Sugashane's Final Pre-Draft Mock - Adding Playmakers

[Sugashane]

This mock has full intention of adding star power to the offense, hopefully allowing Foles and Trubisky to lead an average offense and the 2021 rookie QB (because I'm selling the farm to get a top guy)to have talent all around. Even with Hicks going down (one of the most critical members of the defense), Mack having no passrush help, Smith having whatever was going on with him, and EJax being forced to come up and play the run more than he EVER should have to the Bears had the 4th best scoring defense in the NFL. That was with a putrid offense to take zero pressure off it. With the moves made so far the defense should be at least as good, with Hicks back to form it should be better. So if we can average 21 PPG then we have a serious shot at 11-5. If not then clearly Nagy can't run an offense and needs tossed along with Pace and Nagy. There is no excuse to squander another season with this kind of defense.

 

As always, this is NOT what I think Pace would do, but what I would be fine with doing. In this mock, Tru is known to be a bust for us but now it is Pace and Nagy's turn to be on the hot seat. If they do well on offense then they can stay and pick their next QB, if not then we become the top spot for a new GM/HC duo to come in and pick their guy for QB. 

 

Used @beardown3231's mock to be lazy and have the first 42 picks laid out. Also used the trades thrown out by @G08 in the Draft Thread

 

2 – 43 *Traded pick to PHI*

            Bears give up #43 to Eagles for #53, #103, and #190

2 – 50  *Traded pick to BAL*

Bears give up #50 to Ravens for #55 and #106

 

2 – 53 (PHI) WR – Michael Pittman (wanted Mims here but was taken already)

 

Bears WR group is one injury for ARob away from being a bottom 3 corps. They tried to add Cohen as a WR but that was a failed experiment, so now Nagy finds his Z to pair with ARob, which means Miller gets to focus on the slot and hopefully become a dominant slot for us. Pittman is a big, powerful WR that is able to run sharp routes at each level and bully most DBs with regularity. He also has a big catch radius, which we need with the scattershot armed QBs on the team.  With Burton gone he will be able to take on a lot of the quick passes as a hot route option. He and ARob could be the best duo the Bears have fielded beside Marshall and Jeffery.

 

2 – 55 (BAL) WR/TE Chase Claypool

 

Hey, remember how we mentioned Burton being cut? Say hello to his replacement. Chase is a physical mismatch who will get to play a lot of the U position and can step in on the outside to spell Robinson or Pittman. Right now Jimmy Graham will line up more as the in-line TE on pass plays, so Claypool will get to move all over to create mismatches.

 

3 – 103 (PHI) OT Lucas Niang

This is too good of an OL class to ignore, Niang is athletic enough to be an LT but needs to have some time with the strength coach on his conditioning since he has a good deal of bad weight – and ISN’T a top shelf power player. Likely will start at RG and then bump out to RT after Massie gets cut next year. If he gets his conditioning better and can work on his technique, then he may be able to replace Leno. Honestly I think he is a future LT if he can get some work with Castillo, but with this shortened offseason it may be better to play him at OG and then start the transition to OT as soon as the season ends.

 

3 – 106 (BAL) RB/WR – Antonio Gibson

I know he is a WR more than RB at the moment, but he showed me enough vision, COD, and breakaway speed to completely sell me as RB. He will have to learn the intricacies as he is raw and has no experience as a passblocker, but he is a major weapon for Nagy. Montgomery will get the bulk of the carries early on but he showed nothing as a receiver in 2019, Gibson will be a real threat to run, catch out of the backfield, or flex out and play as a standard WR. I honestly think he could develop into a starter as a RB or WR, but I think he would be the best RB on the team by midseason.

 

5 – 163 DL Leki Fotu

When Hicks went down our front 7 was exposed for a lack of physicality, we added Urban who is a physical presence but that is a low-ceiling option. Fotu is a mammoth who can either jump in on early downs or has the size to rotate in at NT so Goldman can stay fresh. Early downs I would like to see him at NT and Hicks and Goldman at 5T, that will mean over 1,000 pounds of monsters keep Smith and DT free to roam. He has short arms so I want him anchoring in the middle rather than trying to worry about containment. He offers little to no passrush at the moment but with him being able to get under guys he can still develop as a bullrusher to not be a liability.  

 

6 – 190 TE – Thaddeus Moss

I think Moss is going to get overlooked, and he is the potential in-line TE of the future. He is a willing runblocker and has a solid set of hands. He isn’t the most fluid athlete and isn’t as dynamic as some of the other guys like Claypool, but he has a complete game once he gets coached up. With some time, he may be able to be one of the two starting TEs like it seems Nagy wants, with him being the in-line TE and Claypool being the move end.

Plus getting to see Randy Moss on the sidelines wearing a Bears jersey… oh yeah.

 

6 – 196 (PHI) S/Cover LB Tanner Muse

A lot of people are saying he can’t play S, but I think in the right role he can. He can play the Amos-role and be a quick LB so EJax can roam free. When DT walks from the game he may jump in to ILB. The kid is a wrecking ball and plays with an angry edge to him. At the bare minimum with his size/speed/aggressiveness then you have one of the top gunners in the NFL. Honestly I feel like when he gets dialed in he is going to be able to be a serious player.

 

6 – 200 OG/OT Trey Adams

Another guy that is overlooked, but for a different reason. Adams looked like a shoo-in as a 1^st round pick but has had some critical injuries, back-to-back. If he can stay healthy and return to form then you could be looking at the future RT, if not then he is an upgrade over Coward at RG. He has a nasty streak that would be welcome on the OL, he isn’t the athlete Long was but has all the anger Long seemed to showcase when he was a rookie.

I’d be fine with relegating him to the Bars-role to let the training staff try to let him repair imbalances and heal up.

 

7 – 226 P – Michael Turk

Turk should have the Megapunt nickname that Pat had. He puts ridiculous booms into the ball, and will help flip the field when the offense inevitably has its stumbles. May need Patterson and Muse to be the two gunners for him not to outkick the coverage, but with proper coaching he may be able to have that “Ray Guy Hangtime.” He easily beats Pat out in the preseason. I really think he may be able to go earlier but with punters and kickers it’s hard to guess. Plus without Ed Hochuli in the NFL anymore there is a need for unnecessary gun-show. 

 

7 – 233 QB/WR/RET – Khalil Tate

Tate is going on the practice squad. He is a top-level athlete for the QB position and would be able to transition to WR or HB for a better chance at making a gameday roster. BUT… I want to use him initially as a practice QB, just to help the Bears prep for mobile QBs and to do drills like containment drills. Has shown enough wiggle to potentially become our returner as well. He has NFL athleticism but his arm is nowhere near NFL worthy, so he becomes a training piece for the rest of the defense and can be used as utility to help return punts – Turk is going to need work so why not get him work in space?

 

 

Depth Chart

Key...... = means competition for spot        - means the separation from starters and reserves       ( name) means spot on the depth chart but NOT their listed position

 

QB - Foles - Trubisky, Bray, Tate (PS)

HB - Gibson=Montgomery - Cohen, (Patterson), Nall

FB - Holtz

WR - Robinson, Pittman, Miller (slot), (Claypool), Wims, Ridley, (Gibson), Ives

TE - Graham, Claypool, Moss, Harris

OT - Leno, Massie/Niang (loser is swing OT)

OG - Daniels, Ifedi=Adams - Coward=Spriggs

C - Whitehair - Bars

 

DE - Hicks, Nichols=Urban - RRH

NT - Goldman - Fotu, Anderson

OLB - Mack, Quinn - Mingo, Vaughters-Irving

ILB - Smith, Trevathan - Iggy=Woods

Boundary CB - Fuller, Toliver=Burns=Roberson

NB - Skrine - Shelley=Joesph=Denmark

FS - Jackson - DHC

SS - Bush=Muse - Lucas

 

K- Pineiro

P - Turk

LS - Scales

 

KR - Patterson, Tate=Cohen

PR - Cohen, Tate=Patterson

 

 

[WindyCity]

I really like Pittman, but I am not sure it is a great fit for us. I really do like him.

Love adding weapons.

Niang won’t be there, but there should be some quality options at OL.

Muse is a LB. I don’t think he can play S in the NFL.

[Sugashane]

Appreciate the feedback!

I want to stretch the defense but I don't have faith in Tru or Foles to consistently hit deep throws. I do think Foles can read the defense enough to take advantage of 1-on-1s and intermediate throws though. A stacked class is the only reason he got bumped down so much in the draft, so I wanted to get the best playmaker I could rather than a role-player. To me that was Pittman. I do think Gibson and Patterson have the straightline speed and size to make for interesting deep threats though. I'd love to see Nagy employ them as such to see what the results would be. 

Honestly you're probably right about Niang and Muse. Regardless if he is gone then I want to add a potential OT rather than IOL. I want Whitehair to be the mainstay at C, he was too damn good there his rookie year for me to overlook. Just gotta get those damn snaps to stat consistent like he did late in the year. 

I'm definitely going to be in the minority for Muse but with the passruse we SHOULD have I don't think he will get exposed too much. He basically will have Floyd's coverage responsibilities as Mack and Quinn will both be pinning their ears back. But even if he plays in the old-school thumper-role as SS early he will be kicking in and playing ILB next to Smith when DT leaves IMO. I think he could come in and knock Iggy and Woods back to the bench as soon as he puts his pads on. I'd be fine with him starting solely as ILB too since DT has yearly injury concerns. 

[AZBearsFan]

I am finishing my last mock and also have us taking Pittman, Moss and Turk. So, I’m a fan. 

Edited April 20, 2020 by AZBearsFan

[beardown3231]

LOVE

Pittman is a beast with great blood lines.

I like Fotu a lot and it's nice another poster sees the problem if Hicks goes down again. 

Last year Adams was a top 15 pick. Injuries derailed him but that's a steal if he stays healthy.

Obviously everyone knows I think O'Donnell sucks so I like Turk.

Edited April 20, 2020 by beardown3231

[Sugashane]

1 hour ago, beardown3231 said:

LOVE

Pittman is a beast with great blood lines.

I like Fotu a lot and it's nice another poster sees the problem if Hicks goes down again. 

Last year Adams was a top 15 pick. Injuries derailed him but that's a steal if he stays healthy.

Obviously everyone knows I think O'Donnell sucks so I like Turk.

I've been with you on this since the OAK game. Honestly I would like to add either Marcell Dareus, Damon Harrison or even Domata Peko to add one more huge body to absorb run blockers. I don't care that they are one dimensional. If you can limit them to 2 YPC when they run on 1st and 2nd down then you're in a lot of 3rd and 6 situations, which is 10 times harder to consistently win than 3rd and 4. Sub out two big uglies then you have Mack - Hicks - RRH - Quinn all pinning their ears back and Smith as doghouse blitzer. 

 

Speaking of which, what is that called for anyone else? We called them doghouse blitzers in college - where the LB or DB keys on the HB, FB or TE and covers them, but if they stay in to block you immediately become a blitzer. Any other more common terms than that? 

[Epyon]

You pick a few guys I'm not as high on, like Pittman, and Trey Adams but I'm not particularly against either player, I'd add that I'm skeptical a few of them are going to be there for the picks you have them listed at, but the draft is always a bit of a crapshoot with things like that.

Overall I'd be absolutely thrilled with this draft, and if we where getting say Reagor-WR instead of Pittman-WR and a "safer" choice of Onwenu-RG over Adams-OT/G, (whos injury history has me a bit more concerned), and then punted a pick next year to come in and grab Isaiah Wilson-OT, I'd consider it to be basically my ideal draft,

 

EDIT for my "dream scenario" draft, I'd probably also have gone QB-Anthony Gordon over your DL choice, but I completely understand the concern you express with the DL.... Our pass rush collapsed completely without Hicks providing interior push last year.... I'm hoping Quinn opposite Mack can mitigate that concern somewhat, even if he won't be an interior push guy either.

Edited April 20, 2020 by Epyon

[Flbrandonf123]

7 hours ago, Sugashane said:

This mock has full intention of adding star power to the offense, hopefully allowing Foles and Trubisky to lead an average offense and the 2021 rookie QB (because I'm selling the farm to get a top guy)to have talent all around. Even with Hicks going down (one of the most critical members of the defense), Mack having no passrush help, Smith having whatever was going on with him, and EJax being forced to come up and play the run more than he EVER should have to the Bears had the 4th best scoring defense in the NFL. That was with a putrid offense to take zero pressure off it. With the moves made so far the defense should be at least as good, with Hicks back to form it should be better. So if we can average 21 PPG then we have a serious shot at 11-5. If not then clearly Nagy can't run an offense and needs tossed along with Pace and Nagy. There is no excuse to squander another season with this kind of defense.

 

As always, this is NOT what I think Pace would do, but what I would be fine with doing. In this mock, Tru is known to be a bust for us but now it is Pace and Nagy's turn to be on the hot seat. If they do well on offense then they can stay and pick their next QB, if not then we become the top spot for a new GM/HC duo to come in and pick their guy for QB. 

 

Used @beardown3231's mock to be lazy and have the first 42 picks laid out. Also used the trades thrown out by @G08 in the Draft Thread

 

2 – 43 *Traded pick to PHI*

            Bears give up #43 to Eagles for #53, #103, and #190

2 – 50  *Traded pick to BAL*

Bears give up #50 to Ravens for #55 and #106

 

2 – 53 (PHI) WR – Michael Pittman (wanted Mims here but was taken already)

 

Bears WR group is one injury for ARob away from being a bottom 3 corps. They tried to add Cohen as a WR but that was a failed experiment, so now Nagy finds his Z to pair with ARob, which means Miller gets to focus on the slot and hopefully become a dominant slot for us. Pittman is a big, powerful WR that is able to run sharp routes at each level and bully most DBs with regularity. He also has a big catch radius, which we need with the scattershot armed QBs on the team.  With Burton gone he will be able to take on a lot of the quick passes as a hot route option. He and ARob could be the best duo the Bears have fielded beside Marshall and Jeffery.

 

2 – 55 (BAL) WR/TE Chase Claypool

 

Hey, remember how we mentioned Burton being cut? Say hello to his replacement. Chase is a physical mismatch who will get to play a lot of the U position and can step in on the outside to spell Robinson or Pittman. Right now Jimmy Graham will line up more as the in-line TE on pass plays, so Claypool will get to move all over to create mismatches.

 

3 – 103 (PHI) OT Lucas Niang

This is too good of an OL class to ignore, Niang is athletic enough to be an LT but needs to have some time with the strength coach on his conditioning since he has a good deal of bad weight – and ISN’T a top shelf power player. Likely will start at RG and then bump out to RT after Massie gets cut next year. If he gets his conditioning better and can work on his technique, then he may be able to replace Leno. Honestly I think he is a future LT if he can get some work with Castillo, but with this shortened offseason it may be better to play him at OG and then start the transition to OT as soon as the season ends.

 

3 – 106 (BAL) RB/WR – Antonio Gibson

I know he is a WR more than RB at the moment, but he showed me enough vision, COD, and breakaway speed to completely sell me as RB. He will have to learn the intricacies as he is raw and has no experience as a passblocker, but he is a major weapon for Nagy. Montgomery will get the bulk of the carries early on but he showed nothing as a receiver in 2019, Gibson will be a real threat to run, catch out of the backfield, or flex out and play as a standard WR. I honestly think he could develop into a starter as a RB or WR, but I think he would be the best RB on the team by midseason.

 

5 – 163 DL Leki Fotu

When Hicks went down our front 7 was exposed for a lack of physicality, we added Urban who is a physical presence but that is a low-ceiling option. Fotu is a mammoth who can either jump in on early downs or has the size to rotate in at NT so Goldman can stay fresh. Early downs I would like to see him at NT and Hicks and Goldman at 5T, that will mean over 1,000 pounds of monsters keep Smith and DT free to roam. He has short arms so I want him anchoring in the middle rather than trying to worry about containment. He offers little to no passrush at the moment but with him being able to get under guys he can still develop as a bullrusher to not be a liability.  

 

6 – 190 TE – Thaddeus Moss

I think Moss is going to get overlooked, and he is the potential in-line TE of the future. He is a willing runblocker and has a solid set of hands. He isn’t the most fluid athlete and isn’t as dynamic as some of the other guys like Claypool, but he has a complete game once he gets coached up. With some time, he may be able to be one of the two starting TEs like it seems Nagy wants, with him being the in-line TE and Claypool being the move end.

Plus getting to see Randy Moss on the sidelines wearing a Bears jersey… oh yeah.

 

6 – 196 (PHI) S/Cover LB Tanner Muse

A lot of people are saying he can’t play S, but I think in the right role he can. He can play the Amos-role and be a quick LB so EJax can roam free. When DT walks from the game he may jump in to ILB. The kid is a wrecking ball and plays with an angry edge to him. At the bare minimum with his size/speed/aggressiveness then you have one of the top gunners in the NFL. Honestly I feel like when he gets dialed in he is going to be able to be a serious player.

 

6 – 200 OG/OT Trey Adams

Another guy that is overlooked, but for a different reason. Adams looked like a shoo-in as a 1^st round pick but has had some critical injuries, back-to-back. If he can stay healthy and return to form then you could be looking at the future RT, if not then he is an upgrade over Coward at RG. He has a nasty streak that would be welcome on the OL, he isn’t the athlete Long was but has all the anger Long seemed to showcase when he was a rookie.

I’d be fine with relegating him to the Bars-role to let the training staff try to let him repair imbalances and heal up.

 

7 – 226 P – Michael Turk

Turk should have the Megapunt nickname that Pat had. He puts ridiculous booms into the ball, and will help flip the field when the offense inevitably has its stumbles. May need Patterson and Muse to be the two gunners for him not to outkick the coverage, but with proper coaching he may be able to have that “Ray Guy Hangtime.” He easily beats Pat out in the preseason. I really think he may be able to go earlier but with punters and kickers it’s hard to guess. Plus without Ed Hochuli in the NFL anymore there is a need for unnecessary gun-show. 

 

7 – 233 QB/WR/RET – Khalil Tate

Tate is going on the practice squad. He is a top-level athlete for the QB position and would be able to transition to WR or HB for a better chance at making a gameday roster. BUT… I want to use him initially as a practice QB, just to help the Bears prep for mobile QBs and to do drills like containment drills. Has shown enough wiggle to potentially become our returner as well. He has NFL athleticism but his arm is nowhere near NFL worthy, so he becomes a training piece for the rest of the defense and can be used as utility to help return punts – Turk is going to need work so why not get him work in space?

 

 

Depth Chart

Key...... = means competition for spot        - means the separation from starters and reserves       ( name) means spot on the depth chart but NOT their listed position

 

QB - Foles - Trubisky, Bray, Tate (PS)

HB - Gibson=Montgomery - Cohen, (Patterson), Nall

FB - Holtz

WR - Robinson, Pittman, Miller (slot), (Claypool), Wims, Ridley, (Gibson), Ives

TE - Graham, Claypool, Moss, Harris

OT - Leno, Massie/Niang (loser is swing OT)

OG - Daniels, Ifedi=Adams - Coward=Spriggs

C - Whitehair - Bars

 

DE - Hicks, Nichols=Urban - RRH

NT - Goldman - Fotu, Anderson

OLB - Mack, Quinn - Mingo, Vaughters-Irving

ILB - Smith, Trevathan - Iggy=Woods

Boundary CB - Fuller, Toliver=Burns=Roberson

NB - Skrine - Shelley=Joesph=Denmark

FS - Jackson - DHC

SS - Bush=Muse - Lucas

 

K- Pineiro

P - Turk

LS - Scales

 

KR - Patterson, Tate=Cohen

PR - Cohen, Tate=Patterson

 

 

LOVE the Tanner Muse pick, especially after watching his combine. 6’2 215-220. Could honestly play DB/ Flex LB. Kid has raw talent. And the Tate pick for the simple fact he’s a freak athlete. And we could use him to “replicate” Lamar Jackson/ Mobile QB-esque players in practice. Overall good draft maybe too many picks used at WR/ but might pay off if any of them could start; get playing time come opening day. 

Edited April 20, 2020 by Flbrandonf123

[Sugashane]

2 hours ago, Epyon said:

You pick a few guys I'm not as high on, like Pittman, and Trey Adams but I'm not particularly against either player, I'd add that I'm skeptical a few of them are going to be there for the picks you have them listed at, but the draft is always a bit of a crapshoot with things like that.

Overall I'd be absolutely thrilled with this draft, and if we where getting say Reagor-WR instead of Pittman-WR and a "safer" choice of Onwenu-RG over Adams-OT/G, (whos injury history has me a bit more concerned), and then punted a pick next year to come in and grab Isaiah Wilson-OT, I'd consider it to be basically my ideal draft,

 

EDIT for my "dream scenario" draft, I'd probably also have gone QB-Anthony Gordon over your DL choice, but I completely understand the concern you express with the DL.... Our pass rush collapsed completely without Hicks providing interior push last year.... I'm hoping Quinn opposite Mack can mitigate that concern somewhat, even if he won't be an interior push guy either.

Yeah,  Adams' injury concern is definitely legit,  but with a pick that late I'm always happy to roll the dice for injury or character concerns.  If we're somehow able to get Wilson AND Wilson then I'd probably still pick him and redshirt him immediately.  

 

I'd like Gordon too but I think he'd going to Gerry one GM to overvalue him and get drafted in the 3rd. If we're able to sign a guy like Marcell Dareus, Damon Harrison or Domata Peko I'd be comfortable with not going DT there. 

[ChiCity]

This is one of, if not the only, drafts where a QB is not taken before R5 and I have still liked the draft. Nice job. 

[Madmike90]

I like the trades down and the positions picked...not as much the players as Pittman is more possession as a pro...Claypool is a guy I worry is a tweener...Niang isn't a guy I am huge on...Gibson has went from underrated to overrated...concept is really goo tho.

[WindyCity]

1 hour ago, Madmike90 said:

I like the trades down and the positions picked...not as much the players as Pittman is more possession as a pro...Claypool is a guy I worry is a tweener...Niang isn't a guy I am huge on...Gibson has went from underrated to overrated...concept is really goo tho.

I think Claypool may fit us better than some teams. The U TE is essentially a WR/TE hybrid.

Even for a “flex” TE they are doing more WR things that TE. Even the blocking assignments Burton was asked to execute any WR can do.

[Madmike90]

3 minutes ago, WindyCity said:

I think Claypool may fit us better than some teams. The U TE is essentially a WR/TE hybrid.

Even for a “flex” TE they are doing more WR things that TE. Even the blocking assignments Burton was asked to execute any WR can do.

I can understand the logic but I just worry he doesn't play as physical as even move TE's...I think much like when we line Cohen up in the backfield you tip your hat to what the play will be with Claypool on the field.

[WindyCity]

1 minute ago, Madmike90 said:

I can understand the logic but I just worry he doesn't play as physical as even move TE's...I think much like when we line Cohen up in the backfield you tip your hat to what the play will be with Claypool on the field.

He cannot be less physical than Trey Burton.

I think you use him at X in 3 WR sets and at U in the 2 TE looks.

I worry more about the fact he is a 4 route runner. Not that every WR needs to run the full tree, but there is some growth needed there.

[Madmike90]

2 minutes ago, WindyCity said:

He cannot be less physical than Trey Burton.

I think you use him at X in 3 WR sets and at U in the 2 TE looks.

I worry more about the fact he is a 4 route runner. Not that every WR needs to run the full tree, but there is some growth needed there.

Burton wasn't the right fit either...how guys like Kelce & Kittle win are not because of crazy speed rather physicality to dominate smaller DBs...I feel we need a strong physical dude in that role rather than a quick guy with some size.