2023 ÑFL DRÃFT Dß ONE THREAD (**N0 SP0ILERS?!**)

[dll2000]

3 minutes ago, BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW said:

You've really got a laser focus going today huh?

You can't focus on one guy.  Other people are drafting too.

 

[StLunatic88]

5 minutes ago, Ty21 said:

The pick hatred is due to not taking Carter over Wright, but Carter’s character issues didn’t fit Chicago.

Im telling you guys, most of the league did not see Carter as having " character issues", or atleast not to the level to pass on possibly the best talent in the draft at #9.

He obviously didnt fit what standards we have in place for the Franchise. and thats ok. Poles and Flus have now made that very clear. We just have to be accepting that it means we will miss out on talent from time to time. 

I am very happy with the Wright pick, dude should be a legitimate cornerstone for the franchise, Its just tough to see one of the best interior talents we have seen in some time tumble all the way to us, and then we just hand him over to the Super Bowl favorite.

[BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW]

7 minutes ago, dll2000 said:

You can't focus on one guy.  Other people are drafting too.

 

I'm kidding D.  And I actually like all the guys you went "or" for too. 

[Ty21]

After the pick, Poles said “character will always be important to us”. Could be telling about what the bears thought about Carter

[dll2000]

19 minutes ago, Ty21 said:

“GM Ryan Poles was a former offensive lineman and has tried to rebuild his roster on the O-line first,” The Athletic’s Scott Dochtermanwrote. “And Wright will help, but the Bears have nothing on the defensive line. Absolutely nothing.”

I usually appreciate The Athletic’s insights but this isn’t a great take (they gave us a D-). The pick hatred is due to not taking Carter over Wright, but Carter’s character issues didn’t fit Chicago. We have a qb we assume is our guy, making protecting him far more important than fixing the defensive line. We aren’t winning the super bowl next year, we still have to do things one thing at a time and getting our qb killed in the process will take us even further away 

It's not true we have nothing.

We had worst D line in NFL in 2022.  BUT

Jones is an average player (our best last year) he would have looked better with better talent around him and did early. 

We had no run stopping DL last year (dumping Tonga was a mistake and a baffling move, he played well in MN)  - we have one now in Billings.   

He will make a large difference in run game and in protecting Edmunds.  

Walker is at least an average player and could be slightly above avg.   We didn't have him last year either.  That is an upgrade.

Robinson was a position change project thrust into starting.  So him playing a lot in 2022 was unusual, but had to have helped him a little.   A lot of projects never work out, but he is a scratch off lottery ticket that may pay off a bit.

Gipson - was really disappointing after Quinn left.  He just probably isn't that good at NFL level unless surrounding by great players.

So are already at least better than last year just with Billings and Walker additions. 

But still admittedly below average compared to other teams line ups.  

If you hit on even one DL/Edge in draft that will make a large difference overall with those additions.  But there is still work to do there.    One of those can't do it all in one season things.

But it is better than last year already.  Low bar.  But true.

[JibjeResearch]

Day 2 I want...

DT Adebawore, White, Benton, Pickens, Dexter

DE Hall, Tuli, Byron Young

C Wypler, Tippmann, Schmitz

[Ty21]

14 minutes ago, JibjeResearch said:

Day 2 I want...

DT Adebawore, White, Benton, Pickens, Dexter

DE Hall, Tuli, Byron Young

C Wypler, Tippmann, Schmitz

 

[AZBearsFan]

3 hours ago, StLunatic88 said:

Im telling you guys, most of the league did not see Carter as having " character issues", or atleast not to the level to pass on possibly the best talent in the draft at #9.

He obviously didnt fit what standards we have in place for the Franchise. and thats ok. Poles and Flus have now made that very clear. We just have to be accepting that it means we will miss out on talent from time to time. 

I am very happy with the Wright pick, dude should be a legitimate cornerstone for the franchise, Its just tough to see one of the best interior talents we have seen in some time tumble all the way to us, and then we just hand him over to the Super Bowl favorite.

I do think it might be at least somewhat telling character-wise that SEA and DET also passed. Both are in win now mode with the roster need and still passed. Either that or the league sees a lot more bust potential in the on field product than fans and analysts do. Also, PHI is in a place roster-wise that if he’s a complete miss they’ll still be completely fine. We aren’t - such an outcome would be crippling to our squad, especially given what we’d have passed up (apparent OL stability) to take that chance.

If Carter is great or if Wright isn’t good (or both) this will be questioned forever. Such is the nature of fandom. Hopefully Wright is a frickin’ dude and makes all of that discussion largely irrelevant. 

[StLunatic88]

11 minutes ago, AZBearsFan said:

If Carter is great or if Wright isn’t good (or both) this will be questioned forever. Such is the nature of fandom. Hopefully Wright is a frickin’ dude and makes all of that discussion largely irrelevant. 

absolutely, if we ended up picking the Right Guy for us, thats really all that matters.

I said it when the pick was made, what Carter ends up doing in his career is largely irrelevant to this calculation now (save for some click-bait blogs or shock jock radio segments) because it is now about Darnell Wright. If he is the lock down unquestioned RT for the next decade, allowing Justin Fields to be the Franchise QB and us to be a winning team, it doesnt matter if Carter is a multiple All-Pro and Wright never gets completely recognized as he should, it would be the correct pick for the Bears.

Edited April 28, 2023 by StLunatic88

[StLunatic88]

Just want to get a my thoughts out on Round 1:

#1 CAR: Bryce Young - Its the pick they had to make after getting a bit fleeced in the trade up. Im shocked teams keep doing this before actually knowing who they are picking, just seems so dumb. But in reality, if Young was like 7% Bigger (5'9"->6'2", 195->210) we very well could have been sending Justin Fields to Carolina for a 1st. Young has everything you want, except the measurables. But for our sake, lets hope for some major rookie growing pains.

#2 HOU: C.J. Stroud - Feels good to see common sense prevail. I thought Stroud was about to be subject to what happened to Fields, thankfully for him, heads were removed from orifices. Also feels like Cal got involved and said its time to get the face of the franchise, quit messing around.

#3 HOU: Will Anderson - This is why we love the Draft, No one saw this coming, and some how every one of the "insiders" were correct about the Texans, they loved both. But they gave up alot to do this, basically Three 1st Rounders+, Good on the Cards for pulling that off with so little intrest in the pick (but not so good after that). This also feels like a response of Caserio to a threat to his job. "People pay to get Wet Sonny"

#4 IND: Anthony Richardson - You know what, this is what the Colts should have done. AR is for sure a project, but if you completely hit on him, you have Cam Newton. And even if you only get like 75% of the way there, you still probably have a pretty good starting QB. Thats kind of what you get when you have the consolation prize of the QB prospects. 

#5 SEA: Devon Witherspoon - I truly believe they thought they were going to end up with Richardson. The reaction to everything after the Colts pick screamed "scramble mode" to me. I also believe that they really like Witherspoon, hes a very nice prospect, but he isnt their normal CB, and its a bit of a reach at 5. The Cards wanted to move out of #3, they were BEGGING to, and while maybe Houston came with that Godfather offer, and the inter-division thing could cost a premium, they should have had a trade agreed to before the Draft. He will obviously help right now, but they are going to be in trouble in a year or two when they are nowhere close to getting a new QB.

#6 ARZ: Paris Johnson Jr - If the Seahawks got caught with their pants down, the Lions got walked in on while jerking it by their high school crush. They thought they had Witherspoon in the bag, and clearly made no real contingency plan in case something happened. Possibly catastrophic night for the Lions. And while the Cards did a good job of taking advantage of the Lions panic, they didnt need to come back up this high for an OT. We're you afraid of the Raiders taking PJJ? The Falcons would have likely moved down 4 spots to still take Bijan, I would bet that we would have made a deal to swap, and likely still have Wright on the board. Anyway, as good as they did with these deals, Its still a bad sign they are listening to a QB who isnt the guy, and conceivably may never take another snap for your franchise.

#7 LV: Tyree Wilson - There was a time I was very high on Wilson, he has all the traits we look for in a DE for this defense, but once I looked past that, I was never wowed. Sure I think he could have been a very solid DE for us, and he probably will be for the Raiders, but man is that a Guy you pick at 7 overall? Really feels like this is the most uneventful pick of the entire night. Should be good for them, but might be completely forgotten in a few years, even if he is still starting for them. Feels like groundhogs day in Vegas.

#8 ATL: Bijan Robinson - I felt like they were telegraphing this, just like the Lions were with Witherspoon, just like the Jets were with Brodrick, just like the Cowboys were with Kincaid. But lucky for Arthur Smith, no one thought they would actually do it for a RB in the Top 10. But lets be fair, Bijan is more than that, and an offensive mind like Smith will get so much more out of him than most teams would (a big reason I didnt want us to get him, Im not sure Getsy would know what to do). Im happy for Bijan, and Im excited to see what the Falcons will look like with a squad that would likely rival the Hawks on the Hardwood (Pitts, London, Bijan, Corderelle, Ridder)

#9 PHI: Jalen Carter - Ive made my thought known, I still think Carter is the best prospect in the draft, I think the concerns were overblown, but we (Poles/Flus) have made it clear what they value most, and its not always talent first. But if any of the concerns may have had validity to them, Philly is the PERFECT spot for Carter to go. With Fletcher Cox to be a mentor, with now 4 recent teammates (maybe more, we will see) to help keep him focused. Caint wait to see the Eagles/Bengals Super Bowl this season, lets hope they get the Turf fixed

#10 CHI: Darnell Wright - Well we all fell in love with him very early in the process (great call @Madmike90) and I think we will continue to love him for years to come. Guy is about as clean of an OL prospect a you will get. He could be a LT if you needed him to, but thats where you might question a few things more, but as a RT, where he is much more comfortable, hes about as plug and play as you get. Not going on too much here, but if we really were never going to pick Carter, its a savvy move by Poles to grab a pick to not take him (even if it was only a Future 4th, the going rate last night)

#11 TEN: Peter Skoronski - We all knew Sko wouldn't be the Bears preference, but he would have still been a good pick. Ive also seen some say the Titans would have like Wright more? Im not so sure about that, maybe the fans? But this is absolutely a Vrabel pick right here, especially when they made him waste one on Willis last year. Skoronski and his versatility is so important for them right now, as they have next to nothing set on that OL. Its also a guy who will fit in no matter if they try to act like contenders for one more year, or if they tear it down for a quick rebuild. 

#12 DET: Jahmyr Gibbs - Feels like its been a while since we had a true ROLF-copter pick, but this is absolutely one right here. Gibbs may be a nice player (hes more Tarik Cohen than Alvin Kamara to me) but this is just such bad Draft Value. I said it before, they thought they already had their first 3 Picks of the draft figured out, and just could not pivot. I thought much higher of Brad Holmes than this How do you not call the Steelers, who are obviously moving up? How do you not get the Jets on the phone, who NEEDED to move up?

#13 GB: Lukas Van Ness - Man do the Packers have absolutely ZERO sense for the moment. JSN or Mayer would have had the Football World rolling. There is a whle lot to like about LVN, but all that is super appealing when you are picking him at like 28-40, Not in the Top 15. I know Iowa is weird with their Lineman, but if he was that impactful, he would have been on the field more. Weve seen what being just a freak/hurcules gets you in the NFL, not all that much. He has alot to grow into as a football player, so you better be patient, and I wouldnt have been that patient with this high of a pick.

#14 PIT: Broderick Jones - Good on the Steelers, go get your guy. Thats what good Franchises do, especially when the dumb teams telegraph what they are doing for you. Jones was my favorite OT in this class, I get why you'd take Wright over him, but Jones was my guy. He is going to be atleast either a very good RT or a good LT in his career, I just have a hard time seeing him not fulfilling that amount of potential. Would have loved to have him at RT this year, and maybe LT next. 

#15 NYJ: Will McDonald IV - This will have absolutely nothing to do with McDonald, not a bad pick, there you go. The Jets just cant stop being the Jets can they? WHY did you make that Rodgers trade? Sounds like they owner got involved? How DUMB can you be? At 13, you being loud and proud about the OT you want isnt disastrous, some one might come get that guy you want, but one of the OTs will still be there for you. But you swap from 13 to 15 and it was TOO obvious that whoever wanted the last OT of the Top Group was going to come and get him. Not only that, you handed your mortal enemy, BB and the Patriots the reigns to screw you over! It could not have been dumber. And We havent even gotten into the dumbest part of the deal, the future 1st, just this Swap was awful. If you let Night one of the Draft go by, you automatically put the presser back on GB, they dont want to wait for 2024 to use all the picks, and then you also have a new OT to protect Rodgers. Theres no way it would have cost more than a 4th to swap with Detroit even from 15, weve seen it all night. Sorry WMD, you dont deserve the hate that will come your way from Jets fans, its their front office that is incompetent

#16 WAS: Emanuel Forbes - I like Forbes, but I just dont get the slide that Christian Gonzales went on. Now just like we have Poles/Cunningham identifying Wright as our guy, the Commanders have some DBs leading their draft room, so Im not going to bash the pick here. But did they maybe get alittle too enamored with the splash plays? Over the actual coverage? Only time will tell. Im not saying they should have picked Levis either (Ive had him outside my Top 40 all year) but I am shocked they are seriously going to give Sam Howell a real shot.

#17 NE: Christian Gonzales - He just always finds a way to piss me off, why do we (as an entire league) keep giving BB nice things? GREAT value here, nothing else to say. This is going to piss me off for days, I promise you.

#18 DET: Jack Campbell - Who gave Dan Campbell control of the joystick? When id the last time a Team picked a non-bell cow RB and an off-ball LB as their first 2 picks, much less doing it in the Top 20? You can like Jack, he may be a good player, but this is just bad drafting on value alone. I said I was jealous of the Lions stockpile of picks earlier in the night, Im just clad they are going to piss all that value away and its not going to hurt us nearly as much as they should have been able to.

#19 TB: Calijah Kancey - I am simultaneously shocked that they didnt pick Will Levis, and saying obviously they didnt because he and Kyle Trask are the same person. But I will say, if you were going to end up wit hthe most likely bust from the First Round, atleast make it be a QB, because if you do hit, its Franchise changing. Kancey on the other hand, at his best he probably a rotating/interior rusher. And even there, he is going to be constantly swallowed up by interion Lineman. Id say he would constantly be in fights with Cody Whitehair, Nate Davis would handle him with ease, and a Healthy Tevin Jenkins would DOMINATE him. Good to see the Bucs heading back to where they have been historically now that Brady has moved on.

#20 SEA: Jaxon Smith-Njigba - Very Very good pick. I would have been skeptical of him in/near the Top 10, but here at 20 its a very good value. Not to mention he fits in super well as the missing piece between Metcalf/Lockett (while Eskridge probably takes over for Lockett soon) The Seahawks truly are going for it with these two picks (still not sure that was the original intent tonight) but I guess they have to now, before Geno turns into a Pumpkin.

#21 LAC: Quinten Johnston - Do the Chargers think that Keenan Allen will play forever? They better hope so. Getting more weapons for Herbet is a good move, just seems like an odd fit. Guess he is just going to be the "TE" of this offense, but once again, if Allen gets hurt, the Offense is going to fall apart. Seemed to me a Flower/Addison would have been a better fit.

#22 BAL: Zay Flowers - Do you think this was part of Lamar signing his deal? I actually like Zay, and he actually fits well between OBJ and Bateman, just wish they werent both coming off major injuries. But this run on Weapons always comes at some point in each draft, it was really fun to see who it screwed over. 

#23 MIN: Jordan Addison - Dang, Dont like him going to the Vikes, hes my favorite WR in this class. Jefferson+Addison+Hockenson is not ideal to defend. Good thing its still Kirk throwing the ball

#24 NYG: Deonte Banks - This seemed like another match that has been talked about for weeks. Not sure why they moved up for him? Who was coming up for Banks here? They obviously needed him, but feels like they got played alittle.

#25 BUF: Dalton Kincaid - Great move by the Bills. They had a giant hole in the middle of the offense, and sure the health is a question, but he has legitimate Travis Kelce potential. That one be there day one, but they are a SUPER scary offense now, especially if Cook works out at RB or they end up with one of these other Vets that seem like they will be moved. The top of the AFC is so stacked.

#26 DAL: Mazi Smith - HAHAHAHa! Oh man, its always great to see Jerry with egg on his face. They had NO CLUE that Buffalo might jump infront of them for Kincaid. No disrespect to Mazi, hes a really solid player, but they were in shock to have to take him. Its so satisfying seeing a stubborn Billionaire get in his own way year after year, hampering his team that should be on the precipice of a Super Bowl.

#27 JAX: Anton Harrison - I love what the Jags did here. Its not getting a haul, but they knew the board so well that they manipulated the Giants and then made the deal with Buffalo to get some assets and still pick the same guy they would have at 24. Im higher on Anton than most, so this is up there for moves of the draft for me.

#28 CIN: Myles Murphy - You all know this was my dude. And he still is, just cant really root for him, at least not by the time we are Super Bowl contenders in a couple years. But I think he and Wilson have similar ceilings, Murphy actually alittle higher, but seems like teams didnt want to give him the time to do so. Its going to be great seeing him be the final piece needed that will make the big stop on Mahomes to go to the Super Bowl next January. 

#29 NO: Bryan Bresee - Kinda funny that these two went back to back at the end of the 1st when they were projected to do similar at the top of the 1st a few months ago. I will back this pick for the Saints though. Hes got the traits, he can make the plays that you are picking him to make (unless hes up against our new Franchise RT) but the problem is the medicals. I dont know what the specifics are, but I heard they are scary. But in the spot that the Saints are in, they needed to swing for the fences for someone who can contribute right now. And if he breaks down, they are probably tearing it to the studs in a few years from now anyway, so who cares.

#30 PHI: Nolan Smith - I mean, its not a bad strategy, just reassemble one of the best college defenses we have ever seen in College Football. Smith's fall does seem odd though, all over a torn pec? We had weird stuff about Nkobe Dean last year too, even some Jordin Davis stuff. Is it that maybe Kirby is running a tight ship these days, and Front Offices just arent getting the normal dirt they are used to getting, so they run with rumor/whispers more than actual confirmed Info? It just seems weird. If they end up with Kelee Ringo, Im going to just assume there is collusion going on.

#31 KC: Felix Anudike-Uzomah - How tempting as it for them to take Michael Mayer? Mahomes must have been in their ear just begging for him. Would make that offense absolutely unstoppable. Unfortunately they are in 'win now' mode and Kelce is still probably a handful of years away from retiring. FAU fits what Spags wants very well, and is a good replacement for Clark. Mahomes/Kelce will always have them as contenders, but now they need some playmakers if they want to hold off the last minute drives of Burrow/Allen.