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Overall Draft Grade


Madmike90

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Looking at this draft I think it is very clear either Ryan Pace has grown on his own this offseason, he has gained some control with Fox being gone or he and Nagy make one hell of a team because on paper this looks like his best draft to date...he has taken high floor and high ceiling guys early then took trait guys later in the draft who could develop into quality role players if not more...

#8...LB...Roquan Smith...Georgia...A+...

The more you look at this pick the better it gets...I have been saying for years the Bears have lacked intensity and leadership on defence (and overall) Smith instantly adds both in spades...he was the driving force behind Georgia getting to the National Championship game...he gets guys fired up and motivated to play beyond themselves...another thing I have have a massive issues with for years is out inability to cover flex TEs...Smith again solves that issue...he isn't huge...altho by NFL ILB standards these days he is averaged sized...but he just has an fantastic feel for defending the pass showing not only the speed but agility to mirror these guys on routes...against the run he has to get a little better at taking on blocks but we were saying that about Urlacher and Lewis throughout their careers...he is so quick tho it is tough for linemen to even get their hands on him...sideline to sideline he is an utter blur and can chase down just about anyone...and that is before you even get on to the fact he is uber instinctive and smart...plus he is only 21 years old...this dude is going to be the leader and probable lead tackler of this team for the next 10-13 years...it's an outstanding pick that gets us a high floor athletic player who still has potential.

#39...OL...James Daniels...Iowa...A...

Another quality pick in my eyes...personally I view him more as a center than a guard but HH is in a far better position to decide on that than any of us...his versatility will always be a plus but I just hope we decide quickly what this guy is and lock him in at one spot and Whitehair at the other...it's by a distance the best way to develop both these guys who will be mainstays of the OL for years to come...Daniels himself bring good size for an interior linemen in the scheme...he has strength and a wide base to anchor in pass pro as well as proper hand usage...something to be expected from an Iowa offensive linemen...where Daniels really excels tho is in the run game where he shows off his athletic ability to get to the 2nd level with ease...something that will be essential in this scheme but in the run game and even the screens to just about everyone we are going to see...I think with Leno, Daniels and Whitehair we have put the building blocks in place for the next 5 years...oh and did I mention the guy is 20 years old? With the movement skills he has when he naturally matures and is in an NFL strength program for the next year or two then the sky is the limit...only think stopping this from being an A+ is that there was a little rumor about his knees not being great.

#51...WR...Anthony Miller...Memphis...B...

My least favorite pick...not just because of who else was on the board in terms of other positions but I just have some concerns with Miller himself...namely his hands and ball security...I have watched three games of his from last year and in each he has multiple drops...including one on a Jet sweep...Miller seems to be the kind who will make an amazing catch and then follow it up with an easy drop...there are some things I do like about him tho...love the fact he lined up at so many different spots in Memphis' spread offence which means he can process information and play both inside and out...his versatility will allow Nagy to put him in the best position to succeed and take advantage of matchups...can't hate on Pace or Nagy for trying to find another weapon for Trubisky and if he can get his focus right on catching the ball I think he will succeed out of the slot.

#115...ILB...Joel Iyiegbuniwe...Western Kentucky...B+...

A lot is being made about this guy for being too small...truthfully if he is 5-8lbs heavier no one has any issue with a 235lbs ILB in today's NFL...there is no doubt he needs to get stronger and better at getting off blocks and but if he can add strength and keep is range then we get a very poor man's Smith...Iyiegbuniwe is a former safety who I am sure will be viewed as a nickel backer early in his career...he brings impressive sideline to sideline range from the little film I have seen on him and that seems to be the type of OLB Fangio wants...guys who can run and cover...a very interesting point was made during the draft that altho we play a lot of nickel we very rarely play dime so finding these types of LBs is important moving forward...I would have given this a B but the B+ comes from the fact I think he will be a special teams ace from day one.

#145...DE...Bilal Nichols...Delaware...A...

Love this pick...we badly needed some depth and competition on the DL and Nichols brings a ton of traits including his height, weight, length, speed, strength, motor and production are all box ticks for this late in the draft...the other thing I like about him is the versatility he offers...he has played in both a 4-3 and a 3-4 and been productive in both...he will play as a DE for us but could play on the nose in a pinch...I think he is a more athletic Mitch Unrein for us and will start on early downs allowing all Bullard and RRH to focus on being pass rushers.

#181...OLB...Kylie Fitts...Utah...A+...

Another pick I really like for us...I had it as a B watching some of his tape cause you could see some flashes of his ability...then I looked at his stats from 2015 when he was fully healthy...41 tackles...8 TFL...7 Sacks...4 FF...10 PBUs...so then I went and watched some tape from 2015...the BYU game to be specific and if you want to be excited for this pick I suggest you do the same...if we can get him 100% healthy he will be a starting OLB for us...I have zero doubts about it...he is a big strong athletic rusher who seems to be able to bull rush and run the arc...he is aggressive and uses his hands well...seems to have a feel for rushing the QB...just need to keep him fit and as a situational guy early hopefully we can...health is the only thing keeping this from being a A+ pick for me...check out the video below...

#224...WR...Javon Wims...Georgia...B+...

Another pick I like and one that will hopefully lead to Bellamy being cut...I had Wims going a few rounds higher than this given his downfield ability...not the fastest but has good size and excellent body control...for me he is very very similar to Cam Meredith without the knee issue and $5 million a year salary...any time you an get a guy like that this late in the draft it is a solid pick up.

 

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45 minutes ago, Madmike90 said:

Looking at this draft I think it is very clear either Ryan Pace has grown on his own this offseason, he has gained some control with Fox being gone or he and Nagy make one hell of a team because on paper this looks like his best draft to date...he has taken high floor and high ceiling guys early then took trait guys later in the draft who could develop into quality role players if not more...

#8...LB...Roquan Smith...Georgia...A+...

The more you look at this pick the better it gets...I have been saying for years the Bears have lacked intensity and leadership on defence (and overall) Smith instantly adds both in spades...he was the driving force behind Georgia getting to the National Championship game...he gets guys fired up and motivated to play beyond themselves...another thing I have have a massive issues with for years is out inability to cover flex TEs...Smith again solves that issue...he isn't huge...altho by NFL ILB standards these days he is averaged sized...but he just has an fantastic feel for defending the pass showing not only the speed but agility to mirror these guys on routes...against the run he has to get a little better at taking on blocks but we were saying that about Urlacher and Lewis throughout their careers...he is so quick tho it is tough for linemen to even get their hands on him...sideline to sideline he is an utter blur and can chase down just about anyone...and that is before you even get on to the fact he is uber instinctive and smart...plus he is only 21 years old...this dude is going to be the leader and probable lead tackler of this team for the next 10-13 years...it's an outstanding pick that gets us a high floor athletic player who still has potential.

#39...OL...James Daniels...Iowa...A...

Another quality pick in my eyes...personally I view him more as a center than a guard but HH is in a far better position to decide on that than any of us...his versatility will always be a plus but I just hope we decide quickly what this guy is and lock him in at one spot and Whitehair at the other...it's by a distance the best way to develop both these guys who will be mainstays of the OL for years to come...Daniels himself bring good size for an interior linemen in the scheme...he has strength and a wide base to anchor in pass pro as well as proper hand usage...something to be expected from an Iowa offensive linemen...where Daniels really excels tho is in the run game where he shows off his athletic ability to get to the 2nd level with ease...something that will be essential in this scheme but in the run game and even the screens to just about everyone we are going to see...I think with Leno, Daniels and Whitehair we have put the building blocks in place for the next 5 years...oh and did I mention the guy is 20 years old? With the movement skills he has when he naturally matures and is in an NFL strength program for the next year or two then the sky is the limit...only think stopping this from being an A+ is that there was a little rumor about his knees not being great.

#51...WR...Anthony Miller...Memphis...B...

My least favorite pick...not just because of who else was on the board in terms of other positions but I just have some concerns with Miller himself...namely his hands and ball security...I have watched three games of his from last year and in each he has multiple drops...including one on a Jet sweep...Miller seems to be the kind who will make an amazing catch and then follow it up with an easy drop...there are some things I do like about him tho...love the fact he lined up at so many different spots in Memphis' spread offence which means he can process information and play both inside and out...his versatility will allow Nagy to put him in the best position to succeed and take advantage of matchups...can't hate on Pace or Nagy for trying to find another weapon for Trubisky and if he can get his focus right on catching the ball I think he will succeed out of the slot.

#115...ILB...Joel Iyiegbuniwe...Western Kentucky...B+...

A lot is being made about this guy for being too small...truthfully if he is 5-8lbs heavier no one has any issue with a 235lbs ILB in today's NFL...there is no doubt he needs to get stronger and better at getting off blocks and but if he can add strength and keep is range then we get a very poor man's Smith...Iyiegbuniwe is a former safety who I am sure will be viewed as a nickel backer early in his career...he brings impressive sideline to sideline range from the little film I have seen on him and that seems to be the type of OLB Fangio wants...guys who can run and cover...a very interesting point was made during the draft that altho we play a lot of nickel we very rarely play dime so finding these types of LBs is important moving forward...I would have given this a B but the B+ comes from the fact I think he will be a special teams ace from day one.

#145...DE...Bilal Nichols...Delaware...A...

Love this pick...we badly needed some depth and competition on the DL and Nichols brings a ton of traits including his height, weight, length, speed, strength, motor and production are all box ticks for this late in the draft...the other thing I like about him is the versatility he offers...he has played in both a 4-3 and a 3-4 and been productive in both...he will play as a DE for us but could play on the nose in a pinch...I think he is a more athletic Mitch Unrein for us and will start on early downs allowing all Bullard and RRH to focus on being pass rushers.

#181...OLB...Kylie Fitts...Utah...A+...

Another pick I really like for us...I had it as a B watching some of his tape cause you could see some flashes of his ability...then I looked at his stats from 2015 when he was fully healthy...41 tackles...8 TFL...7 Sacks...4 FF...10 PBUs...so then I went and watched some tape from 2015...the BYU game to be specific and if you want to be excited for this pick I suggest you do the same...if we can get him 100% healthy he will be a starting OLB for us...I have zero doubts about it...he is a big strong athletic rusher who seems to be able to bull rush and run the arc...he is aggressive and uses his hands well...seems to have a feel for rushing the QB...just need to keep him fit and as a situational guy early hopefully we can...health is the only thing keeping this from being a A+ pick for me...check out the video below...

#224...WR...Javon Wims...Georgia...B+...

Another pick I like and one that will hopefully lead to Bellamy being cut...I had Wims going a few rounds higher than this given his downfield ability...not the fastest but has good size and excellent body control...for me he is very very similar to Cam Meredith without the knee issue and $5 million a year salary...any time you an get a guy like that this late in the draft it is a solid pick up.

 

Good write up. I agree with you on Smith. I also think in time he will improve coming off blocks. this draft should also lead to Timu being off the team. As he has played to much the last 2 seasons. Good draft but these guys have to prove it at the NFL level.

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Roquan Smith-A Obvious need and pick.  I'm glad we didnt give up anything for him. 

James Daniels-A+ We needed a center, we got a great one.  Interior if out o-line is solidified.

Anthony Miller-B Could be an A if he proves he's worth next years 2nd.

Joel Iyiegbuniwe-B We needed LB help, not many people heard of him. 

Bilal Nichols-A Awesome for depth and a rotational pass rusher.  Could be a steal

Kylie Fitts-A-  From what I've seen and heard, when this guy is healthy, he's a beast.Because of injuries, he fell. 

Javon Wims-B  I see another Marquis Wilson with this pick.  He might have a good game or two, but thats it.

 

Overall A-  We got Mitch some help in round 2 and improved our front 7.  Great draft. 

Early needs for next year: RT, Safety, Back up QB

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9 minutes ago, Bowler1215 said:

Early needs for next year: RT, Safety, Back up QB

Offensive Tackle and Outside Linebacker seems like our two biggest needs to be...luckily if everyone declares both classes should be outstanding.

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3 hours ago, Madmike90 said:

#8...LB...Roquan Smith...Georgia...

Wasn't the guy I wanted, but Roquan isn't the kind of player that you can complain about. Very high floor, elite ceiling, and unlike Edmunds has good-great instincts for the position. He's not a liability in coverage like Kwiatoski and he's been successful as a blitzer...I am very curious as to the rumors that he failed his combine medicals on some boards, but he clearly is healthy enough to impress the bears staff....

This is honestly Pace's best first round pick, and by a lot...  Solid A bordering on A+

3 hours ago, Madmike90 said:

#39...OL...James Daniels...Iowa...

The draft was very strong with interior offensive line, and Daniels was one of the best prospects. As an added bonus, C just got deeper and Grasu should hopefully never play another down for us.  My only concern here is him coming off injury and the expectation of him stepping in right away as a rookie... beyond that, I'm inclined to want to put him at C and move Whitehair, but that might be overreaction to Whitehair's shotgun snapping issues early last year.

Solid A if not A+ (health permitting)

3 hours ago, Madmike90 said:

#51...WR...Anthony Miller...Memphis..

People get too worked up over the trade up cost... a meager 4th round pick to grab next year's 2nd rounder this year. I'm 100% OK with the pick, and Miller was great WR value at that point, considering he's arguably one of, if not the outright best WRs of this class....That being said, I won't give this move an A... Miller is a savvy route runner, but he isn't a top tier athlete, is old for his age, has some drop concerns, is already near his ceiling, and is imo a slot only guy. I'd have -significantly- preferred a bet on the upside of DJ Chark, who I think had a higher ceiling, is younger, and would have given us another "burner" to take the top off a defense.  Even so, I must concede that Miller  will likely contribute way more than Chark would have in his first year or two, and that's assuming Chark ever becomes a good pro (there would have been way more risk in Chark, but after his Senior Bowl I'm buying the idea that it was merely LSU's offense/horrid QB play holding him back).   

A-

2 hours ago, TB 1 said:

#115...ILB...Joel Iyiegbuniwe...Western Kentucky...

I don't like this pick, really at all. That's not to say the prospect himself is bad, just that we could have gunned for a guy who would potentially get playing time on more than Special Teams.... At best, he's bumping off Timu as the #4 ILB.... and while Timu is hardly a great player, he was already pretty decent for a #4 ILB.  

Player value is a C the positional value was a straight F.

2 hours ago, TB 1 said:

#145...DE...Bilal Nichols

I like the guy, and don't mind the positional value... My only concern here was that we left Tyrell Crosby-OT on the board for Detroit to take, and I don't like Massie in a more uptempo "spread-coast" scheme that we're supposed to be running.  DL depth is never bad, however.  

B

2 hours ago, TB 1 said:

#181...OLB...Kylie Fitts

This dude has been injured on the level of Kevin White. If he's healthy Pace could be a genius who helped fix our OLB situation this late in the draft....That being said, like Kevin White I have no faith whatsoever that he's going to be healthy. What's worse, is that 26 picks later GREEN BAY of all damn teams probably got the steal of the entire draft with Eq St. Brown-WR.... I wasn't a big fan of his, but that kind of value blows this pick out of the water, and this pick honestly felt like a desperate grab for OLB at the expense of the actual board.

C- (only that high because we needed OLB options, but I will concede that he has the athleticism to make it a B+ pick)

3 hours ago, Madmike90 said:

#224...WR...Javon Wims...Georgia..

This is another pick where I'm bias. Auden Tate was still on the board here, and I think provides much better utility as a blocker, red zone threat, and as a big body mismatch weapon. That said, we're talking about a 7th rounder here, and Wims might offer a bit more as a STer.   

C

 

 

EDIT: Should be noted that time will tell, and snap draft grades don't always matter that much...

I think the pick Pace made that I was most excited about at the time was probably Bullard, and yeah being a good pick on paper hasn't totally worked out for him yet.  My second favorite Pace pick thus far was Cohen, though I thought he was overdrafted by a solid round or two when we took him.  Neither of those snap judgements where particularly accurate (Bullard has largely dissapointed, and Cohen has shown enough that he probably could have gone a round AHEAD of where he went).

Overall, I think the top 3 players represent a dramatic shift for Pace, where he's chosen guys that actually have high floors. Snap judgement is that this was probably his strongest overall draft, even if I don't think it was anywhere near his flashiest. B+ overall Day 1 and two where superb, significantly less thrilled with day 3.

 

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14 hours ago, Epyon said:

People get too worked up over the trade up cost... a meager 4th round pick to grab next year's 2nd rounder this year. I'm 100% OK with the pick, and Miller was great WR value at that point, considering he's arguably one of, if not the outright best WRs of this class....That being said, I won't give this move an A... Miller is a savvy route runner, but he isn't a top tier athlete, is old for his age, has some drop concerns, is already near his ceiling, and is imo a slot only guy. I'd have -significantly- preferred a bet on the upside of DJ Chark, who I think had a higher ceiling, is younger, and would have given us another "burner" to take the top off a defense.  Even so, I must concede that Miller  will likely contribute way more than Chark would have in his first year or two, and that's assuming Chark ever becomes a good pro (there would have been way more risk in Chark, but after his Senior Bowl I'm buying the idea that it was merely LSU's offense/horrid QB play holding him back).   

A-

 

What does this even mean? 

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27 minutes ago, HuskieBear said:

What does this even mean? 

It means I was watching westworld while writing that post and not paying tons of attention unless spellchecker flagged it xD...meant to say old for his draft class. He's gonna be 25 in the fall. 

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24 minutes ago, Epyon said:

It means I was watching westworld while writing that post and not paying tons of attention unless spellchecker flagged it xD...meant to say old for his draft class. He's gonna be 25 in the fall. 

He turns 24 during the season, similar to Floyd.

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I love the Miller pick. The drops are a concern, but the dude is such a great fit for the offense it is crazy.

His ability to threaten deep from the slot and to run after the catch is going to open so many things up for everyone else.

 

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21 hours ago, Epyon said:

I don't like this pick, really at all. That's not to say the prospect himself is bad, just that we could have gunned for a guy who would potentially get playing time on more than Special Teams.... At best, he's bumping off Timu as the #4 ILB.... and while Timu is hardly a great player, he was already pretty decent for a #4 ILB.  

Player value is a C the positional value was a straight F.

To me for the Iggy pick to make sense at that point in the draft it has to be about getting a guy with elite athleticism as a potential eventual successor and top backup to DT and Roquan. Iggy definitely has that. In the 4th and beyond you’re looking for guys with starter potential IMO and I think Iggy has that, not so much for 2018 but for beyond 2018. If that’s not the plan and it’s a ST only pick then it’s a bad one IMO. 

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6 hours ago, WindyCity said:

He turns 24 during the season, similar to Floyd.

Appreciate the correction. Numerous of the articles I was reading said he was 24 (referencing his age during the coming season..confusingly without making that clear in their article) and other articles made reference to his fall birthday. 24 during the season is obviously better, even if it's still not ideal.

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Solid B+ from me.

Roquan Smith, God-willing, should be the next great Chicago Bears MLB and be here for the next 10+ years.

James Daniels is a young, technically sound iOL who can arguably play 3 positions on our line. As he gets stronger I think he'll be a top 10 player at his position.

Anthony Miller is having his name thrown around with the likes of Steve Smith, Antonio Brown, and Odell Beckham Jr. That's insane to me, but if he could be even 1/2 of what those dudes did in this league I think the pick will be a home-run. Yes, it sucks that we needed to burn a 2019 pick to get him, but don't for one second think we didn't get the better end of the value here. Ostensibly, we gave the Patriots a 4th round pick for the right to use our 2nd round pick one year early. I'm good with that, especially considering what many think Miller's ceiling can be in this league.

The rest of the draft was looking for athletic traits and banking on upside. I'm of the opinion Iyiegbuniwe will be a 4-phase special teamer this season while he learns the nuances of the defense. Don't be surprised if he takes Trevathan's job in 2019 or 2020. I don't think Bilal Nichols is anything special unless you are looking at his athletic profile -- this dude can move for a man north of 305 lbs. I think he'll be in the rotation at 5T and might even steal some snaps at 3T when we are in nickel. Kylie Fitts might be my favorite pick on day 3; I mentioned earlier in this thread that he's a bigger/stronger Harold Landry that unfortunately has been engulfed by the injury bug. Good new for him is that I see him on the lower end of the rotation and a wonderful hedge to Aaron Lynch. Watch his snaps and practice reps at the Senior Bowl, he can beat you with speed and can run the arc as well as any prospect in this draft. The difference is that he has power, knows how to use his length, and has a chip on his shoulder. The round 7 WR pick, Javon Wims, doesn't do too much for me. He looks like "just-a-guy" running routes but I do like his ability to high-point 50/50 balls and his concentration and hands on the sidelines. I think he's WR6 or most likely practice squad.

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Not Trading Down

There was some buzz that the Bears could trade down and clearly teams were interested in coming up for the QBs that slipped from the top 10. As much as the thought of all of those 2nd round picks would have been awesome, I do not think the Bears would have gotten an elite, game changing talent. I look at what Tampa added and I do not see a blue chip, game changing player in the group that came out of that trade down. Trading down with the Bills or Cardinals would have cost too much in terms of the drop off in talent of the 1st pick.

1[8] LB Roquan Smith [Georgia]

I wanted the Bears to come out of the 1st round with an elite defender and I was not overly concerned with what position that they played. The Bears needed to add a difference maker as that seems to be were they are deficient. The Bears have solid players all over the team, but very few difference makers outside of Hicks and maybe Howard. By adding Smith they have someone who they can center the defense around. 

This pick to me represents a departure for Ryan Pace from taking high upside swings and towards taking guys who will start and be studs day 1. Smith is ready to start right now and there are no questions about him. This to me is the Trubisky effect. The Bears are no longer in a holding pattern while they wait for Cutler's contract to be gone and waiting to fire John Fox. This draft as a whole was filled with guys who will play a lot in 2018 and provide immediate return on the investment made. 

Smith is a stud. He is a ton setter for the defense. His ability to cover is rare and his instincts are exceptionally rare. He might not be a pass rusher, but he will step in and have an immediate impact on all 3 downs. I would also not to be too quick to right off Smith's ability to rush the passer and his 6.5 sacks last season. Smith was one of the top 4 players in the draft and to get him at 8 was a big gift from the QB class.

2[39] C James Daniels [Iowa]

Once Nelson went, and even when he was there, the value of the 1st round was on defense. Most of the top talents in the draft were on defense and the Bears need to take advantage of that value. But the Bears also needed someone who could start at LG and luckily the value of the 2nd round and late 1st as it turned out was on the interior OL. When the run started early in the round and 3 went off the board before the Bears picked I became concerned, but the Bears were fortunate that Daniels fell to them. The theme of the offseason was the "Year of Mitch" and it would be hard to sell that if you had a massive downgrade at LG. Daniels gives the Bears a player that most in the media had as the best center in the draft and a top 20 player in the draft that can step in for Sitton and grow with the offense.

I think Daniels is an awesome fit for what the Bears need. He is super athletic which will fit nicely with the zone run and screen game offense. He is a stout pass protector, using his arm length and strong base to force a bull rush and then absorb it. The fact that he can also be the backup C means that the Bears can finally give up on Grasu, who has been terrible, and they can instead keep someone who is capable of playing OT. Daniels was a tremendous value and a player with some serious upside and gives the Bears an OL without and obvious weakness. That is not saying that Massie is a star, but everyone on the line is now above average.

*Trade: The Chicago Bears trade 4[105] and 2[2019] to the New England Patriots for 2[51]

I love the aggressive trade up. The Bears needed a #2/#3 WR this season and they were staring at a draft where there was a ton of 2nd round WR talent. Why go through 2018 relying on White or Fowler to be a part of the passing game when you can get a WR that fits the system and can get in on the ground floor with Trubisky? The Bears were able to fill their 2 biggest offensive needs and it cost them a 4th that they had 2 of and a 2nd next year. Most of the time adding a 2nd round pick requires your 1st next year and the Bears avoided that, which to me is a great value. I think the new NFL with the young GMs are very aggressive in the trade market and I am okay with Pace being involved in that. Better to be aggressive and get guys you believe in than be passive and allow other teams to dictate your players to you.

2[51] WR Anthony Miller [Memphis]

Let me preface this by saying I am a big fan of not only the move, but the player in this case and this was probably my favorite pick of the draft. I think Bears fans were very happy with the addition of Robinson and Gabriel, but were blinded to the fact that the Bears had 0 depth in a position that had been decimated by injuries and they did not have a #3 WR on the roster that was capable of filling that role. If the Bears want to play Gabriel in the Z spot and use his speed to threaten teams deep, than they need someone who can fill the slot role, a role that saw a marked up tick in targets when Nagy took over the play calling. The Miller pick provides the Bears with yet another weapon and should guarantee that they are not going to the street for someone to play on offense.

I like Miller because he runs great routes, he plays fast, and he is violent and aggressive with the ball in his hands. He does not have elite hands and has some concentration drops, but he is a threat to defenses. He is a threat to run by you, especially against a S in the slot and he is a threat to take a short pass and turn it into a big play, which is a staple of the spread coast offense. The Chiefs had one of the lower yards per throw numbers, but had a very high yards per catch. Miller is a ton setter on offense and plays with incredible physicality for a guy his size. He reminds me of Steve Smith.

4[115] Joel Iyiegbunwie [Western Kentucky]

This pick was strange to me. I was riding a hide from the previous 2 days and I was expecting to continue with that feeling as we took Josh Sweat or Tyrell Crosby that had fallen to us in positions of need. I still think that adding one of those 2 was the right play, but after an exceptional round 1 and 2 I am willing to forgive Pace for wanting to make a boutique pick for his scouts. This is not a shot at Iggy, he 100% has the physical tools to be a starting ILB in the NFL, but has more to do with players I thought were better that played in more valuable positions. I would have greater issue with the pick if Iggy did not have top level physical tools to develop. 

It is pretty clear that Fangio did not like the lack of speed on defense. The Bears went out and added 2 very fast ILB prospects and increased the speed on defense with Lynch as well. This make sense because of the amount of coverage that the Bears ask their interior ILBs to play and the range they want in the run game. I think with those demands that some day Iggy could start for the Bears, which I want to see in the 4th round. At a minimum Iggy will be a core special teams player. Between his speed and his 

5[145] DE Bilal Nichols [Delaware]

The Bears desperately needed some DL depth and specifically a player that could take some snaps off of Akiem Hicks plate and make sure he is fresh for important downs and to rush the passer. The Bears needed to add DLmen that met the physical requirements of the position, which to the Bears seems to involved height, length, and some natural power. Nichols meets those requirements. Nichols is the story of 2 different years and 2 different positions/schemes. In 2016 he was playing DE in a 3-4 and he was turned loose on the gap and to get the QB. In 2017 he was asked to 2 gap and eat blockers and he did well, which has value, but did not flash as much pass rush and play in the backfield. Nichols needs to come in and play the run, that is the single most important role for 2018. If he develops into someone who can pass rush down the road, that is a huge win, but I doubt he even gets many pass rush reps with our DL. More than likely he would be the 5th pass rushing option. Nichols is well equipped to handle that run based role. Jay Rodgers has been on of the Bears more under rated position coaches as he has developed Goldman, RRH, and Bullard from the ground up and Akiem Hicks took a huge step under his coaching. I think the Bears should expect Nichols to play a role early and be active on game days.

6[181] OLB Kylie Fitts [Utah]

OLB was an obvious need heading into the draft and part of me is worried about the pass rush, but part of me is more impressed that Ryan Pace did not reach or force a pick based on a need that probably was not getting solved. To me the most important factor on day of the draft is if the player has NFL athletic ability. If the player you are picking does not then it is almost pointless in making the selection. I think about Daniel Braverman, who had produced a ton, but he had no size and not nearly enough speed/quickness to get open in the NFL. I feel very similar about Gentry, but he has better size. Fitts has the size, arm length, and athletic ability you need to have to be a successful NFL OLB. Fitts has shown flashes where that athletic ability has been on display, but obviously injuries have been a major factor in his career. The Bears need bodies at OLB, they still need bodies, but Fitts provides more upside than an average 6th round pick and could factor into the rotation.

Fitts had a really nice Senior Bowl and Combine so I think there is some reason for optimism when it comes to the injuries being behind him and perhaps reduced reps in a rotational role will also help the injury situation. 

I was expecting an OLB higher, but forcing the value would have only made me feel better, until the Bears hit the field and you realize you forced a pick based on need and that player is not that good.

7[224] WR Javon Wims [Georgia]

This pick might intrigue me the most, because while Wims does not have elite speed, he has great hands and size and he has only played football for 4 years so he may continue to grow and improve at an above average rate. Wims can really go up and get the ball which makes him more of a vertical threat than his 40 time may show. He gives the Bears depth with more physical tools than guys like Gentry and McBride. For a position group that was decimated by injuries and wasted a ton of reps on guys who do not profile as NFL WRs. That should not happen this season, if all hell breaks loose Wims should be given reps and the Bears should not have to go to the street. Wims may be the ideal long term backup for Allen Robinson. They profile very similarly physically and the strength of their game is physically dominating contested catches. Stylistically, Wims playing should not force them to change the overall look of the offense. I like this pick more for that reason. 

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