Official NFL Draft Thread - Bear Fans Only - and No Montucky!

[bearsfan1977]

I would gladly take him or JT.

I would be very happy with either one.

 

[TL1961]

It doesn't matter what type of thinking we have though. Who cares if people on here didn't want Verse? It's not like Verse fell to 19 cause people on forums didn't want him. He fell to 19 cause actual NFL teams drafting in the range of 3/4-18 didn't rank him higher. So, this doesn't really compute. Sure, if Poles likes Conerly, he would make the pick regardless of what CCS says. He basically did that with Wright. Brugler had him at 24 (Broderick Jones at 15). Jeremiah had Wright at 18. There is no "type of thinking" here that factors in the actual process. I doubt Poles and his team are going to compare their board to Brugler and override it.

And the thing is I don't have the Bears big board, and I only have access to boards developed by the big names in the industry. So, I'm not going to say, based on no scouting experience at all, that I should go against the experts on a limb just cause the team needs to fill a hole. The best tools accessible to what the world thinks of these players are these boards by the media. No one here has put in the work on tape to say their opinion is better than Brugler or Jeremiah... so it makes sense to just use that board. And if the Bears take a guy lower, like Wright, then it is what it is. I never complained about Wright and won't complain now. I just won't predict that kind of move cause I have no basis to do so.

For what it's worth, Jeremiah had Verse at 14 and I usually like his boards the best. But picking a guy 4 spots from 10 is a lot different from picking guys ranked like 24 at 10. Again though, none of it really matters cause Poles did it before with Wright, and Poles has a team of scouts and unlimited resources to develop his own board. Also, actual NFL teams let Verse fall to 19 and selected Latu and Turner above him, despite Jeremiah and Brugler both having Latu as edge3. It's like noting this "type of thinking" for Lamar Jackson falling to the end of the first. NFL teams get it wrong a lot, not just media guys. Half the first round will be busts. It is what it is. If you consistently pick guys ranked near 10 on boards, you'll be right more often. If you want to go out on a limb and pick guys usually ranked around 25, you'll be right less often.

This is the part of the draft process that always baffles me. You’re saying a GM picking a man at 10 is wrong because a media member has that person ranked at 24?

If the GM pick them at 10, that means the GM has them ranked higher. But because we read the media members’ countless mock drafts somehow they are the experts and the GM’s are not?

Make that make sense!

 

[Xplosive]

There’s almost no history over the last 25 years of first round RB’s leading the team that drafted them to a championship. It’s just a dumb play IMO. Agree completely

This is a convoluted claim with extra qualifiers added for bias. It's unfair to box in the argument of RB value, by suggesting they can only be judged as valuable if the team that drafted them won a superbowl.

2001 Pats won with 1st round pick Antowain Smith, but he was not drafted by them
2006 Colts drafted Joseph Addai #30 and won the superbowl but he didn't "lead the team" until later
2006 Saints drafted Reggie Bush #2... 2009 Saints won the superbowl with Bush but he didn't "lead them in rushing"
2008 Steelers drafted Rashard Mendenhall #23 and won the superbowl but Mendenhall ended up injured and lead them later
2009 Broncos drafted Knowshon Moreano #12...but lost the superbowl in 2013 with him on the roster
2013-2014 Seahawks had 1st rounder Marshawn Lynch but he wasn't drafted by them
2018 Pats won with 1st rounder Sony Michel
2020 Chiefs lost the superbowl with 1st rounder Clyde Edwards Helaire
2020 Bucs won the superbowl with 1st rounder Leonard Fournette who they didn't draft.
2021 Rams won with 1st rounder Sony Michel who wasn't drafted by them and paired him with 2nd Rounder Cam Akers
2022-23 Chiefs won with Clyde Edwards Helaire but he didnt lead them
2024 Eagles won with Saquon again not drafted by them.

This doesn't prove that RB's shouldn't be drafted in the first, it does show that Tom Brady and Pat Mahomes can get to and win a lot of superbowls with or without 1st round RBs. Saquon, Leonard Fournette, Marshawn Lynch, and Reggie Bush were all worthy of 1st round picks and contributed plenty of value to championship teams, There are many other 1st round picks RBs that didn't win the superbowl but were absolutely worth more to their team than most of the players at other positions.

In the last 25 years there have only been 15 different Superbowl winners, so it's already a pretty exclusive club. Just because some teams luck into finding a good RB later in the draft, that doesn't mean don't draft one in the 1st.

 

[--CyBear--]

And Barkley was completely shutdown in the Super Bowl. The Eagles did it with Fangio and a wave of talent on defense.

It would be a dream if Jeanty falls to 10 and then someone wants to trade up for him. Build up the trenches around the skill players you have. Build a fucking pass rush that's been non existent since Fangio left.

This shit isn't rocket science especially when there's so much DL depth here.

Barkley's presence changed KCs D to allow an easier passing attack for Philly. None of this can be evaluated in a vacuum and this post is not a advocation of taking a RB at 10. Just pointing out how Barkley still affected that game in an important way.

 

[TL1961]

This is a convoluted claim with extra qualifiers added for bias. It's unfair to box in the argument of RB value, by suggesting they can only be judged as valuable if the team that drafted them won a superbowl.

2001 Pats won with 1st round pick Antowain Smith, but he was not drafted by them
2006 Colts drafted Joseph Addai #30 and won the superbowl but he didn't "lead the team" until later
2006 Saints drafted Reggie Bush #2... 2009 Saints won the superbowl with Bush but he didn't "lead them in rushing"
2008 Steelers drafted Rashard Mendenhall #23 and won the superbowl but Mendenhall ended up injured and lead them later
2009 Broncos drafted Knowshon Moreano #12...but lost the superbowl in 2013 with him on the roster
2013-2014 Seahawks had 1st rounder Marshawn Lynch but he wasn't drafted by them
2018 Pats won with 1st rounder Sony Michel
2020 Chiefs lost the superbowl with 1st rounder Clyde Edwards Helaire
2020 Bucs won the superbowl with 1st rounder Leonard Fournette who they didn't draft.
2021 Rams won with 1st rounder Sony Michel who wasn't drafted by them and paired him with 2nd Rounder Cam Akers
2022-23 Chiefs won with Clyde Edwards Helaire but he didnt lead them
2024 Eagles won with Saquon again not drafted by them.

This doesn't prove that RB's shouldn't be drafted in the first, it does show that Tom Brady and Pat Mahomes can get to and win a lot of superbowls with or without 1st round RBs. Saquon, Leonard Fournette, Marshawn Lynch, and Reggie Bush were all worthy of 1st round picks and contributed plenty of value to championship teams, There are many other 1st round picks RBs that didn't win the superbowl but were absolutely worth more to their team than most of the players at other positions.

In the last 25 years there have only been 15 different Superbowl winners, so it's already a pretty exclusive club. Just because some teams luck into finding a good RB later in the draft, that doesn't mean don't draft one in the 1st.

Pittsburgh won a Super Bowl while the guy they drafted in the first round was out with an injury so that should count?

The Rams won with Sony Mitch Michelle on their roster doing nothing but that should count?

Reggie Bush didn’t leave the team in rushing? Isn’t that the whole point? They use the first round draft pick on him and he happen to be on the roster when they won the Super Bowl but he wasn’t even there leading rusher so he wasn’t the reason they won.

You yourself just added the sentence that said Brady and Mahomes can win Super Bowls without first round rushers“ that’s the whole point. The whole point that someone’s trying to make is the first round running back isn’t the difference between winning a Super Bowl or not, it’s other positions.

 

[Xplosive]

Pittsburgh won a Super Bowl while the guy they drafted in the first round was out with an injury so that should count?

The Rams won with Sony Mitch Michelle on their roster doing nothing but that should count?

Reggie Bush didn’t leave the team in rushing? Isn’t that the whole point? They use the first round draft pick on him and he happen to be on the roster when they won the Super Bowl but he wasn’t even there leading rusher so he wasn’t the reason they won.

You yourself just added the sentence that said Brady and Mahomes can win Super Bowls without first round rushers“ that’s the whole point. The whole point that someone’s trying to make is the first round running back isn’t the difference between winning a Super Bowl or not, it’s other positions.

My point is that winning a superbowl is rare to begin with so using it as the justification or proof of a lack of RB value is just illogical bias. Michel lead that team in rushing, how is that doing nothing? Reggie Bush was the best running back on that team in yards per carry and yards per touch as a receiver but he missed several games with injuries. Mendenhall had a very good career and worth the pick he was taken with, if not for the shoulder injury he would have been the leading rusher on that team.

Both Mahomes and Brady have leaned heavily on their running games. Another thing to remember that being a consistently winning team means losing lots of players that you can't afford to keep, plus drafting late. This means they usually can't afford a first round running back over a position of higher need because of outgoing players. This doesn't prove anything about the value of a Running back over most other players, although they are obviously not as important as QBs.

 

[BaBaBlacksheep]

This is a convoluted claim with extra qualifiers added for bias. It's unfair to box in the argument of RB value, by suggesting they can only be judged as valuable if the team that drafted them won a superbowl.

2001 Pats won with 1st round pick Antowain Smith, but he was not drafted by them
2006 Colts drafted Joseph Addai #30 and won the superbowl but he didn't "lead the team" until later
2006 Saints drafted Reggie Bush #2... 2009 Saints won the superbowl with Bush but he didn't "lead them in rushing"
2008 Steelers drafted Rashard Mendenhall #23 and won the superbowl but Mendenhall ended up injured and lead them later
2009 Broncos drafted Knowshon Moreano #12...but lost the superbowl in 2013 with him on the roster
2013-2014 Seahawks had 1st rounder Marshawn Lynch but he wasn't drafted by them
2018 Pats won with 1st rounder Sony Michel
2020 Chiefs lost the superbowl with 1st rounder Clyde Edwards Helaire
2020 Bucs won the superbowl with 1st rounder Leonard Fournette who they didn't draft.
2021 Rams won with 1st rounder Sony Michel who wasn't drafted by them and paired him with 2nd Rounder Cam Akers
2022-23 Chiefs won with Clyde Edwards Helaire but he didnt lead them
2024 Eagles won with Saquon again not drafted by them.

This doesn't prove that RB's shouldn't be drafted in the first, it does show that Tom Brady and Pat Mahomes can get to and win a lot of superbowls with or without 1st round RBs. Saquon, Leonard Fournette, Marshawn Lynch, and Reggie Bush were all worthy of 1st round picks and contributed plenty of value to championship teams, There are many other 1st round picks RBs that didn't win the superbowl but were absolutely worth more to their team than most of the players at other positions.

In the last 25 years there have only been 15 different Superbowl winners, so it's already a pretty exclusive club. Just because some teams luck into finding a good RB later in the draft, that doesn't mean don't draft one in the 1st.

Pretty sad list

Does absolutely jack for showing that RB’s are worthy of a first round pick.

 

[Xplosive]

Pretty sad list

That's what happens when you try to limit the argument to "championship" teams that also drafted a 1st round RB.

I could add players like #4 overall pick Edgerrin James, #24 pick Chris Johnson, #8 pick Christian Mccaffery, #10 Jerome Bettis, #7 pick Adrian Peterson, #2 pick Marshall Faulk, #12 pick Jahmyhr Gibbs, #10 pick Todd Gurley...

Happier now?

 

[BaBaBlacksheep]

That's what happens when you try to limit the argument to "championship" teams that also drafted a 1st round RB.

I could add players like #4 overall pick Edgerrin James, #24 pick Chris Johnson, #8 pick Christian Mccaffery, #10 Jerome Bettis, #7 pick Adrian Peterson, #2 pick Marshall Faulk, #12 pick Jahmyhr Gibbs, #10 pick Todd Gurley...

Happier now?

I can limit the argument however I want. Don’t participate if you don’t want to. The goal is to win a championship right?

For 25 years now drafting a RB in round one has not done much of anything to getting teams closer to that goal. It’s a fact.

 

[KittiesKorner]

I can limit the argument however I want. Don’t participate if you don’t want to. The goal is to win a championship right?

For 25 years now drafting a RB in round one has not done much of anything to getting teams closer to that goal. It’s a fact.

You seem upset again

 

[bamainatlanta]

My point is that winning a superbowl is rare to begin with so using it as the justification or proof of a lack of RB value is just illogical bias. Michel lead that team in rushing, how is that doing nothing? Reggie Bush was the best running back on that team in yards per carry and yards per touch as a receiver but he missed several games with injuries. Mendenhall had a very good career and worth the pick he was taken with, if not for the shoulder injury he would have been the leading rusher on that team.

Both Mahomes and Brady have leaned heavily on their running games. Another thing to remember that being a consistently winning team means losing lots of players that you can't afford to keep, plus drafting late. This means they usually can't afford a first round running back over a position of higher need because of outgoing players. This doesn't prove anything about the value of a Running back over most other players, although they are obviously not as important as QBs.

Mendenhall was trash; his fumble in SB 45 cost the Steelers the game and the dude didn't even average 4ypc for his career. Michel got bit by the UGA RB curse; he got injured and his career fell off a cliff and was out of the league in 4 or 5 years. Never understood how he went from very promising to a pile of dog sh*t as quick as he did.

 

[playthrough2001]

“NFL rumors: Insider believes Shedeur Sanders doesn't want to be drafted in top 3

However, one rumor hit the news cycle after ESPN's Louis Riddick floated the idea that Sanders doesn't actually want to be picked within the Top 3. During a segment on “First Take,” Riddick stated that because of the 23-year-old quarterback's approach to football, he would rather fall to a team picking outside of the Top 3.

“Shedeur is someone that wants to be collaborative,” said Riddick. “He's someone that you want to talk with. He doesn't like to be told, ‘This is the way we're going to do things, and you're just going to need to fall in line.' He’s earned that right because of the way he's played. And this young man is going to be just fine. And you know what? I hope he doesn’t go in the Top 3 picks. I hope he doesn't. And I think his camp would tell you the same thing. There are other teams they want to go to.”

NFL rumors: Insider believes Shedeur Sanders doesn't want to be drafted in top 3

Rumors swirl after one NFL Insider claims he doesn't believe Shedeur Sanders wants to be picked in the Top 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft.

clutchpoints.com

“The Jalen Carter-like star with 'highest ceiling in draft'

This NFL Draft prospect earned surprising comps to Eagles star Jalen Carter.

With the 2025 NFL Draft rapidly approaching, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler took it upon himself to survey the NFL and find some players who are either being overlooked or deserve more positive attention heading into the big event.

One player a veteran NFL defensive coach highlighted to Fowler as a prospect to watch is Walter Nolen, the former first overall high school prospect who closed out his career at Ole Miss after starting things out at Texas A&M. While Nolen didn't really break out until he transferred to Ole Miss, his game, when coupled with his pedigree and his athleticism has one veteran defensive line coach Fowler spoke to seeing shades of Jalen Carter.

“Highest ceiling in the entire draft. Not as big as [Jalen] Carter but has some of his traits,” a veteran NFL defensive coach told ESPN.

“Your hands will be full, and you need a real plan for him, but I have a hard time thinking he falls out of the top 20.”

Can Nolen be that level of player for his next team? It's hard to say, really: Carter is arguably the best defensive lineman in the NFL on a rookie contract and will likely get paid on a new one, beginning with a one followed by eight more digits when his deal becomes due. With that being said, not everyone is as sold on Nolen's ceiling, as others feel he will top out as more of a good starter than a true defense changer.”

The Jalen Carter-like star with 'highest ceiling in draft'

While breaking down some of the top players in the 2025 NFL Draft, this player earned surprising comps to Eagles star Jalen Carter.

clutchpoints.com

 

[TL1961]

“He’s earned that right” (to not be told by an NFL team ‘ this is how we do things’
“because of how he’s played” (at Colorado)

WHAT?

Louis, are you serious?

I think I understand now why you’re not getting NFL jobs when you interview for them.

 

[Xplosive]

“NFL rumors: Insider believes Shedeur Sanders doesn't want to be drafted in top 3

However, one rumor hit the news cycle after ESPN's Louis Riddick floated the idea that Sanders doesn't actually want to be picked within the Top 3. During a segment on “First Take,” Riddick stated that because of the 23-year-old quarterback's approach to football, he would rather fall to a team picking outside of the Top 3.

“Shedeur is someone that wants to be collaborative,” said Riddick. “He's someone that you want to talk with. He doesn't like to be told, ‘This is the way we're going to do things, and you're just going to need to fall in line.' He’s earned that right because of the way he's played. And this young man is going to be just fine. And you know what? I hope he doesn’t go in the Top 3 picks. I hope he doesn't. And I think his camp would tell you the same thing. There are other teams they want to go to.”



“The Jalen Carter-like star with 'highest ceiling in draft'

This NFL Draft prospect earned surprising comps to Eagles star Jalen Carter.

With the 2025 NFL Draft rapidly approaching, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler took it upon himself to survey the NFL and find some players who are either being overlooked or deserve more positive attention heading into the big event.

One player a veteran NFL defensive coach highlighted to Fowler as a prospect to watch is Walter Nolen, the former first overall high school prospect who closed out his career at Ole Miss after starting things out at Texas A&M. While Nolen didn't really break out until he transferred to Ole Miss, his game, when coupled with his pedigree and his athleticism has one veteran defensive line coach Fowler spoke to seeing shades of Jalen Carter.

“Highest ceiling in the entire draft. Not as big as [Jalen] Carter but has some of his traits,” a veteran NFL defensive coach told ESPN.

“Your hands will be full, and you need a real plan for him, but I have a hard time thinking he falls out of the top 20.”

Can Nolen be that level of player for his next team? It's hard to say, really: Carter is arguably the best defensive lineman in the NFL on a rookie contract and will likely get paid on a new one, beginning with a one followed by eight more digits when his deal becomes due. With that being said, not everyone is as sold on Nolen's ceiling, as others feel he will top out as more of a good starter than a true defense changer.”

Claiming that he now doesn't want to go top 3 after he was wearing giants gear during his college season and saying he wanted to go to them, is comical. I guess they have heard the rumors about him potentially sliding in the draft are trying to save face early.

Meanwhile, Nolen having some of Carter's "traits" and saying he will be a handful is likely why his draft stock is much lower than he should be. I think a veteran like Grady Jarrett could potentially be helpful by setting a good example that he might respect. At the same time, I still doubt that Poles throws in the towel on Dexter by drafting a first rounder that plays the same position.

 

[BaBaBlacksheep]

Claiming that he now doesn't want to go top 3 after he was wearing giants gear during his college season and saying he wanted to go to them, is comical. I guess they have heard the rumors about him potentially sliding in the draft are trying to save face early.

Meanwhile, Nolen having some of Carter's "traits" and saying he will be a handful is likely why his draft stock is much lower than he should be. I think a veteran like Grady Jarrett could potentially be helpful by setting a good example that he might respect. At the same time, I still doubt that Poles throws in the towel on Dexter by drafting a first rounder that plays the same position.

I don’t think that’s throwing the towel in at all. You need a rotation.

 

[Xplosive]

I don’t think that’s throwing the towel in at all. You need a rotation.

Philly has a rotation, Jalen Carter played 79% of the snaps and 3 other DTs below 50%.
Dexter played 57% of the snaps and they also added Grady Jarrett who played 67% of snaps for Atlanta...
Do you think Dexter will want even less snaps or that the Bears are paying Jarret to play less than 50% of the snaps?

So how do they fit in a #10 pick that will also be in need of at least 50% of the snaps, plus Andrew Billings?

 

[bamainatlanta]

Philly has a rotation, Jalen Carter played 79% of the snaps and 3 other DTs below 50%.
Dexter played 57% of the snaps and they also added Grady Jarrett who played 67% of snaps for Atlanta...
Do you think Dexter will want even less snaps or that the Bears are paying Jarret to play less than 50% of the snaps?

So how do they fit in a #10 pick that will also be in need of at least 50% of the snaps, plus Andrew Billings?

Grady’s snaps will do down as Atlanta had nobody else on that line and Dexter missed time, 2.5 games. He actually played 67% of the snaps and would easily be over 70% if he didn’t miss any games. If they go DT at #10, I’m guessing that the rookie will play about 45% - 50% of the snaps especially considering they might have Dexter at DE a handful of snaps. Billings is probably gone after 2025, so his snap counts will be going down

Gervon Dexter Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Checkout the latest stats for Gervon Dexter. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, college, draft, and more on Pro-football-reference.com.

www.pro-football-reference.com

 

[playthrough2001]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1909974062325026864

 

[TL1961]

Fact: The Bears finished 5-12.
Fact: The Bears had no Pro Bowlers in 2024.
CCS: “The Bears have zero star players.”
Also CCS*: “ We cannot draft someone who plays <insert position here> because we already have a starter at that position and if we draft someone, the starter would play fewer snaps.“

Spoiler alert: The goal in the off-season, especially for a team that finished 5-12, is to make moves that result in some starters playing fewer snaps.

That is how you get better.

*Some on CCS. Certainly not all.

 

[MikeDitkaPolishSausage]

Fact: The Bears finished 5-12.
Fact: The Bears had no Pro Bowlers in 2024.
CCS: “The Bears have zero star players.”
Also CCS*: “ We cannot draft someone who plays <insert position here> because we already have a starter at that position and if we draft someone, the starter would play fewer snaps.“

Spoiler alert: The goal in the off-season, especially for a team that finished 5-12, is to make moves that result in some starters playing fewer snaps.

That is how you get better.

*Some on CCS. Certainly not all.

That’s not a fact considering Jaylon Johnson was selected to the Pro Bowl.