, the Bears will have already lost to the Vikings, and the Vikings will have locked up the #2 seed. That means the Rams have nothing to play for.

If I were making the shots, we wouldn't use either tag. He's not really worth the $12 Transition Tag, and he's definitely not worth the $14M Franchise Tag. But if a team were thinking about it, you're right about the minimum $2M add-on that makes the pick fairly untouchable. And we all know there isn't a team in the league that's trading away two 1st round picks for Kyle Fuller. The best option is to offer him fair value and hope he stays with the team. Key term: Fair Value. That is in the eye of the beholder.

The "how many WRs"-argument is the same as the "how many QBs"-argument. Can't do much if the QB is constantly under duress. As a QB you can't settle or relax into an offense, much less make a 2nd/3rd read. As an offense, you can't have long developing routes that spread and confuse the defense more. Therefore, the WRs have been hindered by the same OL. I've said it a hundred times on this board. I don't give a damn how much you improve the QB and WR positions. If the QB is constantly running and littered with grass stains at the end of the game, the skill positions will never see their true potential, much less put in stellar years.

Dude, you've tried to use that Vandy line before and it was disproven by Jay's own interviews. He ran at Vandy because his line was mostly comprised of scholar-athletes, and were being blitzed by athlete-scholars. He was simply not a scrambler by design like he was in Denver. He was on the bottom dweller in the SEC and had to run for his life quite a bit. Denver was a smart offense that didn't really make him scramble so much as roll out and bootleg.

I'm not saying you're suggesting they franchise Fuller, but if the Bears were to actually franchise him, everyone involved in the decision should be fired the next day. He is nowhere near a player that should be franchised. That would put him near the top salary at his position in the NFL, and he's not worth it.

I think it's a little of both. But I'm firmly convinced that the atrocious OL turned Jay Cutler into a shell of what he was, and what he could have been. BTW - It's also due to lots of coaching staff changes. **edit** The fact that Cutler had to scramble so much was because of the bad OL play, and has been pointed out many many times in interviews and analysis. It completely changed who he was as a QB, his internal clock, and his trust of an offensive system.

The queens haven't clinched a first round bye. That's enough motivation to stomp a mud-hole in a Bears team still finding their way, battling through injuries, and already thinking about next year. queens 30 - Bears 17

You're probably right. The Bears have cheap contracts on Deiondre Hall and Crevon Leblanc, so they'll stay as quality depth. Prince is on a one year contract that won't be renewed. That leaves Cooper and/or Fuller, and the comparison in terms of production is laughable. Fuller blows him out of the water. I just hope the Bears don't have to pay him as much as you're predicting. BTW - I think a player to watch is Dontae Johnson of the Niners. He took a major step forward this year, had some struggles, but looks to have some nice potential. He fits the mold in terms of what Pace seems to covet. He's the type of "on the cusp of breaking through"-player that Pace really likes to target.

I also like the list, but there's a lot of "what if" in the list of core players. The following players are a given as far as I'm concerned: Howard - Potential HOFer Cohen - Amazing first year Hicks - Absolute stud Goldman - Deadly when healthy, a rock in the middle N. Kwiat - Unspectacular but above average Floyd - Unspectacular but above average, has way more potential Amos & Jackson - Sold on them as the S tandem of the future This is where the question marks arise: Trubisky - Is he really the franchise guy? Shaheen - Still a relative unknown. Whitehair - Is he rookie year good, or just average? Is he in the right position? Trevathan - Will he sustain his play long enough to matter for the Bears' future? Bullard - Will he actually take the step? RRH - Will he actually take the step? Bryce Callahan - Haven't really seen enough Merideth - Might not even be that great, but just benefited from all the injuries last year.

Roughly ten years per my signature line. There was one year, the Super Bowl year, where things worked out well, but otherwise the OL has been one of the most neglected aspects of the entire team. And when it has been addressed, there have been multiple big misses.

And look at Alshon's catch %. 56 catches out of 118 targets?!

This is a great thread idea. I like the deal with the Redskins. I'd prefer this one to any of the three deals above. That sets up Trubisky's third year, when rookies are supposed to really take the leap. Absolutely disagree. 3-4DE is an absolute must draft, and so is OT. To make the leap, the Bears need to drastically improve both positions.

In my fictitious world where I’m the GM, I’d never put all my eggs in one basket. There were dozens of realistic permutations that were mentioned on this board by various members that would have been acceptable. I hope MT turns out to be a HOF QB, but percentages say it’s not likely.

Right now the Bears could trade the 8th to Buffalo for their two 1st round picks (right now 17 & 25?), and the Bears would likely only have to throw in a 3rd (which they don't have). So assuming they give a 2019 third rounder, this is what I'd do at the moment. 1.17 - Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma - LT of the future 1.25 - Taven Bryan, 3-4DE, Florida - He'd be a huge upgrade. Good burst at the snap. 2 - Parris Campbell, WR, Ohio State - Lightning in a bottle, #1 threat 4 - Brandon Parker, OT, North Carolina A&T - Tarik Cohen gives the Bears inside knowledge and he gets his old running mate. 4 - Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, 3-4OLB, Oklahoma - Explosive. If he were taller, he'd be first day. 5 - , 3-4OLB, Georgia - Potential to be a great edge setter, great lateral quickness, underrated 6 - Nik Needham, CB, UTEP - Good size, should probably be rated higher. 7 - Pick'em - Find a talent with red flags.

I could see the Bears move up to 8 because KC clinched the division and have nothing else to play for. They aren't moving up, and will stay as a wild card team. And the Broncos have a very tough defense. But the Jets aren't beating the Pats. Best the Bears can do is 8 in my opinion.

I just picked that spot because it's where Watson went. I wanted trade down, period. Again, we shall see what happens. It all hinges on Trubisky. Any perceived mistakes in terms of draft strategy can be ignored if Trubisky turns out.

Agreed. It seems like once a game he's juking someone out of their shorts.

No. I didn't like the Glennon pick. Also, I wanted to trade down a bunch. And with all the talk about Cleveland wanting to deal, the Bears could have dropped from #3 to #12 and taken multiple picks from them. Then at #12 the Bears would have picked Deshaun Watson, and had extra draft picks.

The Bears can't afford to pass on great talent with character concerns. The Bears need talent, regardless. Enough of the super safe.