Some key names to follow for the way-way-too-early '24 draft

[beardown07]

Watched a most enjoyable USC-Washington game last night, which turned out to be an offensive explosion for both teams, with almost 1100 yards from scrimage combined. Naturally I focused on Caleb Williams to see how he'd fare. Have to say for the most part, he more than held up his end of the bargain. 27-35-0 for 312 yards. Solid numbers to along with some insane throws, and he often showed an escapability that could serve him well in the pros.

However, at a key point in the game, he fumbled & lost the ball, which resulted in 7 points for Washington off that turnover. Ok, shit happens. But the amazing part was learning that this was his 30th fumble since taking the reins. That's a scary number considering he hasn't even completed his 3rd season. Plus, I'm not sure about his emotional stability. After the game the cameras showed him in his mother's arms, crying like there's no tomorrow. Obviously, one can say what harm is there in showing a human side, especially after a tough loss. In one sense, I couldn't agree more with this sentiment. But then again, this is just another piece indicating that this guy's mental makeup might be on the high strung side of the equation.

He's a drama fag.

 

[wood20ks]

He's a drama fag.

I was gonna bring that up.....what was with the crying in momma Williams arms as loud mouth daddy rubs his back.....??
Jeezus,get a grip dude.......

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

I was gonna bring that up.....what was with the crying in momma Williams arms as loud mouth daddy rubs his back.....??
Jeezus,get a grip dude.......

Yeah, no doubting the man's talent, but too many signs point to an NFL head case in the making.

 

[wood20ks]

Yeah, no doubting the man's talent, but too many signs point to an NFL head case in the making.

Im not saying we shouldnt draft,but theres no crying in football.......

 

[Jiddy]

All I want is a goddamn center....Lucas Patrick had like half our penalties yesterday...WTF.

We all know how this ends. We don't draft one...I go apesh*t to nobody in particular...Center ends up being an obvious gaping hole (again) and is destroying our 2024 season...

... so we trade a 2nd round pick for one at trade deadline next year.

FML

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Been reviewing a number of draft prospects websites to see who the top names are. There seems to be a fairly consistent top 5 names on almost all the main sites in pretty much this order, with a couple variations here and there:

Caleb Williams, QB
Marvin Harrison, Jr, WR
Drake Maye, QB
Olu Fashanu, OT
Brock Bowers, TE

Since there's a decent chance that both of our picks could end up in the top 5, these names may be worth playing closer attention, altho I doubt Bowers would factor as much into the equation. But then again you never know. Definitely Fashanu is a name to follow in the coming weeks and months.

 

[wood20ks]

Who Will Win The NFL’s Race To The Bottom?

The No. 1 pick in the NFL draft is always a valuable asset, but it goes to another level in the years in which there’s a quarterback prospect the league views as special. 2024 is

nfltraderumors.co

An interesting take on next years draft.....

And an interesting spin on Kyler Murray.....

 

[wood20ks]

Been reviewing a number of draft prospects websites to see who the top names are. There seems to be a fairly consistent top 5 names on almost all the main sites in pretty much this order, with a couple variations here and there:

Caleb Williams, QB
Marvin Harrison, Jr, WR
Drake Maye, QB
Olu Fashanu, OT
Brock Bowers, TE

Since there's a decent chance that both of our picks could end up in the top 5, these names may be worth playing closer attention, altho I doubt Bowers would factor as much into the equation. But then again you never know. Definitely Fashanu is a name to follow in the coming weeks and months.

Im all for 2 of those top 3 with our top two.....

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Im all for 2 of those top 3 with our top two.....

Haha, I think I know which two, and I'm also pretty sure we're on the same page. Altho I'd have to say it goes against my grain to wish for us taking a WR with such a premium pick. I'm a trenches first guy. In fact, I thought about the last time I openly rooted for the Bears to take a WR with our #1 pick, and I had to go all the way back to '93, for Curtis Conway. Ok, there's a semi-exception to this. I also wanted the Bears to take Greg Olsen in the '07 draft. Granted, he was a TE, technically not a wideout. But we all knew he was drafted to be primarily a receiver, not a blocker.

There's talk about Harrison, Jr being a "generational" player at his position, altho I think this word is way overused these days. However, as clichéd as that word is, it just might be rightly applied to this kid. So I might be willing to make an exception if his name is still on the board and it's our turn to select. He seems to be about as sure a thing as possible in today's NFL draft talent evaluation.

 

[wood20ks]

Haha, I think I know which two, and I'm also pretty sure we're on the same page. Altho I'd have to say it goes against my grain to wish for us taking a WR with such a premium pick. I'm a trenches first guy. In fact, I thought about the last time I openly rooted for the Bears to take a WR with our #1 pick, and I had to go all the way back to '93, for Curtis Conway. Ok, there's a semi-exception to this. I also wanted the Bears to take Greg Olsen in the '07 draft. Granted, he was a TE, technically not a wideout. But we all knew he was drafted to be primarily a receiver, not a blocker.

There's talk about Harrison, Jr being a "generational" player at his position, altho I think this word is way overused these days. However, as clichéd as that word is, it just might be rightly applied to this kid. So I might be willing to make an exception if his name is still on the board and it's our turn to select. He seems to be about as sure a thing as possible in today's NFL draft talent evaluation.

Yes Im all for one of the top 2 qbs and then Harrison.......

Im not too worried about trenches in ghd draft,as much as wd have to spend,Id just as soon as sign one in freeagency.......

The thought of DJ,Harrison and one of the 2 qbs,I would love to see what our offense can do.......

 

[Jiddy]

Soldier Field crowd ready to burn it down

 

[Beengay fudgepackers]

Yes Im all for one of the top 2 qbs and then Harrison.......

Im not too worried about trenches in ghd draft,as much as wd have to spend,Id just as soon as sign one in freeagency.......

The thought of DJ,Harrison and one of the 2 qbs,I would love to see what our offense can do.......

I wouldn’t mind getting fashanu and Harrison. Maybe get a center in the second round and the offense is set. There would be no excuse for our oline to not be elite and our receivers to not be elite with both having room to grow. I’m not sold on either of our QBs this year, but we could find one through FA or the draft the following year.

Everyone is high on this current crop of QBs, but I remember the last year the QB talent seemed stacked with Mayfield, Darnold (The most hyped prospect since luck at the time), Rosen, and Allen. So far, only 1 seems like a success out of those 4 and it wasn’t either of the golden boys that year.

 

[wood20ks]

I wouldn’t mind getting fashanu and Harrison. Maybe get a center in the second round and the offense is set. There would be no excuse for our oline to not be elite and our receivers to not be elite with both having room to grow. I’m not sold on either of our QBs this year, but we could find one through FA or the draft the following year.

Everyone is high on this current crop of QBs, but I remember the last year the QB talent seemed stacked with Mayfield, Darnold (The most hyped prospect since luck at the time), Rosen, and Allen. So far, only 1 seems like a success out of those 4 and it wasn’t either of the golden boys that year.

I think you go qb first and foremost.....Us fans are done with Fields,and they bring him back as the starter next season and he fails,there will be a whole new coaching staff along with a new gm........

No way does Poles want that......he would be better off drafting kne of the top two......if it doesnt work out atleadt he tried.....



Qbs cost a ton of money,I think thr smart way is to draft one and sign oline/dline in freeagency........atleast I tend to think you couod get each of those two pisitions fir the price of 1 qb.......

And please do not trade for Kyler Murray.

 

[Beengay fudgepackers]

I think you go qb first and foremost.....Us fans are done with Fields,and they bring him back as the starter next season and he fails,there will be a whole new coaching staff along with a new gm........

No way does Poles want that......he would be better off drafting kne of the top two......if it doesnt work out atleadt he tried.....



Qbs cost a ton of money,I think thr smart way is to draft one and sign oline/dline in freeagency........atleast I tend to think you couod get each of those two pisitions fir the price of 1 qb.......

And please do not trade for Kyler Murray.

A prime LT is hard to come by this days too. Same with a top level WR. I know you want a fancy new QB this year, but I think an average QB with a beastly Oline and WRs the calibre of Harrison Jr and DJ Moore is better than Caleb Williams. I think we can hold off on a qb for a year, then bring one into the fold next year. I really don’t like what I see from this QB class (Historically, that probably means they will all be HOFers). One thing to think about is when you draft a qb, you’re stuck with him for 3-4 years. If a QB you like a lot more comes available via draft or FA in that window, you most likely aren’t competing for him. Do you really want to spend that time on one of these QBs?

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

A prime LT is hard to come by this days too. Same with a top level WR. I know you want a fancy new QB this year, but I think an average QB with a beastly Oline and WRs the calibre of Harrison Jr and DJ Moore is better than Caleb Williams. I think we can hold off on a qb for a year, then bring one into the fold next year. I really don’t like what I see from this QB class (Historically, that probably means they will all be HOFers). One thing to think about is when you draft a qb, you’re stuck with him for 3-4 years. If a QB you like a lot more comes available via draft or FA in that window, you most likely aren’t competing for him. Do you really want to spend that time on one of these QBs?

Hard to argue with this approach. Perhaps the single biggest reason I've been rooting so friggin hard for Fields to have a good year is that we wouldn't have to use one of our two #1s on a QB, which would in essence also mean starting over. But he's been pretty much a bust up till now, and with every game he's been out with the injured thumb, it's that many weeks he's lost an opportunity to prove he belongs. I'm going with the thought that he'll return to the lineup when we face the Lions a week from Sunday. It's do or die for him from that point forward.

 

[wood20ks]

I'm going with the thought that he'll return to the lineup when we face the Lions a week from Sunday.Its do or die for him from that point forward.

True story........

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

So if the season were to end today - too bad it doesn't - we'd end up with the 1st and 5th picks in the draft. But read this article about high draft picks:

Bears cruising toward 2 high draft picks, but what will GM Ryan Poles do with them?

The Bears currently are projected to pick twice in the top 10 next year and have a good chance at landing the No. 1 overall selection.

chicago.suntimes.com

I completely forgot that Indy back in '92 had the top two picks in the draft. But as at times shown, high picks don't guarantee success.

The Colts were the last team to pick first and second, by the way, and in 1992 took defensive end Steve Emtman and linebacker Quentin Coryatt. Neither made even a single Pro Bowl and both were gone by the end of 1997.

It's one thing to blow either of those, but both? Damn, that was some sorry scouting involved there.

 

[Jiddy]

I’m starting to doubt we end up with the 1 pick…but if we do I wouldn’t be averse to another trade down then go with either the LT Fashanu or Harrison with our pick and get a center, pass rusher and Bo Nix from our trade down return. Some variation of that. I’m not a college player guru but I like what I see from Nix.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

I’m starting to doubt we end up with the 1 pick…but if we do I wouldn’t be averse to another trade down then go with either the LT Fashanu or Harrison with our pick and get a center, pass rusher and Bo Nix from our trade down return. Some variation of that. I’m not a college player guru but I like what I see from Nix.

There are a lot of ifs here, but as long as the Panthers keep losing, the #1 pick belongs to us. They have some winnable games in their remaining schedule, so we have that issue right there. Plus teams in their won-loss orbit such as the Cards, Giants, and Patriots could also affect the final draft slot. Like I said, let's just hope they keep losing. It's the only sure-fire way to clinch the top pick.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

However, at a key point in the game, he fumbled & lost the ball, which resulted in 7 points for Washington off that turnover. Ok, shit happens. But the amazing part was learning that this was his 30th fumble since taking the reins.

So I also watched last night's game between USC & Oregon for as we all know QB Caleb Williams is very much in play for being one of our draft picks. But make that 31 fumbles now for him, and this one he coughed up and it was recovered by Oregon. It led directly to a TD.

There's no getting around Williams physical skills and his ability to read the entire field and make these often times uncanny throws. He has that Mahomes-like quality in him. But where he separates from Mahomes is in the mental part. As wild as sometimes Mahomes looks out there, he always plays within himself. He rarely gets too goofy with his situations. Williams OTOH tries to do too much, as if he and only he can single handily take care of business. And he carries that rock way, way too loosely when scrambing around trying to avoid the rush, hence the now 31 fumbles during his tenure at the helm. And he plays this way too often to boot. With each passing week I'm becoming ever more convinced that this is not the QB we should be taking in the draft, even if he's there when our name is on the clock.