The Bears Big Board

[Stinger226]

Gipson,  Robinson and Jones are not lead guys, they had to be last year but will look better in rotational roles. If Jones is a backup to Billings at the 1 tech, he will be fine. Not that good at 3 T. Robinson has the most upside, hope his second year is a big step forward. Gipson needs to show more or he could be cut .

[AZ54]

6 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

I have always dismissed Nolan Smith because he clearly is an outside edge LB. Don't think he fits our scheme. Am I wrong about that? I always saw Murphy as one of the Prime DL, he seems to be ranked in the teens now. Did I miss something?  Injuries? Bad interviews? 

I think you are right about Nolan Smith especially now that we have one athletic freak at MLB we don’t need him at LB   I don’t think he’sa good fit at DE in this scheme.  

[AZ54]

17 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

Gipson,  Robinson and Jones are not lead guys, they had to be last year but will look better in rotational roles. If Jones is a backup to Billings at the 1 tech, he will be fine. Not that good at 3 T. Robinson has the most upside, hope his second year is a big step forward. Gipson needs to show more or he could be cut .

I read somewhere that Trevis Gipson was ranked as one of the better run defending DEs last year by PFF.  He might be valued more than we think by the team.  That may also mean that we will lean more toward signing or drafting one guy who is pure pass rusher after we take care of RT and 3tech. 

[Stinger226]

3 minutes ago, AZ54 said:

I read somewhere that Trevis Gipson was ranked as one of the better run defending DEs last year by PFF.  He might be valued more than we think by the team.  That may also mean that we will lean more toward signing or drafting one guy who is pure pass rusher after we take care of RT and 3tech. 

If we picked up Ngakoue, that would fit perfectly. I forgot Gipson was good against the run. 

[ASHKUM BEAR]

14 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

If we picked up Ngakoue, that would fit perfectly. I forgot Gipson was good against the run. 

Don't forget about Terrell Lewis.  I think he fits in the rotation this year as he spent the end of the season on the practice squad and then the Bears signed him onto the roster this Jan.   

Walker, Gibson, Robinson, Lewis, and 1 2nd round rookie.  

[Stinger226]

Its a mystery to know what existing players can contribute and how that effects who we draft. 

Biggest question for me is at OC. They have Whitehair , Patrick and Doug Kramer. How much does Poles value Kramer as a future starter. And where would we draft a center? 

[BearFan PHX]

9 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

Its a mystery to know what existing players can contribute and how that effects who we draft. 

Biggest question for me is at OC. They have Whitehair , Patrick and Doug Kramer. How much does Poles value Kramer as a future starter. And where would we draft a center? 

Dont forget Eislen too - hes young, and growing, and showed awareness out there, but needed to add to his frame, and grow with his physical abilities.

[Stinger226]

1 hour ago, BearFan PHX said:

Dont forget Eislen too - hes young, and growing, and showed awareness out there, but needed to add to his frame, and grow with his physical abilities.

The way I see it is Eisien and Carter are the backup OGs, which means Patrick could be odd man out. Especially if he drafts a center.

[AZ54]

3 hours ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

Don't forget about Terrell Lewis.  I think he fits in the rotation this year as he spent the end of the season on the practice squad and then the Bears signed him onto the roster this Jan.   

Walker, Gibson, Robinson, Lewis, and 1 2nd round rookie.  

I think Lewis is nothing more than a big... maybe.  There has been nothing in his career to date to indicate he'll fix any issue at all on our defensive front.  

[ASHKUM BEAR]

16 hours ago, AZ54 said:

I think Lewis is nothing more than a big... maybe.  There has been nothing in his career to date to indicate he'll fix any issue at all on our defensive front.  

Maybe all it takes is a new opportunity.  We played Dominque Robinson mainly because we wanted to lose, but Lewis would have been a better option.  

 

[AZ54]

1 hour ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

Maybe all it takes is a new opportunity.  We played Dominque Robinson mainly because we wanted to lose, but Lewis would have been a better option.  

Perhaps but given that LA is dumping salary you might think the team that knows him best would have hung onto him as a cheap backup, if nothing else.  Instead they thought so much of him they cut him before the end of the season.  $1M is dirt cheap for a player that can get you 3-5 sacks. 

I have no problem with Poles grabbing players like this just to see if anything comes of it.  I would definitely have a problem if Poles was counting on him as a contributor this year and altering FA/draft plans because of it.   Let him come in and compete with guys like Robinson and Gipson.  

[Stinger226]

5 hours ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

Maybe all it takes is a new opportunity.  We played Dominque Robinson mainly because we wanted to lose, but Lewis would have been a better option.  

 

Poles takes shots with these type of players Harry, Leatherwood hoping one will hit but rarely do they. They are usually cheap additions with good traits but I doubt if counts on them to make major contributions. I would say if one hits of that group , Piles would be happy. Akim Hicks was that type of find that happens once in awhile.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

51 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

Poles takes shots with these type of players Harry, Leatherwood hoping one will hit but rarely do they. They are usually cheap additions with good traits but I doubt if counts on them to make major contributions. I would say if one hits of that group , Piles would be happy. Akim Hicks was that type of find that happens once in awhile.

This was one player I wanted the Bears to draft a few years ago.  Poles snatched up a good prospect and we will see if Eberflus can get more out of him than the Rams.  I see him being more of a 3rd down specialist where he can get after the QB. 

[AZ54]

There are concerns (at least for me) about Dawand Jones and his fit in our blocking scheme.  A week ago I found a scouting video that showed he was able to move and hit difficult reach blocks far better than I expected.  Unfortunately that video got pulled from Youtube due to a copyright violation.  In that video and others you can still find his strength at times just stuns pass rushers... as long as he uses his hands correctly.  He does struggle with moves back to the inside but I think that's as much a footwork issue as anything because he tends to open his hips to the outside far too early (i.e. he's facing the sideline).   That prevents him from sliding back inside as all he can is slide back toward the LOS.  

I am not using this video to say he should be our pick, rather I only want to highlight that he has more agility than he's given credit for.  IMO that bodes well for him to improve his technique if he has the work ethic, something we don't know.   For those who remember Adam Shaheen ... at his size he struggled to dunk a basketball straight up when it should have been second nature.  For me that was a warning sign and unfortunately it turned out to be true as he couldn't gather his body for coordinated movements on the football field.  Dawand Jones OTOH can do a reverse dunk. 

That's enough for me to believe that I was wrong when I thought he should be taken off our board entirely.  In fact, this little tidbit combined with what I saw on that scouting video mentioned above, I now think he's part of the trade-back cluster of RTs Poles has in mind.  In terms of work ethic and coachability, we had plenty of staff at the Senior Bowl and should know all we need.  Then we just brought him in for a 30 visit.  

https://heavy.com/sports/chicago-bears/dawand-jones-top-30-draft-rumors-johnson/

 

[BearFan PHX]

1 hour ago, AZ54 said:

There are concerns (at least for me) about Dawand Jones and his fit in our blocking scheme.  A week ago I found a scouting video that showed he was able to move and hit difficult reach blocks far better than I expected.  Unfortunately that video got pulled from Youtube due to a copyright violation.  In that video and others you can still find his strength at times just stuns pass rushers... as long as he uses his hands correctly.  He does struggle with moves back to the inside but I think that's as much a footwork issue as anything because he tends to open his hips to the outside far too early (i.e. he's facing the sideline).   That prevents him from sliding back inside as all he can is slide back toward the LOS.  

I am not using this video to say he should be our pick, rather I only want to highlight that he has more agility than he's given credit for.  IMO that bodes well for him to improve his technique if he has the work ethic, something we don't know.   For those who remember Adam Shaheen ... at his size he struggled to dunk a basketball straight up when it should have been second nature.  For me that was a warning sign and unfortunately it turned out to be true as he couldn't gather his body for coordinated movements on the football field.  Dawand Jones OTOH can do a reverse dunk. 

That's enough for me to believe that I was wrong when I thought he should be taken off our board entirely.  In fact, this little tidbit combined with what I saw on that scouting video mentioned above, I now think he's part of the trade-back cluster of RTs Poles has in mind.  In terms of work ethic and coachability, we had plenty of staff at the Senior Bowl and should know all we need.  Then we just brought him in for a 30 visit.  

https://heavy.com/sports/chicago-bears/dawand-jones-top-30-draft-rumors-johnson/

 

Yeah this time of year everything is changing, and we get one narrative from the media that seems to recirculate, and then we sometimes get pieces of info that clarify the picture. The good news is the staff knows these players much better than the media or we can, so i guess from our points of view its all still dynamic, and it speaks well of you that you can take in new info and change your mind - a lot of people cant do that, and not just in football but all kinds of things.

Ive been watching all 22 film on The Tape Never Lies channel, and it has reenforced my feelings on some players and completely changed my mind on others. And I still dont know even a fraction of what Poles does (or should!).

[Stinger226]

Poles has traits he looks at, D Jones size doesn't fit that exactly but I think if they took him , they do with the premise he would lose some weight.  Moving well at 375 doesn't mean he's exactly what they look for in a move tackle. Like you said, they have a better perspective than anyone else. Its about trusting his valuation, I do.

[Stinger226]

He's an article by Adam Jahns from the Athletic. I'm not sure it will link. I have a subscription so it may only open with that. 

He lists what he thinks Poles big board is and I think it's pretty realistic

https://theathletic.com/4429284/2023/04/20/bears-nfl-draft-big-board?source=user-shared-article

[AZ54]

I'll be snooping around looking for sleepers and late round gems this weekend.  This is a good list really for mid-round prospects, maybe early day 3.  Most are well known to us but there's a couple more names for me that seem worth checking into.   Brenton Strange seems like a good 3rd TE prospect.  

 https://www.thescore.com/news/2632618

 

[dawhizz]

I’m somewhat suspicious of the scouts Bob McGinn cites in his yearly breakdowns, but this paints a pretty pessimistic view of the OL prospects in general, especially if you pony up for the full article:

https://www.golongtd.com/p/part-2-ol-buyer-beware

[dawhizz]

And here’s the one on Jalen Carter. 
 

https://www.golongtd.com/p/part-5-dl-does-jalen-carter-love

[Pixote]

2 hours ago, dawhizz said:

And here’s the one on Jalen Carter. 
 

https://www.golongtd.com/p/part-5-dl-does-jalen-carter-love

Not sure if we are able to see the entire article w/o a paid subscription. Enjoyed the article but seemed to end abruptly. I was surprised ity didn't mention his pro day fiasco. I was also surprised when it said no one from Georgia endorses him. I heard his former HC from Georgia rave about him. Then, of course, one would expect the same.

I once thought Carter would slip to us. I was uncertain about him, hoping a team would trade up to snatch him from us. LOL But after reviewing over a dozen mock drafts by the "experts" (cough) it appears half a dozen have Seattle, half a dozen have Detroit, drafting him. There was one with the Raiders drafting him, and only one of the bunch posted on NFL.com had him falling to the Bears.

Thursday cannot come soon enough. 

[dawhizz]

36 minutes ago, Pixote said:

Not sure if we are able to see the entire article w/o a paid subscription. Enjoyed the article but seemed to end abruptly. I was surprised ity didn't mention his pro day fiasco. I was also surprised when it said no one from Georgia endorses him. I heard his former HC from Georgia rave about him. Then, of course, one would expect the same.

I once thought Carter would slip to us. I was uncertain about him, hoping a team would trade up to snatch him from us. LOL But after reviewing over a dozen mock drafts by the "experts" (cough) it appears half a dozen have Seattle, half a dozen have Detroit, drafting him. There was one with the Raiders drafting him, and only one of the bunch posted on NFL.com had him falling to the Bears.

Thursday cannot come soon enough. 

Yeah the rest of the article is paid. I signed up since it’s just $8 for a month and I’ll probably cancel after the draft. But it’s interesting stuff. 

[Mongo3451]

With us trying to build something, I'm afraid Carter might affect the culture.  OL has the highest success rate of any other group when drafted in the first round.  Poles needs a hit with his first 1st round pick to set the tone.  I'm guessing OL.

[Pixote]

3 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

With us trying to build something, I'm afraid Carter might affect the culture.  OL has the highest success rate of any other group when drafted in the first round.  Poles needs a hit with his first 1st round pick to set the tone.  I'm guessing OL.

I agree, Personally I like D Wright. However, there is a ton of talk about Poles drafting Peter Skoronski. Do any of you guys think he would be a right tackle option in the NFL or will his arm length limit him? He's supposed to be the ultimate technician. Would that enable him to be the exception to the rule when it comes to arm length for offensive tackles or is he destined to be an OG?

[dawhizz]

1 hour ago, Pixote said:

I agree, Personally I like D Wright. However, there is a ton of talk about Poles drafting Peter Skoronski. Do any of you guys think he would be a right tackle option in the NFL or will his arm length limit him? He's supposed to be the ultimate technician. Would that enable him to be the exception to the rule when it comes to arm length for offensive tackles or is he destined to be an OG?

On Carter, my concern is we don’t really have that leader on defense who is going to keep Carter in line and accountable. Edwards is that kind of guy but he’s new. I don’t get the sense Eddie Jackson is that guy. If we still had Hicks, he would be a perfect guy for that role. 
 

I’m kind of coming around on Skoronski. I’m not sure he can be a great RT, but it’s hard for he to see him being a complete failure their and I think regardless he would be a clear upgrade from what we trotted out there last year. I still like PJJ more though.