My Approach to the Draft

[Sculpt]

Obviously, have to fill holes in FA. And draft BPA will be extremely important...


Round 1: RT or OLB

Round 2: OLB or RT

Two Round 4s: WR & OLB

Round 5, 6, 7: NT, QB, WR

No CB -- I would not be looking for a CB in the 2018 draft. I would keep Prince, Fuller, Callahan who all graded Above Avg in PFF for 2017, & keep LaBlanc & McManis (who graded Avg), plus keep working with Hall. Besides McManis, this is a younger solid group doing well for Fangio.

RT & OLB -- Teams need to draft high to find a special OT & OLB. Teams aren't letting great OT/OLB go unless no one can afford them. At this point we need to be content with Leno, but we need an excellent RT prospect to replace/compete with Massie & backup Leno.

WR -- We need to go after some solid WRs in FA, and also get some solid WR prospects in the midrounds.

DL/OLB Situation: We need a Round 1 or 2 OLB, and then maybe another midround OLB prospect if a good one is available. Floyd is our only young talent at OLB (Irving is an intriguing unknown). McPhee, Young, Houston have wheels falling off. We are in big trouble here. At DL, we have Hicks, Goldman, Unrein (who graded Above Avg in PFF) playing well, plus young Bullard & Robertson-Harris making strides. Jenkins actually graded Avg in PFF. We have to let Jenkins & Bullard keep Goldman fresher. In FA, it would be nice if we could upgrade on Jenkins and maybe even Unrein, but if not, we're filling other more important team holes.

 

[WindyCity]

Obviously, have to fill holes in FA. And draft BPA will extremely important...


Round 1: RT or OLB

Round 2: OLB or RT

Two Round 4s: WR & OLB

Round 5, 6, 7: NT, QB, WR

No CB -- I would not be looking for a CB in the 2018 draft. I would keep Prince, Fuller, Callahan who all graded Above Avg in PFF for 2017, & keep LaBlanc & McManis (who graded Avg), plus keep working with Hall. Besides McManis, this is a younger solid group doing well for Fangio.

RT & OLB -- Teams need to draft high to find a special OT & OLB. Teams aren't letting great OT/OLB go unless no one can afford them. At this point we need to be content with Leno, but we need an excellent RT prospect to replace compete with Massie & backup Leno.

WR -- We need to go after some solid WRs in FA, and also get some solid WR prospects in the midrounds.

DL/OLB Situation: We need a Round 1 or 2 OLB, and then maybe another midround OLB prospect if a good one is available. Floyd is our only young talent at OLB (Irving is an intriguing unknown). McPhee, Young, Houston have wheels falling off. We are in big trouble here. At DL, we have Hicks, Goldman, Unrein (who graded Above Avg in PFF) playing well, plus young Bullard & Robertson-Harris making strides. Jenkins actually graded Avg in PFF. We have to let Jenkins & Bullard keep Goldman fresher. In FA, it would be nice if we could upgrade on Jenkins and maybe even Unrein, but if not, we're filling other more important team holes.

I keep thinking we can wait until the 4th round on WR. But I am not sure I see the free agent investment out there that would make me okay with it.

I know the Chiefs built their WR room that way but it took them 4 years to get productive. They didn’t have a TD by a WR 2 years ago.

 

[Probie2429]

The Bears have a bigger hole at center than they do RT. Whitehair is not a NFL center. He can play the spot as he has most of the last two seasons since he is versatile, but he is a better NFL guard or even RT. Draft a center on day 2, cut Sitton, move Whitehair back to a more natural position for him, and use Sitton's dollars to get an upgrade that will be more expensive but also significantly younger at the position Whitehair is not playing.

The OL as currently constructed does not work for the type of offense Nagy will employ. It will be completely revamped. Hiring Hiestand (sp?) was the tell for me. The bigger piece for Trubisky's future success is OL not WR. Every person that knows anything about football should get this.

 

[TezMaKai]

You take the best wr in the draft at 8 even if it is a reach. This is the worst position group in the NFL and if you have to reach to get your young quarterback relevant weapons for the sake of his development, then you do it.

 

[PolarBear]

The Bears have a bigger hole at center than they do RT. Whitehair is not a NFL center. He can play the spot as he has most of the last two seasons since he is versatile, but he is a better NFL guard or even RT. Draft a center on day 2, cut Sitton, move Whitehair back to a more natural position for him, and use Sitton's dollars to get an upgrade that will be more expensive but also significantly younger at the position Whitehair is not playing.

The OL as currently constructed does not work for the type of offense Nagy will employ. It will be completely revamped. Hiring Hiestand (sp?) was the tell for me. The bigger piece for Trubisky's future success is OL not WR. Every person that knows anything about football should get this.

Whitehair was just one of the best C's in the game in his rookie year and was also above average for the most part despite "struggling" last year.

But yeah let's move him to RT...

 

[rawdawg]

The Bears have a bigger hole at center than they do RT. Whitehair is not a NFL center. He can play the spot as he has most of the last two seasons since he is versatile, but he is a better NFL guard or even RT. Draft a center on day 2, cut Sitton, move Whitehair back to a more natural position for him, and use Sitton's dollars to get an upgrade that will be more expensive but also significantly younger at the position Whitehair is not playing.

The OL as currently constructed does not work for the type of offense Nagy will employ. It will be completely revamped. Hiring Hiestand (sp?) was the tell for me. The bigger piece for Trubisky's future success is OL not WR. Every person that knows anything about football should get this.

So much wrong in 1 post.

 

[dabears70]

Obviously, have to fill holes in FA. And draft BPA will extremely important...


Round 1: RT or OLB

Round 2: OLB or RT

Two Round 4s: WR & OLB

Round 5, 6, 7: NT, QB, WR

No CB -- I would not be looking for a CB in the 2018 draft. I would keep Prince, Fuller, Callahan who all graded Above Avg in PFF for 2017, & keep LaBlanc & McManis (who graded Avg), plus keep working with Hall. Besides McManis, this is a younger solid group doing well for Fangio.

RT & OLB -- Teams need to draft high to find a special OT & OLB. Teams aren't letting great OT/OLB go unless no one can afford them. At this point we need to be content with Leno, but we need an excellent RT prospect to replace compete with Massie & backup Leno.

WR -- We need to go after some solid WRs in FA, and also get some solid WR prospects in the midrounds.

DL/OLB Situation: We need a Round 1 or 2 OLB, and then maybe another midround OLB prospect if a good one is available. Floyd is our only young talent at OLB (Irving is an intriguing unknown). McPhee, Young, Houston have wheels falling off. We are in big trouble here. At DL, we have Hicks, Goldman, Unrein (who graded Above Avg in PFF) playing well, plus young Bullard & Robertson-Harris making strides. Jenkins actually graded Avg in PFF. We have to let Jenkins & Bullard keep Goldman fresher. In FA, it would be nice if we could upgrade on Jenkins and maybe even Unrein, but if not, we're filling other more important team holes.

You pretty much hit all the needs we have now and when going through this i think it just kinda shows that we're gonna need this off season and one more to really get this team close to or where it needs to be. I'm sure Pace and his team have a plan for this so we just gotta hope his plan works out. We might have to keep a B.Massie at RT for one more year, or keep and go with M.Cooper at CB and bring in another tier 2 type CB to compete with him and re-sign Fuller for the other CB spot, or a lot of us would like to see us get a starting ILB to play with D.Trevathon or be ready to play for Trevathon if or when he gets injured again.

I'm sure Pace will also sign some players who haven't quite taken off like they were expected to when they were drafted to one year prove yourself contracts and hope one or two of them can come in and fit our system or our coaches can get the best out of them and they do become what people expected them to become and then we can re-sign them if they do. He's done this every other off season and has hit on some but has also had some big misses but if it's for one year then it's worth the shot.

 

[dabears70]

I keep thinking we can wait until the 4th round on WR. But I am not sure I see the free agent investment out there that would make me okay with it.

I know the Chiefs built their WR room that way but it took them 4 years to get productive. They didn’t have a TD by a WR 2 years ago.

That was crazy that they went the season without a TD from a WR. I think i had J.Maclin on a fantasy team and i just kept playing him waiting for him to get a TD...lol.

You're right with the WR's in free agency that it's starting to look like there might not be that WR for us to get that would take over that #1 WR spot for us especially with D.Adams re-signing with GB, S.Watkins and A.Robinson most likely getting tagged and with most of us not seeing Pace spending the money on J.Landry and some not thinking he'd fit what Nagy wants to do anyway. There is still some names that should be out there when free agency opens and also some names that i haven't seen mentioned on here much if at all.

The names i haven't seen mentioned by anyone on here much or at all.
T.Pryor--maybe he would be worth a one year prove yourself contract. He was great in Clev with bad QB play but then just gets lost in Wash with a good QB and a wide open offense.
J.Mathews--he's done some really good things when with Philly but stayed hurt with Buffalo.

Then the WR's people on here have mentioned but are either #2 WR's or #3 WR's.
P.Richardson--should be a really good #2 WR that could turn into one of the best #2's in the league but he does have a pretty serious injury history.
M.Lee--I see him as the same as P.Richardson being a really good #2.
John Brown--This kid has done some really good things and is an exciting player when he's healthy, he's just hardly ever healthy.
Jaron Brown--I think this kid could be a nice sleeper type for us but again is only a #2 type.
D.Moncrief--Another guy that's done some good things in Indy but again...health. Not having A.Luck also hurt his numbers.

Then there's the deep threat only types and the #3/#4 WR's
T.Gabriel
M.Wallace--he did do some good things this year and was not only a deep threat like he's been most of his career.
Brice Butler

Albert Wilson--This kid has made every mock draft on here (and there's been a shit ton of them) since we signed Nagy. I'm not sure where i would list him because i don't think he's a #2 WR but also don't think he's that deep threat only type. Slot WR? #3 WR?

 

[WindyCity]

Whitehair was just one of the best C's in the game in his rookie year and was also above average for the most part despite "struggling" last year.

But yeah let's move him to RT...

The only thing he struggled with is 4-5 snaps and then had no issues the final 8 games.

He was sensational to close the season.

 

[WindyCity]

Part of me wonders whether Pace just says "F it" I am building this offense and if Fangio can get us the same performance as last season we will be in the wildcard hunt. The offense was so pitifully bad I really wonder if we are going to see a massive offensive investment to get some life into it. It makes more sense if you want your "inexperienced new offensive coach to be successful out of the gate".

1[8] OG Quenton Nelson [Notre Dame]

-Best offensive player in the draft and gives the Bears a day 1 dominant starter on the line.

2[39] WR James Washington [Oklahoma St]

-Deep threat and can run after the catch and has potential that the free agents do not really have.

4. OLB Devin Bellamy [Georgia]

-Cannot totally ignore the defense and they need some youth and speed at OLB.

4. CB Jordan Wyatt [SMU]

-The other position on defense that they need some youth and upside to develop.

5. OT

-Some depth on the outside and a developmental player for Hiestand.

6. QB

-Give Nagy and Helfrich someone to take a long shot on.

7. NT

-Need a big fatty to keep Goldman fresh.

 

[AussieBear]

Part of me wonders whether Pace just says "F it" I am building this offense and if Fangio can get us the same performance as last season we will be in the wildcard hunt. The offense was so pitifully bad I really wonder if we are going to see a massive offensive investment to get some life into it. It makes more sense if you want your "inexperienced new offensive coach to be successful out of the gate".

1[8] OG Quenton Nelson [Notre Dame]

-Best offensive player in the draft and gives the Bears a day 1 dominant starter on the line.

2[39] WR James Washington [Oklahoma St]

-Deep threat and can run after the catch and has potential that the free agents do not really have.

4. OLB Devin Bellamy [Georgia]

-Cannot totally ignore the defense and they need some youth and speed at OLB.

4. CB Jordan Wyatt [SMU]

-The other position on defense that they need some youth and upside to develop.

5. OT

-Some depth on the outside and a developmental player for Hiestand.

6. QB

-Give Nagy and Helfrich someone to take a long shot on.

7. NT

-Need a big fatty to keep Goldman fresh.

i think cb can wait a year.. just sign fuller n another body or roll with the roster as is with fuller.. idk if id give prince big dolla..

now if pace gets cute and trades down picking up mo picks.. then invest in cb.. id be happy with a trade down at 8 and 39.. wr/olb/ol are my priorities.. not in any specific order.

but if you think dat cb @8 is the truth.. you take em

 

[Sculpt]

You pretty much hit all the needs we have now and when going through this i think it just kinda shows that we're gonna need this off season and one more to really get this team close to or where it needs to be. I'm sure Pace and his team have a plan for this so we just gotta hope his plan works out. We might have to keep a B.Massie at RT for one more year, or keep and go with M.Cooper at CB and bring in another tier 2 type CB to compete with him and re-sign Fuller for the other CB spot, or a lot of us would like to see us get a starting ILB to play with D.Trevathon or be ready to play for Trevathon if or when he gets injured again.

I'm sure Pace will also sign some players who haven't quite taken off like they were expected to when they were drafted to one year prove yourself contracts and hope one or two of them can come in and fit our system or our coaches can get the best out of them and they do become what people expected them to become and then we can re-sign them if they do. He's done this every other off season and has hit on some but has also had some big misses but if it's for one year then it's worth the shot.

I think Cooper is gone. He didn't play that well when he was healthy. No need to linger with him. Fuller, Prince, Callahan, LeBlanc, McManis have played well for Fangio, I think we still work with Hall.

Trevathan and Kwiakoski are good starters for us, and Jones, Timu and Anderson can play the position. Personally I'd take a cheap/1yr shot at elite Freeman again. I mean, loved to sign a great FA, but I think we have more pressing needs.

 

[greg23]

You take the best wr in the draft at 8 even if it is a reach. This is the worst position group in the NFL and if you have to reach to get your young quarterback relevant weapons for the sake of his development, then you do it.

Thank God you're not out GM.

Reaching for positions usually leads quickly to a bad team and the unemployment line for a .uk.

Screw position (except for qb if you have one) just take the best damn player or find someone willing to overpay for that player.

This year if that happens to be Nelson; perfect. If it happens to be Barkley; fine (slight trade down if he's avail would make sense.

But drafting the 15-20th best prospect at 8 because your team lacks a certain position is an awful strategy.

 

[Bearly]

You basically are in line with where I am at going into the draft Windy. I'm a Nelson and Washington guy myself for #1 and #2 picks but frankly its going to be hard to pass up some of that potential defensive talent that might be available. I'm almost hoping that a QB slides to #8 to get us a trade down partner in someone like the Dolphins or Redskins so we can pick up a 2nd rounder or a 3rd and a 4th rounder in that trade.

Same here. I would think that unless someone drops to him, Pace will look for additional 2nd day picks.

 

[Sculpt]

I keep thinking we can wait until the 4th round on WR. But I am not sure I see the free agent investment out there that would make me okay with it.

I know the Chiefs built their WR room that way but it took them 4 years to get productive. They didn’t have a TD by a WR 2 years ago.

Pace is rightfully gun-shy against taking another 1st Rd WR.

Plus, take what happened with White into perspective... they are a bit more risky than other positions. I think Pace will have to get a top market FA WR who will be healthy and not over the hill. Then I'm sure we'll be gunning for a 4th Rd WR. We'll likely have Meredith, Wright, White, Bellamy, Top FA, 4th Rd, bring back to camp cheap/1yr Inman, Gentry, UDFAs. Plus a new good pass catching FA TE.


http://walterfootball.com/freeagents2018WR.php:

Jarvis Landry, WR, Dolphins. Age: 25.

Jarvis Landry is one of the premier slot receivers in the NFL. He's eclipsed 100 receptions in two of the past three years, and given how long he's seemingly been around, it's shocking that he won't even turn 26 until Thanksgiving.


Josh Gordon, WR, Browns. Age: 27.

Josh Gordon is incredibly talented, but he can't stay out of trouble. He would be ranked as a 4.5- or 5-star player if he were more reliable, but he can't be trusted until he proves himself over a long period of time.


Allen Robinson, WR, Jaguars. Age: 25.

Allen Robinson was a monster in 2015, catching 80 passes for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns. However, he hasn't done much since. He had a lazy 2016 campaign, perhaps because he partied too much with Blake Bortles. He was on the field for one game this past season before tearing his ACL. That said, Robinson will turn just 25 in August, so he could still have a very bright future ahead of him.

Sammy Watkins, WR, Rams. Age: 25.

Sammy Watkins was a huge disappointment in 2017. Despite the Rams' offense setting franchise records, Watkins caught just 39 passes for 593 yards and eight touchdowns. Watkins is extremely talented, however, and he's still young (25 in June), so I expect him to dominate elsewhere in the near future, assuming he can stay healthy.

Cameron Meredith (RFA), WR, Bears. Age: 25.

It's difficult to rate Cameron Meredith. He's a young receiver who has shown plenty of potential. He caught 66 passes for 888 yards in 2016. He seemed poised for a big 2017 campaign, but missed all of it with a torn ACL and MCL. It's unclear if he'll ever be the same player again, unfortunately.

Terrelle Pryor, WR, Redskins. Age: 29.

What happened to Terrelle Pryor? He eclipsed the 1,000-yard barrier in Cleveland despite playing with poor quarterbacks. Charles Woodson predicted Pryor would reach 1,800 yards, but Pryor couldn't even get to 300 in Washington, failing to establish any sort of chemistry with Terrelle Pryor. Perhaps he can rebound elsewhere next year.

Marqise Lee, WR, Jaguars. Age: 26.

Marqise Lee has never topped 900 receiving yards in his career, but it should be remembered that he plays in a conservative offense, so perhaps he'll do better elsewhere. Lee has been a solid performer the past couple of years. He thrived at the end of 2017, albeit against some poor secondaries.

Donte Moncrief, WR, Colts. Age: 25.

Donte Moncrief proved that he was just a byproduct of Andrew Luck's elite passing, as he really struggled without him in 2017. However, he still has some potential, and at 25, he has time to improve.

Paul Richardson, WR, Seahawks. Age: 26.

Paul Richardson turns only 26 in April. He has lots of potential - he caught 44 passes for 703 yards and six touchdowns in 2017 - and it'll be interesting to see what he can do in an explosive offense.

Mike Wallace, WR, Ravens. Age: 27.

Mike Wallace has been incredibly inconsistent throughout his career. Sometimes, he's a dynamic deep threat. Other times, he's a mistake-prone receiver who kills his team with drops.

Eric Decker, WR, Titans. Age: 31.

Eric Decker struggled in his one year with the Titans, catching 54 passes for 563 yards and a touchdown. Perhaps he'll bounce back in 2018 with a more creative offense, but there's also a chance that at 31 (in March), Decker has regressed.

Bruce Ellington, WR, Texans. Age: 27.

Bruce Ellington has displayed some nice potential as a potent slot receiver, but he's had major trouble staying healthy throughout his young career.

Tyrell Williams (RFA), WR, Chargers. Age: 26.

Tyrell Williams caught 43 passes for 728 yards and four touchdowns in 2017. He made some big plays, but seemingly made just as many crucial mistakes. He's way too inconsistent to trust, but could improve in that department.

John Brown, WR, Cardinals. Age: 28.

John Brown had an explosive first two seasons in the NFL, eclipsing the 1,000-yard barrier in 2015. Unfortunately, his previous two years have been devastated by injury, and he has long-term health concerns. He'd be a great bargain if he could get over those, but his career might be over soon.

Jordan Matthews, WR, Bills. Age: 26.

Jordan Matthews did not fare well in his first season in Buffalo. He caught 25 passes before getting knocked out for the year with injuries. Perhaps Matthews can bounce back in a better offense next year.

Willie Snead (RFA), WR, Saints. Age: 25.

Willie Snead posted 984 and 895 yards in 2015 and 2016, respectively, but had just eight catches for 92 yards this past season because of injuries and a suspension. Perhaps he'll rebound with a healthy 2018 campaign.

Danny Amendola, WR, Patriots. Age: 32.

Danny Amendola has a checkered injury history, but managed to stay healthy in 2017, catching 61 passes for 659 yards and two touchdowns. Amendola is 32 now, however, and with Julian Edelman coming back, he won't be needed going forward.

Taylor Gabriel, WR, Falcons. Age: 27.

Taylor Gabriel is a speedy receiver with upside, but failed to develop after a strong 2016 season. Perhaps because of Steve Sarkisian, Gabriel's yardage dropped from 579 to 378. Perhaps a better coordinator will make better use out of him.

Brice Butler, WR, Cowboys. Age:28.
Brandon Coleman (RFA), WR, Saints. Age: 26.
Deonte Thompson, WR, Bills. Age: 29.
Kendall Wright, WR, Bears. Age: 28.
.J. Jones (RFA), WR, Lions. Age: 26.
Albert Wilson, WR, Chiefs. Age: 26.
Quincy Enunwa, WR, Jets. Age: 26.
Adam Humphries (RFA), WR, Buccaneers. Age: 25.
Dontrelle Inman, WR, Bears. Age: 29.
Ryan Grant, WR, Redskins. Age: 27.
Matthew Slater, WR, Patriots. Age: 32.
Brenton Bersin, WR, Panthers. Age: 28.
Charles Johnson, WR, Panthers. Age: 29.
Michael Campanaro, WR, Ravens. Age: 27.
De'Anthony Thomas, WR/KR, Chiefs. Age: 25.
Kamar Aiken, WR, Colts. Age: 29.
Bennie Fowler (RFA), WR, Broncos. Age: 27.
Cody Latimer, WR, Broncos. Age: 25.
Jaron Brown, WR, Cardinals. Age: 28.
Josh Bellamy (RFA), WR, Bears. Age: 29.
Michael Floyd, WR, Vikings. Age: 28.
Justin Hunter, WR, Steelers. Age: 27.
Brandon Tate, WR/KR, Bills. Age: 30.
Andre Roberts, WR/KR, Falcons. Age: 30.
Jordan Taylor (RFA), WR, Broncos. Age: 26.
Jeff Janis, WR, Packers. Age: 27.

Part of me wonders whether Pace just says "F it" I am building this offense and if Fangio can get us the same performance as last season we will be in the wildcard hunt. The offense was so pitifully bad I really wonder if we are going to see a massive offensive investment to get some life into it. It makes more sense if you want your "inexperienced new offensive coach to be successful out of the gate".

1[8] OG Quenton Nelson [Notre Dame]

-Best offensive player in the draft and gives the Bears a day 1 dominant starter on the line.

2[39] WR James Washington [Oklahoma St]

-Deep threat and can run after the catch and has potential that the free agents do not really have.

4. OLB Devin Bellamy [Georgia]

-Cannot totally ignore the defense and they need some youth and speed at OLB.

4. CB Jordan Wyatt [SMU]

-The other position on defense that they need some youth and upside to develop.

5. OT

-Some depth on the outside and a developmental player for Hiestand.

6. QB

-Give Nagy and Helfrich someone to take a long shot on.

7. NT

-Need a big fatty to keep Goldman fresh.

I'm sure Pace will invest heavily on Offense, but you know OLB is a top team priority. We can't ride only Floyd, Irving, Acho and patchwork zombies like Young/McPhee/Houston.

The other top priority is RT. What if Leno goes down? We play Compton and Massie? Or Massie and Long? Sowell? Morgan? We'll ruin our new QB! We need to draft a top RT (who hopefully can backup Leno) take Massie's place soon. Rd 1&2 RT & OLB. You really think it's wise to just go with a 5th Rd OT project?

We do need a deep threat, and WR Washington in the 2nd Rd is a possibility.

If Long is really dead right now, then drafting Nelson becomes a real possibility. But if Pace thinks Long is likely to give us a good 8-10 games, and we have Whitehair, Sitton, Kush and Morgan... then a 1st Rd G in Nelson seems like a luxury for 2018, although certainly a wise longterm draft selection.