Bears Pre-Draft Interviews

[dawhizz]

Looks like FaceTime calls have taken the place if the old “top 30” visits. Saw the Bears talked recently to safeties Jeremy Chinn and Antoine Winfield, Jr. figured we could put more in this thread as they are reported. 

[Stinger226]

I think Aaron lemings has a on going list of everyone they have had contact with so far in predraft time. I think I just seen today they talked to KJ Hamler / WR/ Penn state  also. 

[dawhizz]

Some others I’ve heard the Bears have had video interviews with:

Leki Fotu, DT, Utah

Steven Montez, QB, Colorado

Markus Bailey, LB, Purdue

Brycen Hopkins, TE, Purdue

Davion Taylor, LB, Colorado

 

[Stinger226]

I just seen a post where we have met with Brycen  Hopkins 3 times so far. Anyone remember  if we actually drafted people we looked at before the draft? 

[Alaskan Grizzly]

On 4/8/2020 at 6:19 AM, Stinger226 said:

I just seen a post where we have met with Brycen  Hopkins 3 times so far. Anyone remember  if we actually drafted people we looked at before the draft? 

This from Chicago Bears.com regarding Roquan Smith before he was drafted:  

“The Bears were impressed with Smith's leadership on the field and his demeanor off it. They interviewed him at the Combine and brought him to Halas Hall for a pre-draft visit. The night before the visit, he dined with Pace, coach Matt Nagy and director of player personnel Josh Lucas.”

So at least twice.  And I want to say we learned that the Bears met with Mitchell at least once (under assumed names and a bit of Tom-foolery) before drafting him.  

[killakrzydav]

Sounds like Bryce is our guy...FML

[dawhizz]

Updating with some other names I've seen recently:

Robert Hunt, G, Louisiana

Ben DiNucci, QB, James Madison

Terrell Lewis, Edge, Alabama

Javaris Dean, CB, Auburn

Cam Danzler, CB, Mississippi State

Josh Jones, OT, Houston

Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU

[Stinger226]

 They are only 3 on  that list that would be considered at 43 and 50. Jones, Lewis and Fulton. 

DiNucci is  an interesting prospect.  Only 3 teams have talked to him so far. 

[AZ54]

1 hour ago, Stinger226 said:

 They are only 3 on  that list that would be considered at 43 and 50. Jones, Lewis and Fulton. 

DiNucci is  an interesting prospect.  Only 3 teams have talked to him so far. 

While I have been adamant we should not draft a QB this year we absolutely need to sign one.  Tyler Bray signed a deal that pays him handsomely for the work he'll put in.  With the roster expanding to 55 players we might keep 3 QBs.   We might not but either way I expect we'll at least have one QB on the practice squad because Bray has no more eligibility.  Also teams usually have 4 QBs in training camp we only have 3 signed right now. 

I still don't see Pace using a draft pick not even a 7th Rd one this year but finding and paying a decent UDFA QB makes a lot of sense.  Long term we're not going to keep paying Bray $1mil to be a 3rd string QB so we might as well start getting someone else in the pipeline for that role.  

[Alaskan Grizzly]

6 hours ago, dawhizz said:

Updating with some other names I've seen recently:

Robert Hunt, G, Louisiana

Ben DiNucci, QB, James Madison

Terrell Lewis, Edge, Alabama

Javaris Dean, CB, Auburn

Cam Danzler, CB, Mississippi State

Josh Jones, OT, Houston

Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU

Oooohhhh....  Terrell Lewis would be a great add!!!  Dudes a monster!  Got hurt in ‘18 but came back with a vengeance last year.  
 

Also like Fulton.  Had a great championship game.  And is notorious in that he’s a legit shutdown corner.  QBs avoided throwing his way most times.  

[ASHKUM BEAR]

1 hour ago, AZ54 said:

While I have been adamant we should not draft a QB this year we absolutely need to sign one.  Tyler Bray signed a deal that pays him handsomely for the work he'll put in.  With the roster expanding to 55 players we might keep 3 QBs.   We might not but either way I expect we'll at least have one QB on the practice squad because Bray has no more eligibility.  Also teams usually have 4 QBs in training camp we only have 3 signed right now. 

I still don't see Pace using a draft pick not even a 7th Rd one this year but finding and paying a decent UDFA QB makes a lot of sense.  Long term we're not going to keep paying Bray $1mil to be a 3rd string QB so we might as well start getting someone else in the pipeline for that role.  

One reason I could see them go QB. Let's say Mitch gets first dibs to prove it and fails, he is done. Foles plays good enough and at the end of the season and options out of his contract, which we gave him the right.  We are sitting with let's say a 2021 1st rd 24th pick and no QB on the roster unless they hit up Bray for a 3rd time.  We may have the same shot getting a QB this draft as we would next unless we use ammo (future or additional picks) to move up.  So that is why it would not surprise me if the Bears let Nagy help pick a QB this draft if he likes one.  Not saying the odds of this happening are high, but it has to be thought out.

[AZ54]

24 minutes ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

One reason I could see them go QB. Let's say Mitch gets first dibs to prove it and fails, he is done. Foles plays good enough and at the end of the season and options out of his contract, which we gave him the right.  We are sitting with let's say a 2021 1st rd 24th pick and no QB on the roster unless they hit up Bray for a 3rd time.  We may have the same shot getting a QB this draft as we would next unless we use ammo (future or additional picks) to move up.  So that is why it would not surprise me if the Bears let Nagy help pick a QB this draft if he likes one.  Not saying the odds of this happening are high, but it has to be thought out.

I see the logical thinking in that but IMO it fits if Nagy is 100% confident, or even highly confident, he's working on a 2 year timeline.  However, I think Nagy's seat is just as hot as Pace's, if not more.  The play calling was horrendous at times last year for a guy that was brought in primarily to fix the offense.  Right now we're sitting with a coaching staff composed of a former HC (Pagano), former OCs (Lazor, DeFilippo).   If the offense struggles especially in the run game play calling like last year then I could see Pace make a last ditch effort to save his job and fire Nagy mid-season.  Remember Pace gave Nagy the backup QB he wanted in Foles which is supposed to ensure the offense is somewhat effective.  Foles was a Superbowl MVP in a very similar offense with the same QB coach so this expectation is reasonable.     

If the offense isn't clicking decently with Foles at QB then where does the problem lie?   If the ship is sinking mid-season why not see if Pagano can right it and get you into the playoffs?  Let Lazor run the offense with Castillo taking charge of the run game while Pagano still runs the D.    

If you were in that spot would you want to use a 4th or 5th Rd pick on a Safety to pair up with BoJack?  Or on a QB who definitely won't help you win a single game this year, maybe not even next year, but possibly will two years down the road?   I wouldn't.  I'm taking someone that can help this year even if it's special teams or as a backup I can have some confidence in if needed due to injuries.  

[Stinger226]

I think Nagy is a smart guy and will turn the offense around, if not both could be gone.  With this defense a 15th ranked offense can get us in playoff contention.  Hard to say how Paces moves will turn out but barring injuries we will be a top 3 defense this year.  I honestly think they like 6'2" tolliver and have groomed him to take over.  Burns is just a shot in the dark but Robinson could be at least good depth.  Don't forget Shelley and Denmark were drafted last year and I don't think they have given up on them yet. I think we will be okay at CB but need a high pick safety to compete with Bush. Getting a situational pass rusher would be nice to. 

At OL we are stuck at OTs but a high pick could compete this yr.  IFEDI probably starts.  I think they bring in a OT and IOL so we should be okay with a new coach to fix things.  Also if we don't fill needs in the draft, there still are choices in Free agency. 

So when you said they need to add speed it will be a WR and a RB.  If Taylor drops to us , the BPA strategy would have us picking him. He is a top 32 draft pick. 

[ASHKUM BEAR]

10 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

I think Nagy is a smart guy and will turn the offense around, if not both could be gone.  With this defense a 15th ranked offense can get us in playoff contention.  Hard to say how Paces moves will turn out but barring injuries we will be a top 3 defense this year.  I honestly think they like 6'2" tolliver and have groomed him to take over.  Burns is just a shot in the dark but Robinson could be at least good depth.  Don't forget Shelley and Denmark were drafted last year and I don't think they have given up on them yet. I think we will be okay at CB but need a high pick safety to compete with Bush. Getting a situational pass rusher would be nice to. 

At OL we are stuck at OTs but a high pick could compete this yr.  IFEDI probably starts.  I think they bring in a OT and IOL so we should be okay with a new coach to fix things.  Also if we don't fill needs in the draft, there still are choices in Free agency. 

So when you said they need to add speed it will be a WR and a RB.  If Taylor drops to us , the BPA strategy would have us picking him. He is a top 32 draft pick. 

With the front 7 the Bears have, they can get away with Tolliver, Burns, Robinson, Skrine, or Shelley playing the #2 WR. The QB will be quickly looking for his #1 or dump routes.  It makes sense to hold off on CB unless a absolute steal falls.  Is there a SS worth pick 43, Delpit seems logical.  Dugger would be a slight push.  Is there a WR? Tee Higgins yes, Ajyuk probably,  and Reager maybe.  Oline would be for depth/future unless they can beat out who we have. TE, I can see them investing but not at 43. Graham and Burton are most likely one year players. So what should they do with 43?  BPA seems smart. Might not get a position of need but a player who elevates the team.  Trade down and acquire more ammo to get more top 100 players, I like too.  Or draft for need regardless of slight reaches? That might happen especially if we cannot move down.

[Stinger226]

The strength of the draft is WR and OT . The OL and SS are probably our most needed areas to address.  

If we trade back we still could get a starting OG, a OT to develop, a SS capable of starting and add speed to the WR core. 

TE is a need but with a weak class, odds of grabbing one that can beat out Graham-Burton are very slim. Rarely does a rookie TE make a big impact. So I think we go with Graham, Burton, Harris, Holtz, and Horsted . Maybe a later pick to develop ( Stephen Sullivan) to stash on the practice squad would work.

Adding speed in a RB would be ideal for this offense, and I'm sure that happens but not early. 

We have added in free agency at all our areas of need . So we have the luxury of BPA.  I see them adding speed to the awful offense  we had last year. 

[Mongo3451]

13 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

The strength of the draft is WR and OT . The OL and SS are probably our most needed areas to address.  

If we trade back we still could get a starting OG, a OT to develop, a SS capable of starting and add speed to the WR core. 

I'm 100% with this.  When there is overwhelming strength of a draft, you have to take advantage of it.  No team has a deficiency somewhere.  When we look at ours, it's offense as a whole.  We are weak at OT and slow at WR.  How much does better blocking and a more spread defense help the run game and intermediate passing game?

Factor in, that we already strengthened our defense by adding a 2nd DE that can get to the QB.  How much does a higher level SS help compared to offensive help.  I would argue that continuing the strengthening of the defensive front makes the back end stronger while diminishing the opposition's run attack.  Just think if they draft the next Akiem Hicks?  I guess what I'm getting at with defense is that safety isn't that big of a deal.  Here's my order of importance.

OT, speed WR with every down skills, CB, DE, OG, RB, TE, and S.

I left out QB and LB for opposite reasons.  QB is done for this year and LB has the most star power.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

9 hours ago, Mongo3451 said:

I left out QB and LB for opposite reasons.  QB is done for this year and LB has the most star power.

Still think the ILB needs some depth.  Losing KPL and Kwitkowski is going to be noticeable this next season. 

[ASHKUM BEAR]

1 hour ago, Alaskan Grizzly said:

Still think the ILB needs some depth.  Losing KPL and Kwitkowski is going to be noticeable this next season. 

I think ILB depth can be an easy FA plugin after the draft.  It could be a draftee but for me it would have to be a BPA.  

[AZ54]

6 hours ago, Alaskan Grizzly said:

Still think the ILB needs some depth.  Losing KPL and Kwitkowski is going to be noticeable this next season. 

We didn't even know who KPL was at this time last year.  Perhaps as Ashkum says we can find a similar depth player in FA after the draft.  

[Stinger226]

ILB is just fine unless we can get a starter on minimum contracts.  We have Joel Iggy and Josh Woods that need to step up . We also signed Devonte Bond late last, we didn't do that because they were bored. 

[Alaskan Grizzly]

4 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

ILB is just fine unless we can get a starter on minimum contracts.  We have Joel Iggy and Josh Woods that need to step up . We also signed Devonte Bond late last, we didn't do that because they were bored. 

Bond is listed as an OLB.  Since 2017 he’s had 39 tackles, 3 of those coming last year. To be fair, KPL is also listed as an OLB but he’s had two seasons where he’s had at least 37 tackles; last year and in 2017 when he played for KC.  So maybe Pagano can conjure up some magic in a guy who so far has underperformed? Maybe.

And Iggy and Woods are leftover from when Fangio was king and neither has done much, even then.  Doubtful we’ll see much more.

I will thank you for forcing me look up some  of this as I had forgotten the Bears signed Mingo (also an OLB) who although himself an under-performer, is at least a first round pick variety.   I know that sounds snarky but it’s not, I actually have hope for his playing better.  He’s at least averaged a few seasons of 45 (or so) tackles.  That’s depth worthy. 

[Alaskan Grizzly]

7 hours ago, AZ54 said:

We didn't even know who KPL was at this time last year.  Perhaps as Ashkum says we can find a similar depth player in FA after the draft.  

Besides the stuff I brought up for Stinger; one other thing that should be taken into consideration is that both your inside starters were lost during periods of last years’ season .  Not only do you need depth, you potentially are looking at starting depth. 

[Mongo3451]

21 minutes ago, Alaskan Grizzly said:

Besides the stuff I brought up for Stinger; one other thing that should be taken into consideration is that both your inside starters were lost during periods of last years’ season .  Not only do you need depth, you potentially are looking at starting depth. 

If the Bears were truly concerned they couldn't full that void, KPL would still be here.  Certain positions that we keep taking about aren't hard to fill. (OG, ILB, S and RB)  Those positions are always affordable on the free agent market.  And they generally don't get drafted high, unless they are special.

[Stinger226]

3 hours ago, Alaskan Grizzly said:

Bond is listed as an OLB.  Since 2017 he’s had 39 tackles, 3 of those coming last year. To be fair, KPL is also listed as an OLB but he’s had two seasons where he’s had at least 37 tackles; last year and in 2017 when he played for KC.  So maybe Pagano can conjure up some magic in a guy who so far has underperformed? Maybe.

And Iggy and Woods are leftover from when Fangio was king and neither has done much, even then.  Doubtful we’ll see much more.

I will thank you for forcing me look up some  of this as I had forgotten the Bears signed Mingo (also an OLB) who although himself an under-performer, is at least a first round pick variety.   I know that sounds snarky but it’s not, I actually have hope for his playing better.  He’s at least averaged a few seasons of 45 (or so) tackles.  That’s depth worthy. 

We have our 2 backups on the roster,  if they didn't think they could potentially contribute, I don't think they would be on the roster.  For some reason a lot of people think we can't develop players, that's the way good teams do it. Tolliver and Joseph( CBs ) have been kept around for the third year now, so not sure why so many think CB is one of our neediest positions. It's a question mark but so are later round draft picks. I think we have some rostered players that could step up this yr. 

Bars 

Coward (improves )

Tolliver 

Joesph 

Shelly

Denmark 

Woods 

Ridley 

Wims 

Holtz 

Horsted 

Vaughters 

A few of them might surprise us.

 

 

[adam]

We need to get a full list because based on the media, I have a feeling most of our picks this year will come from guys that the team interviewed, which was not necessarily the case in previous years.