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The 2020 NFL Combine Thread


WindyCity

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More comments from the Combine.  Sounds like we may have a shot at an OT or OG in the 2nd.  WR class is deep.  Couple of good SS who may be there in round two.  Also some fast LBs if we need to draft one but not a whole lot of top edge talent.

COMBINE TAKEAWAYS

To wrap up the combine—and we had some big winners in Indy (Alabama WR Henry Ruggs, Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor, Clemson LB Isaiah Simmons, Iowa OT Tristan Wirfs, Louisville OT Mekhi Becton)—I wanted to give you a good look at how the guys in the building with the stopwatches around their necks saw the week.

So I sent out a bunch of texts asking for guys’ biggest takeaways from Indy, be it from the field at Lucas Oil Stadium or elsewhere. Here’s what I got back.

AFC exec: “To me one story coming out is the athleticism and depth of tackles. You got top tier guys like Wirfs, [Jedrick] Wills, Becton, [Andrew] Thomas. Then [Ezra] Cleveland, and another tier of size and athletic ability. Some of these tackles are ready to go now, and play at a high level. Overall, best tackle class in quite a while in my opinion.”

NFC exec: “The thing that jumped out is the depth at WR. There’s more depth at OL than I thought, and corner depth may be 3–4 rounds deep. Schedule was strange and need to look at difference in results compared to years past to understand, not a lot of free agent news [because] everyone was waiting on CBA info and very few projected numbers thrown around.”

AFC GM: “The [inside linebacker] group has some speed in it. [Justin] Herbert looked good, [Jake] Fromm not so much. The RB group looked slow.”

NFC exec: LBs were fast, also DTs. Obviously, the OTs showed out. I didn’t meet too much on [free agents] due to the new schedule, heard some big numbers though.”

AFC exec: “Impressive tackle class—the size and athleticism of some these guys were off the charts. WR class was as advertised. Corners ran slower than expected. Haven’t seen all the official times yet, but the first times weren’t good for some guys.”

AFC GM: “My biggest takeaway is a lot of agents are shooting for the moon on average players. I think some are gonna be surprised at what their market truly is.”

AFC exec: “Edge class isn’t very deep, but interior pass rushers are more important and it’s a good class. More obvious, but it’s a rare free agent period, since it’s a starter market. Backups are trying to get signed ahead of it. Wide receiver is historically deep. Should be able to get a starter in round 3.”

NFC exec: “Good corner class. Lots of big guys that ran fast. Think almost 20 guys 4.49 or faster.”

AFC scouting director: “One thing that stands out is hearing some teams’ cap situations affecting their ability to keep some of their FA players.”

NFC scout: “Herbert looked good. Not much of an opinion on the other QBs that threw though. [Justin] Jefferson impresses me a lot. I think he’s a first-rounder, and going to be really good. Taylor had a great week and I think it’s not crazy to think he goes round 1. I didn’t think he got enough credit all year and people slept on his speed. Dobbins will have work cut out for him to pass him. And the top of the tackle group is ridiculous. Can see them all going top 15. The interior DL were much better than the edge players. The edge group was about the most unimpressive group I’ve seen since I’ve been going. LBs could all run. Really fast group and it’s good to see that because they have to do it. Safeties ran well too and i think there’s some good depth there.”

We should have more coming in the afternoon column. And speaking of combine winners.…

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1 hour ago, WindyCity said:

We may need to look at more of a speed/size combo player to add to the WR core than a pure speed guy.

Gabriel Davis, 6’2” 216lbs, 4.54 and averaged 17 yards per catch last season, would be one example.

We have a lot of WRs.  I am all for BPA, but not at same position every year.  

We do need a burner who can actually play.   If that guy is there fine.   If not we don’t need another Patterson, Wims, or Ridley who really are just bit guys anyway. 

Bears need OL, TE, Edge ... 

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1 hour ago, WindyCity said:

We may need to look at more of a speed/size combo player to add to the WR core than a pure speed guy.

Gabriel Davis, 6’2” 216lbs, 4.54 and averaged 17 yards per catch last season, would be one example.

I don’t know that they need a big fast guy per se so much as a fast guy who isn’t small. That’s really what keeps me lukewarm on a guy like Hamler. If they’re open to a boom or bust guy Laviska Shenault may very well be there. His play on the field reminds me a lot of Deebo Samuel. His injury history is scary though. 

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3 hours ago, AZBearsFan said:

I don’t know that they need a big fast guy per se so much as a fast guy who isn’t small. That’s really what keeps me lukewarm on a guy like Hamler. If they’re open to a boom or bust guy Laviska Shenault may very well be there. His play on the field reminds me a lot of Deebo Samuel. His injury history is scary though. 

We need speed. Compare our WR corps to KC and PHI and we're the slowest.

Get Jalen Reagor in here.

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1 hour ago, G08 said:

We need speed. Compare our WR corps to KC and PHI and we're the slowest.

Get Jalen Reagor in here.

Agreed. Like I said in another thread a week or so, KC already had Hill and Watkins and still spent a 2 last year on Hardman. Pace and Nagy need to take notice. 

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On 3/3/2020 at 9:12 AM, dll2000 said:

We have a lot of WRs.  I am all for BPA, but not at same position every year.  

We do need a burner who can actually play.   If that guy is there fine.   If not we don’t need another Patterson, Wims, or Ridley who really are just bit guys anyway. 

Bears need OL, TE, Edge ... 

I agree—drafting a WR is too much of a luxury pick given our other needs. Those resources would be better spent on the OL or on defense.

 

We need a TE who can contribute right away, and rookies at that position are notorious for needing some time to adapt to the NFL game.

 

I read a rumor this morning that the Bears could be targeting a TE via trade. I have seen the names Brate, Hurst, and Walker thrown around. Of those, Brate is the steadiest and safest, which, if we are trading a pick, is what I would want. 
 

A speedy FA WR who could be a good value, has shown some flashes in the past, is Paul Richardson. He started coming on towards the end of his time in Seattle, but just never caught on in Washington. I tend to place most of the fault for that on both the QB situation and the actual organization. I would roll the dice on him.

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1 hour ago, chisoxguy7 said:

I agree—drafting a WR is too much of a luxury pick given our other needs. Those resources would be better spent on the OL or on defense.

 

We need a TE who can contribute right away, and rookies at that position are notorious for needing some time to adapt to the NFL game.

 

I read a rumor this morning that the Bears could be targeting a TE via trade. I have seen the names Brate, Hurst, and Walker thrown around. Of those, Brate is the steadiest and safest, which, if we are trading a pick, is what I would want. 
 

A speedy FA WR who could be a good value, has shown some flashes in the past, is Paul Richardson. He started coming on towards the end of his time in Seattle, but just never caught on in Washington. I tend to place most of the fault for that on both the QB situation and the actual organization. I would roll the dice on him.

I think you’re minimizing the need at WR too much, whether it’s a speed guy or not. IMO, right now we have ONE guy on whom we can rely. Beyond him we have Miller who has injury questions, Patterson who isn't really a receiver, Wims who’s just a guy and Ridley who barely saw the field as a rookie. The more talent we can put there the more favorable situations we can put our QB (whoever that may be) in to succeed. Even Brady struggled last year with subpar receiving weapons. 

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3 minutes ago, AZBearsFan said:

I think you’re minimizing the need at WR too much, whether it’s a speed guy or not. IMO, right now we have ONE guy on whom we can rely. Beyond him we have Miller who has injury questions, Patterson who isn't really a receiver, Wims who’s just a guy and Ridley who barely saw the field as a rookie. The more talent we can put there the more favorable situations we can put our QB (whoever that may be) in to succeed. Even Brady struggled last year with subpar receiving weapons. 

While I would agree that we do have a need at WR I feel the area that would have the greatest overall value for us (especially because we do not have an elite QB) is OL/TE.  With better OL and TE play this offense would look a WHOLE lot better.  You would get a possible safety valve for MT.  You would get better protection for him which in turn may lead to more time to make better decisions.  More importantly it would improve the running game significantly.  That too would ease the pressure on MT.  Being able to run the football what help cover up a lot of our shortcomings.  Also consider this...how many teams in the playoffs had bad offensive lines?

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