2022 Bears draft

[BearsWillWin]

Smith just translate so well into the Lance Briggs role.

You resign Ogletree or sign someone like a Kwon Alexander, Jayon Brown, or Christian Kirksey. Someone in that mold that can play MLB.

Then you need to address the strong side...which in a 4-3 is less of a concern. But still a need.

 

[BearsWillWin]

Important to note that the formation Eberflus ran the most in Indy was a 4-2-5....pretty common because of the way offenses run these days.

 

[richig07]

It's possible, but I'm agreeing with BWW. I think Roquan will be shifted over. I do agree tho that if for whatever reason they decide to keep him in the middle, then yeah, we would likely not use our earliest picks on this positions Hell, even if they do shift Smith over, that still doesn't mean we'd have to use our first pick on an ILB. We need help in other places too - DL, OL, WR. But shifting to a 4-3 generally calls for a larger LB to man the middle, which is why I am at least targeting a couple of names in that spot.

Bobby Okereke is Indy's MLB and is almost identical in size to Roquan. He is listed 6'1 235. Roquan is listed 6'1 232.

Roquan is the same size as a lot of very successful MLB's.

 

[richig07]

He’s a WILL in a 4-3

Interesting. Why don't you think he can be a successful Mike?

 

[BearsWillWin]

Interesting. Why don't you think he can be a successful Mike?

I’m sure he could be a good Mike. His skill set screams Will.

I don’t want to see him backpedaling. Going down hill and side to side is what he’s great at.

In a Cover 2 4-3…your MLB is going to be backing up a lot.

Roquan compares so favorably to Briggs. He’s in that mold.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Interesting. Why don't you think he can be a successful Mike?

Haven't seen one post in here saying that Roquan couldn't handle the Mike. Now if we were to reverse the question and ask if you think he can't handle the will, you're obviously going to answer yes he can. So the real question is do you think he wouldn't perform as well in the will spot?

 

[richig07]

Haven't seen one post in here saying that Roquan couldn't handle the Mike. Now if we were to reverse the question and ask if you think he can't handle the will, you're obviously going to answer yes he can. So the real question is do you think he wouldn't perform as well in the will spot?

I think that the Mike is a lot more important. I suppose that's what I am getting at. You need a guy who can "quarterback" the D and do everything defensively. Especially a guy with athleticism/mobility. He has to be quick in his pass drop and be able to play the run. It's a TOUGH gig. Roquan is a stud... If there's a QB for our D next year? That's my guy. Size, speed, smarts... nothing holding him back from being that guy.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

I think that the Mike is a lot more important. I suppose that's what I am getting at. You need a guy who can "quarterback" the D and do everything defensively. Especially a guy with athleticism/mobility. He has to be quick in his pass drop and be able to play the run. It's a TOUGH gig. Roquan is a stud... If there's a QB for our D next year? That's my guy. Size, speed, smarts... nothing holding him back from being that guy.

Fair enough, good response. But I recall in the article that Eberflus apparently looks to the will as his primary LB, and it's why Darius Leonard mans that particular position. So I can easily see Roquan doing likewise.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Of course before there's an a draft, there are opportunities to snag a free agent here or there. Here's a pretty decent list of targets for the Bears put together by Sports Mockery:

Likely Free Agent Targets For New Chicago Bears Regime

With a new regime comes new personnel priorities. Here are some free agents the Chicago Bears may target when free agency begins.

www.sportsmockery.com

Would like to see a couple more names at the WR spot as possible choices, but otherwise this is a decent list. Can't sign everybody, but if we land a couple or so here, it will not just help the team, but also help shape how we proceed in the draft.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Base on the contents of his opening presser, I get the impression that when it comes to how the Bears will draft, Poles might be the polar opposite of Pace. He seemed firm in his conviction of building thru the draft, altho he stated he would pursue free agents as well, but only in a cost-effective manner. So when I say the opposite of Pace, I mean if anything, Poles might want to collect extra draft picks by trading down more often than not, whereas Pace seemed to love trading up and losing picks in the process. And the reason I like this approach, assuming he takes this route, is because we are of need in so many areas, and not just in numbers, but in types of players as well. We need to get younger, we need to get faster. The draft and how Poles approaches it, can accomplish both objectives.

 

[BsGenius]

Base on the contents of his opening presser, I get the impression that when it comes to how the Bears will draft, Poles might be the polar opposite of Pace. He seemed firm in his conviction of building thru the draft, altho he stated he would pursue free agents as well, but only in a cost-effective manner. So when I say the opposite of Pace, I mean if anything, Poles might want to collect extra draft picks by trading down more often than not, whereas Pace seemed to love trading up and losing picks in the process. And the reason I like this approach, assuming he takes this route, is because we are of need in so many areas, and not just in numbers, but in types of players as well. We need to get younger, we need to get faster. The draft and how Poles approaches it, can accomplish both objectives.

Smart. Building through the draft is the best way. Only idiots don't value draft picks. Which is basically everyone in here except the genius.

 

[richig07]

Base on the contents of his opening presser, I get the impression that when it comes to how the Bears will draft, Poles might be the polar opposite of Pace. He seemed firm in his conviction of building thru the draft, altho he stated he would pursue free agents as well, but only in a cost-effective manner. So when I say the opposite of Pace, I mean if anything, Poles might want to collect extra draft picks by trading down more often than not, whereas Pace seemed to love trading up and losing picks in the process. And the reason I like this approach, assuming he takes this route, is because we are of need in so many areas, and not just in numbers, but in types of players as well. We need to get younger, we need to get faster. The draft and how Poles approaches it, can accomplish both objectives.

The thing is, this was Pace's philosophy his first few years as well. He did a good job of cleaning up a miserable cap situation left over from Emery, the team went from old to young relatively quick, we moved some parts for draft picks, and used free agency (mostly) for value signings. Even when he made the Trubisky move, he moved down with his next pick, and recouped some of that capital.

Then, the 2018 off-season came around, and he bought on multiple big name free agents such as ARob. He made a MONSTER trade and sign for Mack. From that off-season forward, it was sort of like he was just chasing his losses. He knew he had to win, so he kept doubling down, and then again with Fields in an attempt to right his wrong with Trubisky. Until, finally, he was just out of shots to fire.

There is a time to be aggressive (Rams this past year is an example of it being successful), but Pace just misfired on some pivotal moves. Then, he allowed things to spiral in his attempts to make up for it.

 

[BsGenius]

The thing is, this was Pace's philosophy his first few years as well. He did a good job of cleaning up a miserable cap situation left over from Emery, the team went from old to young relatively quick, we moved some parts for draft picks, and used free agency (mostly) for value signings. Even when he made the Trubisky move, he moved down with his next pick, and recouped some of that capital.

Then, the 2018 off-season came around, and he bought on multiple big name free agents such as ARob. He made a MONSTER trade and sign for Mack. From that off-season forward, it was sort of like he was just chasing his losses. He knew he had to win, so he kept doubling down, and then again with Fields in an attempt to right his wrong with Trubisky. Until, finally, he was just out of shots to fire.

There is a time to be aggressive (Rams this past year is an example of it being successful), but Pace just misfired on some pivotal moves. Then, he allowed things to spiral in his attempts to make up for it.

ARob and Mack moves were NOT mistakes. The only big mistake Pace made was Trubisky. Finding a franchise QB in the draft is never a slam dunk. Can't fault Pace for trying. He thought Trubs was the guy and went all in to try to win it all. I would bet most GMs in similar situations would have done that.

 

[richig07]

ARob and Mack moves were NOT mistakes. The only big mistake Pace made was Trubisky. Finding a franchise QB in the draft is never a slam dunk. Can't fault Pace for trying. He thought Trubs was the guy and went all in to try to win it all. I would bet most GMs in similar situations would have done that.

ARob most certainly was not a mistake, in any context. I love ARob. I think Mack is extremely valuable (a stud, to be exact) and has been one of the best in the league at what he does for a while now. That being said, I don't know if I would go back and still agree to mortgage such a large chunk of the team's future for him either. Hindsight is obviously 20/20, though.

My point is not that those moves were wrong, though. It's that it marked Pace's turning point towards being a more aggressive GM after he had initially started out with an approach like the one Poles has talked about having. Then, I think that as time went on and we continued to fail. Pace's moves got a bit more and more desperate (and less calculated) after that.

 

[BsGenius]

ARob most certainly was not a mistake, in any context. I love ARob. I think Mack is extremely valuable (a stud, to be exact) and has been one of the best in the league at what he does for a while now. That being said, I don't know if I would go back and still agree to mortgage such a large chunk of the team's future for him either. Hindsight is obviously 20/20, though.

My point is not that those moves were wrong, though. It's that it marked Pace's turning point towards being a more aggressive GM after he had initially started out with an approach like the one Poles has talked about having. Then, I think that as time went on and we continued to fail. Pace's moves got a bit more and more desperate (and less calculated) after that.

Nobody in here thought the Mack trade was a mistake when it happened. Everyone including the media loved the move by the Bears and Gruden took a lot of criticisms for the move.

Pace may have gotten more "desperate" in free agency towards the end. But I feel that's because he thought the window of opportunity was there with Trubisky being the guy. Can't fault him for that.

And once Pace and everyone else understood Trubisky wasn't the guy, he still sacked up and got the guy he thinks will be the guy. I have no problems with Pace. He had made some rookie mistakes as a GM but i think firing him was a mistake.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

The thing is, this was Pace's philosophy his first few years as well. He did a good job of cleaning up a miserable cap situation left over from Emery, the team went from old to young relatively quick, we moved some parts for draft picks, and used free agency (mostly) for value signings. Even when he made the Trubisky move, he moved down with his next pick, and recouped some of that capital.

Then, the 2018 off-season came around, and he bought on multiple big name free agents such as ARob. He made a MONSTER trade and sign for Mack. From that off-season forward, it was sort of like he was just chasing his losses. He knew he had to win, so he kept doubling down, and then again with Fields in an attempt to right his wrong with Trubisky. Until, finally, he was just out of shots to fire.

There is a time to be aggressive (Rams this past year is an example of it being successful), but Pace just misfired on some pivotal moves. Then, he allowed things to spiral in his attempts to make up for it.

I don't recall Pace ever stating that his approach was to build thru the draft. Not saying he never said it, I just don't recall that. I think he was going for the brass ring from the getgo and his trades and draft trade-ups back this up. It's not wrong if it works. But it didn't. I'll give him credit for some later round finds during his tenure with our team. But then again, Jerry Angelo, who I thought sucked as a GM overall, was also pretty decent at finding late round gems now and then.

I'm guessing that come draft day you're going to see Poles trade down, not up. With only 5 picks to start coupled with his philosophy of building thru the draft, to me that says he's going for bodies. Hard to pick an exact number, but for shits and grins I'll go with 8.

 

[BsGenius]

Should have kept Pace and hired Harbaugh.

 

[Jiddy]

Should have kept Pace and hired Harbaugh.

I think the majority of fans would have been very happy with that scenario. I would have been game...That said, it's not what happened and we get the mystery of the new and unproven.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

From NBC Sports, here are two potential selections with our first two picks (2nd rd, #39 and 3rd rd, #71, respectively):

39. Bears: Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington ​

Gordon is an All-Pac-12 first teamer, whose size (6-foot, 200 pounds) and length creates issues for receivers trying to separate from his tight coverage. An explosive, quick twitch athlete with a 42-inch vertical, Gordon's ability to flip his hips and use above average closing speed to make plays is impressive. Chicago needs a compliment at corner back to Jaylon Johnson, who led the Bears this past season with nine passes defended.

71. Bears: Jalen Tolbert, WR, South Alabama​

It's possible the nation isn't raving about Tolbert, a consistent receiver from the Sun Belt conference, because he's catching passes in the anonymity of a smaller football division. Over the last two years, Tolbert averaged 1,279 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Tolbert is a lean 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds with big play capability, demonstrated by his career average of 17.6 yards per catch. If Chicago doesn't re-sign Allen Robinson, taking Tolbert could provide the Bears with a viable receiving option.

Now an argument can logically be made for zeroing in on positions of need for this draft, ie OL, WR, DL, LB, CB, S. Two of those needs are mentioned here. And of the two, I kinda like that Gordon choice. Of course I'm sure the Bears will go with the standard BPA, especially with our first pick. But I sure would like them to look strongly at any one of three spots, OL, DL, and LB, and not necessarily in any particular order. A month ago, LB would not have been too high on my radar, as I was assuming we were sticking with the 3-4 alignment, and our current crop of LBs seem to fit this scheme. But with the hiring of Eberflus and his desire to switch back to a 4-3, I think at some point in the draft, if not one of our first two picks, LB must be addressed.

I want to stop a little short of saying our OL is a mess, but I'm sure it's fair to say that it could stand for some serious upgrading. I think we're on the right track with Jenkins and Borom fitting somewhere on the line. And as inconsistent as Whitehair has been, I'm still holding out hope that he can stick as well. Everything else is up for grabs, so I feel it's all but essential that at least one of our top two picks goes to the OL. As for the DL, it looks like we won't be retaining Hicks and possibly Goldman either. We'd have Nichols and Tonga to fill in, but that would leave us paper thin in terms of quality depth.

 

[richig07]

From NBC Sports, here are two potential selections with our first two picks (2nd rd, #39 and 3rd rd, #71, respectively):

39. Bears: Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington ​

Gordon is an All-Pac-12 first teamer, whose size (6-foot, 200 pounds) and length creates issues for receivers trying to separate from his tight coverage. An explosive, quick twitch athlete with a 42-inch vertical, Gordon's ability to flip his hips and use above average closing speed to make plays is impressive. Chicago needs a compliment at corner back to Jaylon Johnson, who led the Bears this past season with nine passes defended.

71. Bears: Jalen Tolbert, WR, South Alabama​

It's possible the nation isn't raving about Tolbert, a consistent receiver from the Sun Belt conference, because he's catching passes in the anonymity of a smaller football division. Over the last two years, Tolbert averaged 1,279 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Tolbert is a lean 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds with big play capability, demonstrated by his career average of 17.6 yards per catch. If Chicago doesn't re-sign Allen Robinson, taking Tolbert could provide the Bears with a viable receiving option.

Now an argument can logically be made for zeroing in on positions of need for this draft, ie OL, WR, DL, LB, CB, S. Two of those needs are mentioned here. And of the two, I kinda like that Gordon choice. Of course I'm sure the Bears will go with the standard BPA, especially with our first pick. But I sure would like them to look strongly at any one of three spots, OL, DL, and LB, and not necessarily in any particular order. A month ago, LB would not have been too high on my radar, as I was assuming we were sticking with the 3-4 alignment, and our current crop of LBs seem to fit this scheme. But with the hiring of Eberflus and his desire to switch back to a 4-3, I think at some point in the draft, if not one of our first two picks, LB must be addressed.

I want to stop a little short of saying our OL is a mess, but I'm sure it's fair to say that it could stand for some serious upgrading. I think we're on the right track with Jenkins and Borom fitting somewhere on the line. And as inconsistent as Whitehair has been, I'm still holding out hope that he can stick as well. Everything else is up for grabs, so I feel it's all but essential that at least one of our top two picks goes to the OL. As for the DL, it looks like we won't be retaining Hicks and possibly Goldman either. We'd have Nichols and Tonga to fill in, but that would leave us paper thin in terms of quality depth.

I just want to fix the damn Oline. If there's only "reaches" there at 38. Just trade the hell down. Has to be our main focus. I am typically a "best player available" guy. But this off-season... just fix the problem and protect our biggest investment. Will ya?