Post Draft Thoughts

[dll2000]

For Bears:

I think we got three studs in Caleb and Odunze and Tory.  

We got two projects in Kiran Amegadjie and Booker.  

I would have liked it if they were more aggressive on high end UDFAs like the safety out of Maryland Brade and DT Taylor given we didn’t have many draft picks.  Two guys that fell that were position needs. 

But my standard for drafts is always if you get two plus players it was a good draft.  If you get 2 and a solid starter it was really good.   If you get a top 10 franchise QB that by itself makes the draft great.  

I think we got a franchise QB and two plus players in Odunze and Tory.  I don’t see kickers as not being valuable.  Not as valuable as premium positions certainly, but they have value.  Especially elite ones.  

The projects Kiran and Booker are lottery tickets.  Hopefully one hits.  They are more scratch off than jackpot ones though.  The odds aren’t horrible one will hit.  
 

[dll2000]

The Atl move was wild.  I want to talk about that one more here, but I have to run.   

Detroit seemed to have another great draft which sucks.  Look at that more closely later.

GB got some guys, but man they just threw a whole bunch of spaghetti at wall and are hoping some of it sticks. Only so many roster spots.

MN very risky moves IMO.

Love to hear your thoughts.  

Edited April 28 by dll2000

[TankWilliams]

I don't think very highly of JJ McCarthy, and that whole draft class will be viewed under the lens of his success or failure.  My guess is the latter.  

GB is a team that I always feel "meh" about, but then ends up with a ton of great players who do exactly what they need, so thats probably what happens here.

Detroit was a good draft, a bummer they got the best CB in the draft.

[Madmike90]

I think for us this draft is another sign that we are in great hands with Ryan Poles...he understands the importance of sticking to the board and adding not only talent but talent at positions that are going to impact the game more than anywhere else...when you only have 5 picks and 4 of those picks are QB, WR, OT, DE that is a smart strategy because if one of those mid round guys hits you not only have a great draft pick & player but for the next 4 years you save yourself from having to go out and pay a fortune for a player in FA where everyone knows there is a high degree of failure in comparison to the price you pay...

Taking into consideration the fact we didn't have a lot of picks and that we gave up the future 4th round pick I don't see how this draft can be anything less than an A...

QB Caleb Williams - The best QB prospect in a decade and someone who could truly be transformative for this franchise.

WR Rome Odunze - Another blue chip prospect who plays a premier position and can not only learn from two great vets but also grow with Caleb throughout his career.

OT Kiran Amegadjie - One of the few mid round prospects with LT traits...and a lot of them...will need to sit and learn for at least a year to hit his potential but the framework is there and again he plays the most important position on the offensive line.

P Tory Taylor - The outlier in the premier position strategy but it's not hyperbole to say he is the Caleb Williams of punters...sure it's no where near as important but as a prospect he is the elite of the elite and from day one will have an impact on this team.

DE Austin Booker - Again probably a year away from having a real impact but the traits are all there...with his height & length he can get up to around 260lbs in an NFL strength programme and potentially develop into that starting calibre DE at a position which again your looking at $100 million+ for a good talent so who not pick the high ceiling mid rounder and maybe you strike gold?

I can honestly say this is one of my favourite drafts of all time for the Bears due to the mix of immediate impact with Caleb, Rome & Taylor and the high high upside of KA & Booker...smart all round from Poles & co.

[Madmike90]

As for the NFC North...

Lions - B+ - I think they had very few needs and clearly really attacked them by getting two really good CB prospects in Arnold & Rakestraw Jr...they are very similar prospects and I think speed over the top could still get to them but no doubt they got better at their biggest weakness...I think Mahogany in the 6th was an utter steal in this scheme...as a backup he could come in for snaps and maybe even some games and they won't lose too much...only criticism I would have in the Lions for me are in win now mode because they need to pay any more guys and potential lose guys off that coaching staff...too use your 4th round picks on a development OT and a player who might not have a true position felt like a wasted opportunity to me where they could have gotten a couple of guys who were more ready to contribute right away.

Packers - B- - This was without doubt one of the strangest drafts in the entire league for me...Morgan felt like a reach and there were better OL prospects on the board at the time...if the plan is to play him at LT then I don't feel that is a good plan...I really like Cooper as a prospect and if the are moving to a 4-3 then it's a great pick...if they are playing him as an ILB in a 3-4 then I don't like it as much...they then paid McKinney a ton of money this offseason only to then use a 2nd, 4th & 5th on safeties...then use a 3rd on another LB who has a similar skill set to Cooper which felt like a reach...used a 3rd on Lloyd who I like but again not that high after they spent a lot of money on Jacobs & resigned Dillon so not sure where his carriers are coming from...they add some OL depth which is never a bad thing later in the draft and get a fairly decent QB prospect which again is a good move...no doubt they needed help in the back 7 and they have got that here so it's not terrible but I just think they doubled up with a lot of similar skill sets at non-primer positions and missed on the OL pick in the 1st.

Vikes - D+ - I am higher on JJ McCarthy than most and I think going to Minnesota was probably the best landing spot for him...I think he will eventually be a success there much in the way Cousins was in that they will win games but the playoffs will be a different story...I think Turner was a nice pick up as well for them and will provide juice off the edge on pass rushing downs...not so sure about as an every down player in the pros but we will see...the issue is that Vikes team were not two players away from being successful and they then gave up so much in this and the next draft that they are going to struggle to add much more talent around these guys...I don't see any other potential starter in their class this year even with a year or twos development I see their ceiling as backups...2025 current draft picks? 1st, two 5th, 6th, 7th...that isn't a great position when your also about to have very little cap space since Jefferson is probably going to want close to $40 million a year...strategy feels all wrong.

Edited April 28 by Madmike90

[Madmike90]

Around the league...not including us because bias might have me saying we are #1 hahaha...

Top 3 Drafts

1. Pittsburgh

2. Kansas City

3 Philly (would be Washington but can't get on board with Daniels)

 

Bottom 3 Drafts

1. Atlanta

2. Tennessee

3. Denver  (A little temped by SF here)

 

Sneaky Good 3

1. LA Rams

2. Cincinnati

3. Tampa Bay

[malagabears]

 

[beardown3231]

The good news is the 2025 class is loaded at OT and DE. On paper those seem to be the Bears' 2 big issues assuming Braxton doesn't improve. I haven't looked into the OC class but that'd probably be a top 3 need as well

[Madmike90]

18 minutes ago, beardown3231 said:

The good news is the 2025 class is loaded at OT and DE. On paper those seem to be the Bears' 2 big issues assuming Braxton doesn't improve. I haven't looked into the OC class but that'd probably be a top 3 need as well

Really want to see Nic Scourton in the SEC next year...frame wise & motor he screams Flus DE and was highly productive last year at Purdue...if he continues that at Texas A&M he could be a target for us...

I love the DT class already

 

[AZBearsFan]

Like what we did this weekend a lot, but there are a few things we should look to address from here sooner than later IMO:

-Love to see us bring Ngakoue back or bring in Carl Lawson to bolster our pass rush with a little more known commodity while Booker develops.

-With more thought on the Taylor pick I like it more. We already have a top tier kicker. Adding a top tier punter (hopefully) on top of what is already a really good KR (Velus) in a year where KR should have more value and we could have one of the best ST units in the league. In close games that matters a lot.

-With that, who is our punt returner? As of today I’d guess it’s either Tyler Scott or Dante Pettis. I don’t love that at all. I’d like to see DeAndre Carter brought in. He can bring something as a WR5 too IMO.

-I’d like to see us get a more capable veteran QB to help Williams with the nuances of preparing like a pro. A trade with ATL for Taylor Heinicke would make a lot of sense to me. Cost should be minimal with them almost certainly looking to max out Penix’s reps behind Kirk, and his salary coming over would be basically league minimum. Bagent is fine as a caretaker on the field (I actually think he and Heinicke on the field would be about the same), but we’re not winning anything if our QB2 has got to play a lot, and I value the veteran presence in that role more with the rookie QB. Brett Rypien can help with the nuances of Waldron’s offense, but he doesn’t bring the veteran QB stuff to the table either.  

[beardown3231]

30 minutes ago, Madmike90 said:

Really want to see Nic Scourton in the SEC next year...frame wise & motor he screams Flus DE and was highly productive last year at Purdue...if he continues that at Texas A&M he could be a target for us...

I love the DT class already

 

The entire Ohio State DL is loaded. Tyleik Williams looks like a stud at DT as do Sawyer and Tuimoloau as ends. Mason Graham at Michigan is a beast. My favorite DE right now is Mykel Williams at Georgia

[beardown3231]

1 minute ago, AZBearsFan said:

Like what we did this weekend a lot, but there are a few things we should look to address from here sooner than later IMO:

-Love to see us bring Ngakoue back or bring in Carl Lawson to bolster our pass rush with a little more known commodity while Booker develops.

-With more thought on the Taylor pick I like it more. We already have a top tier kicker. Adding a top tier punter (hopefully) on top of what is already a really good KR (Velus) in a year where KR should have more value and we could have one of the best ST units in the league. In close games that matters a lot.

-With that, who is our punt returner? As of today I’d guess it’s either Tyler Scott or Dante Pettis. I don’t love that at all. I’d like to see DeAndre Carter brought in. He can bring something as a WR5 too IMO.

-I’d like to see us get a more capable veteran QB to help Williams with the nuances of preparing like a pro. A trade with ATL for Taylor Heinicke would make a lot of sense to me. Cost should be minimal with them almost certainly looking to max out Penix’s reps behind Kirk, and his salary coming over would be basically league minimum. Bagent is fine as a caretaker on the field (I actually think he and Heinicke on the field would be about the same), but we’re not winning anything if our QB2 has got to play a lot, and I value the veteran presence in that role more with the rookie QB. Brett Rypien can help with the nuances of Waldron’s offense, but he doesn’t bring the veteran QB stuff to the table either.  

Don't sleep on Odunze at PR

[AZBearsFan]

Just now, beardown3231 said:

Don't sleep on Odunze at PR

Didn’t even think about that tbh. He only did it 3 times in college… but one of them went for a TD. 

[Madmike90]

Just now, beardown3231 said:

The entire Ohio State DL is loaded. Tyleik Williams looks like a stud at DT as do Sawyer and Tuimoloau as ends. Mason Graham at Michigan is a beast. My favorite DE right now is Mykel Williams at Georgia

It's a good feeling to say I am confident that next year we won't be picking high enough to get close to these two hahaha

[Docknstein11]

Can’t remember being this pumped for a draft class and we only made 5 picks. Obviously Caleb and Rome are home run selections, but Kiran and Booker are two guys I was taking often on the PFN mock simulator. To get Booker in round 5 is absurd. Poles is the ******* man. Gone are the days of taking 6th round talents on day 2 cuz the GM had to get their guy.