2018 Draft Prospects

[51to54]

On 4/9/2018 at 3:06 PM, AZBearsFan said:

He’s still just a prospect though. A GREAT one, but a prospect nonetheless. All of that said, if we do draft Barkley there is ZEEEEEEEERO reason to trade Howard for peanuts. He makes 5th round pick money for the next two years. There would be plenty of touches to go for both of them. Neither would be winning the rushing title but neither would get ridden into the ground either and we’d have he best RB depth in the league. Think Tiki and Ron Dayne in 2000 with the Giants, only with Howard being a far better runner than Dayne. 

Personally I’m SUPER excited to see what Howard can do as a runner in this offense and specifically against a 7-man box. He was a top 10 runner the past two years running against overloaded boxes. I can’t wait to see him with actual space and in favorable matchups. His value (or lackthereof) in the passing game will be far less a concern if he’s a 1300 yard rusher, which is what I expect of him as a lead back in this scheme. 

Well said. I would not give Howard away just because we drafted Barkley. In an ideal situation, we keep Howard until Barkley shows he's the same impact RB in the NFL that he was in college and then trade Howard for a 2nd or 3rd + 5th or something else outrageous. Per the 7 man boxes, if we draft to a position of strength, RB, then we used our best pick to force more men into the box and not less.

Part of the 'Barkley' appeal is I think he'd most certainly be the only 'rated' high impact guy we can get at 8 as seen by  the many questions and arguments and counter arguments per Landry, Davenport, Ward, etc. etc.

Per an earlier posting mentioning Richardson, I didn't like Richardson coming out and I have a high negative bias against Alabama RB in general and Richardson never looked like a super star RB to me while Barkley looks every bit the super star.

While I'm on board with the NFL devaluing RB and I'm not a big proponent of the BPA draft philosophy, it would be AWESOME Bears' football to call the other teams' 9 in the box with a Barkley and raise them with Howard in the same backfield.

[Heinz D.]

10 hours ago, Trubiskytime said:

Btw, this is my 1st post.

[Trubiskytime]

Lol hello there! 

[G08]

Rumors!

The top 10 players on many boards around the league right now are the four quarterbacks, Saquon Barkley, Bradley Chubb, Quenton Nelson, Tremaine Edmunds, Denzel Ward and Roquan Smith.

Minkah Fitzpatrick and Derwin James do not crack the top 10 on many boards, and most in the league believe they will be selected somewhere between picks 11 and 20.

Boards at the tight end position are all over the place, and we’ll explore that tomorrow, while the receivers could be in for a surprise on draft day as many will slide further than expected.

The belief is that the Chicago Bears will be in prime position to trade down from the eighth spot regardless of whether the top four quarterbacks are off the board. The Bears would like to recoup some of the selections they gave away one year ago after moving up to select quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

The offer will have to be significant if either Nelson or Ward is available when the Bears are called to the clock, as the team is very high on both players.

Depending how far the Bears trade down, assuming they do, expect Isaiah Oliver to be one player they consider selecting. I’m told the team is picking the brain of University of Oregon defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt, who held the same position at Colorado, about Oliver’s next-level potential. 

Leavitt is a close friend of Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and has been relied on in the past for information on players he coached at Colorado such as Chidobe Awuzie and Ahkello Witherspoon. Word is that he’s giving the Bears rave reviews on Oliver.

[G08]

All these pass rushers come with their flaws. I don't love the idea of taking Davenport at #8, but if we trade down to 11 or 12 and he's still there? Absolutely. That additional pick (mid-to-high 3rd round pick) can be used to address a multitude of positions (ILB, CB, OG, OT, etc). Or you can package that with one of the fourths and move up to the bottom of round 2 if you love someone that's falling.

If I had to guess right now, I think Pace sticks at 8 if he sees Chubb, Nelson, or Ward. If those three dudes are gone, I think he looks to trade down to the mid-teens at the latest unless we get offered something crazy (2019 first rounder).

It's bizarre, I actually am good with either scenario. Nelson and Ward would be impact starters immediately, a trade down mitigates risk with some flawed players but gives you additional draft ammo.

[WindyCity]

Pauline: Bears could be eyeing trade down

Draft Analyst's Tony Pauline is hearing that "the belief is" that the Chicago Bears would like to trade down from the No. 8 pick.

The logic on this potential play is rock-solid, as Pauline notes that the Bears like the idea of replenishing their draft capital after trading up with the 49ers last spring in order to select UNC QB Mitch Trubisky. That said, the analyst forwards that should either Ohio State CB Denzel Ward or Notre Dame G Quenton Nelson be available at No. 8 later this month, any trade would require a bit more beef to push them off the pick, as they very much like both players. One last note from Mr. Pauline -- if the Bears do ultimately trade out of their current draft slot, Colorado CB Isaiah Oliver is one player they would potentially consider further down the board.

Source: Draft Analyst 

[51to54]

4 minutes ago, WindyCity said:

Pauline: Bears could be eyeing trade down

Draft Analyst's Tony Pauline is hearing that "the belief is" that the Chicago Bears would like to trade down from the No. 8 pick.

The logic on this potential play is rock-solid, as Pauline notes that the Bears like the idea of replenishing their draft capital after trading up with the 49ers last spring in order to select UNC QB Mitch Trubisky. That said, the analyst forwards that should either Ohio State CB Denzel Ward or Notre Dame G Quenton Nelson be available at No. 8 later this month, any trade would require a bit more beef to push them off the pick, as they very much like both players. One last note from Mr. Pauline -- if the Bears do ultimately trade out of their current draft slot, Colorado CB Isaiah Oliver is one player they would potentially consider further down the board.

Source: Draft Analyst 

My unofficial counting on this board's opinion would seem to favor a trade down too.

If the Bears think that Ward is a top 5 or so level CB then I'm on board. Nelson, while I'm calling for a solid investment in adding protection for Trubisky, is more of a luxury pick as I'd prefer to hit a homer with a 8th pick with a pass rusher or CB or even LB with this draft and not investing a second first round pick at Guard. This assumes that Long will be healthy enough to count as a full time OG going forward, but even then it's a close call on using a top 8 pick on a Guard.

[WindyCity]

We have 3 serious needs and only 2 serious picks.

Trade Down would make sense.

Even more so becuse 2 of the needs are strong in the late 1st and 2nd round,

[beardown3231]

Evidently LAC loves Jackson. Maybe they move up to 8, and the Bears take 17, a 2nd and a 4th. Ideally it’s 17/2nd/3rd but beggers can’t be choosers

[beardown3231]

30 minutes ago, WindyCity said:

Pauline: Bears could be eyeing trade down

Draft Analyst's Tony Pauline is hearing that "the belief is" that the Chicago Bears would like to trade down from the No. 8 pick.

The logic on this potential play is rock-solid, as Pauline notes that the Bears like the idea of replenishing their draft capital after trading up with the 49ers last spring in order to select UNC QB Mitch Trubisky. That said, the analyst forwards that should either Ohio State CB Denzel Ward or Notre Dame G Quenton Nelson be available at No. 8 later this month, any trade would require a bit more beef to push them off the pick, as they very much like both players. One last note from Mr. Pauline -- if the Bears do ultimately trade out of their current draft slot, Colorado CB Isaiah Oliver is one player they would potentially consider further down the board.

Source: Draft Analyst 

What the **** is a Tony Pauline

[G08]

Denzel Ward is sooo soooooo gooooooddddd

[Sugashane]

1 hour ago, beardown3231 said:

Evidently LAC loves Jackson. Maybe they move up to 8, and the Bears take 17, a 2nd and a 4th. Ideally it’s 17/2nd/3rd but beggers can’t be choosers

I'd try for 17, their 2nd this year, and 2019's 3rd. If I had to throw in the later 4th rounder to get it done, I would.

 

Hopefully AZ wants someone too. They can't be comfortable with Bradford and Glennon beyond this year. Or maybe they are looking at getting a top 10 pick next draft. Definitely seem on their way with those two as QBs, though I'd hate for Fitz to spend one of his final years like that.

[Bowler1215]

I guess I wouldn't mind Ward if we drafted him, but I'd rather draft Fitzpatrick or James. 

If we did trade down(11-20) what about OG Will Hernandez?  Would he be a good fit?

Buffalo, Miami, Arizona, LAC, New Orleans, even New England could possibly want to come up for a QB(or another player) 

According to nfl.com

Top prospects associated with the Bears:
» Bradley Chubb, DE, N.C. State: Report: Chubb visits Bears
» James Daniels, C, Iowa: Daniels to visit Bears
» Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama: Fitzpatrick visits Bears
» Hayden Hurst, TE, South Carolina: Meets with Bears at Combine
» Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa: Jackson to visit Bears
» Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville: Meets with Bears at Combine
» Arden Key, LB, LSU: Key to visit Bears
» Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama: Reportedly meets with Bears at Combine
» Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame: Will visit Bears
» Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU: Sutton to work out for Bears
» Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State: Ward visits Bears

I just hope we don't trade up. 

 

 

[Heinz D.]

43 minutes ago, Bowler1215 said:

I just hope we don't trade up. 

I still wouldn't mind a trade up for Chubb, as long as it wasn't too expensive. 

[G08]

@Heinz D. I just don't think we have the juice, moving up from 8 to 6 would cost us both our 4ths, meaning we would have Chubb, a 2nd rounder and not pick again until the 5th.

I think Pace wants one of Chubb/Nelson/Ward at number 8. If those 3 studs are gone, I think he will trade down because it means these dudes likely will still be available:

Tremaine Edmunds

Minkah Fitzpatrick

Derwin James

Roquan Smith

Marcus Davenport

Mike Hughes

Harold Landry

 

I'm not sure if any of those 7 demand being taken at #8. You can ostensibly trade down to #12, lose at most 4 of those players, and pick up a middle-to-high 3rd round pick.