Overall, there is a lot to like here. It’s hard to not fall in love with an offseason where the Bears land Trey Smith. A few things to consider…
Omarion Hampton reminds me of Josh Jacobs. I’m just not sold on the idea of the Bears drafting a RB in the first 3 rounds. There are a few veterans that can be had at a low cost, like Nick Chubb or even AJ Dillon. Are we writing off Roschon Johnson? Will he wear a guardian cap?
Javon Hargrove has to come back from a torn tricep - that’s a brutal injury to a guy that is 32 years old. This draft class is loaded with defensive linemen. The Bears might be better off using one of their 2nds, their 3rd, or consider trading up from the 3rd to capitalize on the deep talent pool. I don’t hate this idea though, as long as he passes all his medicals.
Evan Brown is an interesting target, because there is value in having guys with experience in Ben Johnson’s system. His positional flexibility is a major plus too. I’m not sure he’s an improvement over Coleman Shelton though. If the Bears aren’t going target a veteran like Ryan Kelly or Drew Dalman, I’d prefer the Bears use one of their second or third round picks on a center. I have my eyes on Greg Zabel, Tate Ratledge, & Clay Webb.
Jedrick Wills would be a great low-risk, high reward addition. Will Braxton Jones be ready to start the season? Maybe he could kick inside to guard - it worked for Mekhi Becton. He’s going to want a good opportunity to compete for a starting role wherever he signs.
The Bears have to do something at safety, because they can’t rely on Brisker staying healthy. I don’t think Tre'von Moehrig would be the wisest use of the Bears cap space. I’m OK with Kevin Byard for now, and has proven himself as a leader. Maybe they could target a good depth piece like Ashtyn Davis, who has special team value too.
First thanks for the well thought out reply
1. I've never like Roschon to be honest, he seems like a great teammate but he's slow and not really that impressive as a "power" rusher. Now that he's concussion prone, I'm definitely writing him off.
Please no more ex-packers for at least a decade, as for Chubb I did consider him and it might be worth a $2M for 1 year deal to see if he can comeback from two brutal injuries.
Ultimately I really want Kaleb Johnson or Omarion Hampton early in the draft, or Ollie Gordon/Kalel Mullings late. A big bruising back that can consistently gain 2-3 yards on 3rd and short or 1st and goal.
2. The Draft is as big of a roll of the dice as signing Hargrave. The difference is we know for sure that Hargrave is elite when healthy. I agree it might be wise to grab Tyliek Williams or Alfred Collins in round two but on top of not knowing if they will succeed, it also prevents us from getting a different player with that draft pick.
It's very unlikely that any 2nd round rookie DT will produce at Hargraves level in year one anyway. I want this team to add as much talent as possible as soon as possible to take advantage of the rookie QB contract.
3. Grey Zabel was gone by #39 in my mock drafts as well as Donavan Jackson, thus I took Saviinaea. I'm not familiar with Clay Webb so he wasn't an option and I thought Routlege was a guard only so no consideration was given to him.
I prefer to draft a center that actually has extensive snaps playing the position and making line calls. I want a guy with the brain for the position as well as the physical ability to hike a ball. Most of these guards just add a the skill without the experience.
4. Ultimately the Byard move was for cap flexibility and I thought this mock through before the recent cap increase. Perhaps the NFL has solved the problem and the Bears can afford to keep a solid player on the roster after all.
With that said, he still isn't going to be here long at his age and he slowed down a lot toward the end of the year, so adding a guy that's seven years younger, much better in run defense, and the fact he could possibly salvage Brisker's career makes much more sense to me.
5. Finally... I watched the Commanders get within 1 game of the superbowl after having the #2 pick in the same season. I don't agree with anyone that takes the "the Bears aren’t ready now" mentality. I don't want to try a slow and steady rebuild approach. They have enough money and draft picks to flip this roster and become contenders this season.
Look again at the final roster I put together and tell me where the weakness is that shows they couldn't compete with Philly or Detroit heading into next season. Yes I know it depends on guys staying healthy but that goes without saying.
With smart drafting and aggressive moves in free agency this team can become contenders, THIS YEAR
