Overall draft grade

[BearDown104]

B-

Caleb carries what should be a D. I like Odunze the player and prospect (he comps to a faster Allen Robinson without the preinjured knee), but WR3 at 9 was a completely unnecessary pick and a luxury, and just something we’d make fun of the lions for doing some 2 decades ago; holes everywhere on the roster? Take another WR.

He’ll be WR2 next year? Great! Who’s LDE1 this year? After Tez nobody on the DL can get home. I hope this kids a perennial 1000+ per year guy. He’s going to be called a bust when he finishes this year with 300-400 receiving yards.

The OL was a project player who’s got traits and measureables, but not really technique. Nice local story I suppose.

A punter at 122 was egregious, even if he is being called the Iowa Hawkeyes best offensive weapon. I’m not saying Trenton Gil was good or that they should keep him longterm, but punter at 122? That’s something a stupid football team with minimal picks does. Overreach.

The trade up for the edge I like. Booker feels like he should have gone a lot higher than 144 though. I wonder why.

Mad about drafting a WR at 9 after selecting your franchise QB at 1? I guess this is why the Bears are the Bears. Always want a QB then never want to protect or get him support. We finished with a top 12-15 defense and will continue to add to it. We finally are getting an NFL caliber offense and doing it right and Bears fans lose their minds lol. Allen is injury prone and a 1 year rental, let Rome learn from professionals and grow with CW, it's simple man.

There's a reason the first EDGE wasn't taken until 15.

 

[Bolek]

So, you would have been happier if the Bears had moved up to round 2 and picked up Kiran instead of getting him in the third?

Kiran has the ideal Poles' OT profile. Poles got him in the 3rd when he might have been drafted in the 2nd.

I was expecting earlier picks that could help bolster OL/DL, not only during the draft but all offseason. Our skill group has improved by 100% but the trenches are pretty much the same as they were at the end of last season

 

[JoJoBoxer]

I was expecting earlier picks that could help bolster OL/DL, not only during the draft but all offseason. Our skill group has improved by 100% but the trenches are pretty much the same as they were at the end of last season

Which of the Bears centers (Musty, Whitehair, Patrick) the past two years were better than Shelton and Bates?

 

[playthrough2001]

B-

Caleb carries what should be a D. I like Odunze the player and prospect (he comps to a faster Allen Robinson without the preinjured knee), but WR3 at 9 was a completely unnecessary pick and a luxury, and just something we’d make fun of the lions for doing some 2 decades ago; holes everywhere on the roster? Take another WR.

He’ll be WR2 next year? Great! Who’s LDE1 this year? After Tez nobody on the DL can get home. I hope this kids a perennial 1000+ per year guy. He’s going to be called a bust when he finishes this year with 300-400 receiving yards.

The OL was a project player who’s got traits and measureables, but not really technique. Nice local story I suppose.

A punter at 122 was egregious, even if he is being called the Iowa Hawkeyes best offensive weapon. I’m not saying Trenton Gil was good or that they should keep him longterm, but punter at 122? That’s something a stupid football team with minimal picks does. Overreach.

The trade up for the edge I like. Booker feels like he should have gone a lot higher than 144 though. I wonder why.

Caleb Williams is a D?

You would have rather taken a lesser prospect to fill a need at 9? That’s how mediocre organizations stay mediocre.

This is a horrendous take.

 

[TL1961]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and it’s your thread but is this for real?

They could have folded their tent after round 1 and it’s still an A+.

Getting Odunze at 9 without having to move up is absolutely amazing. He was Daniel Jeremiah’s number three prospect regardless of position.

Plus, are we now taking for granted they drafted Caleb Williams?

I’m curious what would be considered an A for you?

Exactly! After Williams and Odunze they could have drafted Sister Jean from Loyola and the grade wouldn't be less than an A.

 

[TL1961]

I was expecting earlier picks that could help bolster OL/DL, not only during the draft but all offseason. Our skill group has improved by 100% but the trenches are pretty much the same as they were at the end of last season

They used their third pick on an OT after using their second pick on a prospect many rated #3 overall, a WR who would be #1 WR in most drafts.

Had they taken an OT at 9, I would not have been upset. But I certainly am not upset at what they did and don't feel they neglected OL since their next pick went that way.

 

[Dumpster Fire]

The modern NFL is skewed towards passing offense. You can never have enough young elite wide receivers. The Odunze pick isnt supposed to happen for the Bears. This was shaping up to be another Aaron Donald situation for the Bears. We’re so lucky things played out like this. The draft is an A.

i want to see more young interior o line bodies too. I want to see another DE. Poles sees the deficiencies just like we do. He drafted Trenton Gill, dude sucked, he’s moving on. As long as the decision makers are learning from these mistakes, it’s working as intended. Why did we draft Gill? What went wrong with evaluation and development? What should we have been looking for instead? I see a GM who is steadily improving and the good/great moves are starting to pile up and outnumber the bad/questionable moves.

 

[playthrough2001]

The modern NFL is skewed towards passing offense. You can never have enough young elite wide receivers. The Odunze pick isnt supposed to happen for the Bears. This was shaping up to be another Aaron Donald situation for the Bears. We’re so lucky things played out like this. The draft is an A.

i want to see more young interior o line bodies too. I want to see another DE. Poles sees the deficiencies just like we do. He drafted Trenton Gill, dude sucked, he’s moving on. As long as the decision makers are learning from these mistakes, it’s working as intended. Why did we draft Gill? What went wrong with evaluation and development? What should we have been looking for instead? I see a GM who is steadily improving and the good/great moves are starting to pile up and outnumber the bad/questionable moves.

Gill was decent as a rookie. He was below average last year.

I don’t like drafting punters but if he can consistently flip the field, he can be a huge weapon.

My buddies that are Iowa football fans absolutely love him. Imagine that, he’s a punter.

 

[Black Rainbow]

Caleb Williams is a D?

You would have rather taken a lesser prospect to fill a need at 9? That’s how mediocre organizations stay mediocre.

This is a horrendous take.

I think he's saying without CW the draft is a D.

 

[Chicago Staleys]

The draft was over after the 9th pick. That all I needed.

A

 

[IBleedBearsBlood]

The modern NFL is skewed towards passing offense. You can never have enough young elite wide receivers. The Odunze pick isnt supposed to happen for the Bears. This was shaping up to be another Aaron Donald situation for the Bears. We’re so lucky things played out like this. The draft is an A.

i want to see more young interior o line bodies too. I want to see another DE. Poles sees the deficiencies just like we do. He drafted Trenton Gill, dude sucked, he’s moving on. As long as the decision makers are learning from these mistakes, it’s working as intended. Why did we draft Gill? What went wrong with evaluation and development? What should we have been looking for instead? I see a GM who is steadily improving and the good/great moves are starting to pile up and outnumber the bad/questionable moves.

The way I see it and what we were left with (4 picks), we were either going to get a big star defensive player this year and a big time WR next year, or vice versa. Since Odunze was there, it was Vice versa. You can’t have it both ways in one draft year.

 

[playthrough2001]

I think he's saying without CW the draft is a D.

That is like Dave Wannstedt saying “we would have beaten Green Bay if Brett didn’t throw those three TD passes.”

Odunze without Caleb makes it a damn good draft.

 

[Forty-six]

It's an A for me. Caleb potentially could be the best QB we've ever had. I love the Odunze pick for multiple reasons...

• he can become a legit No. 1 receiver
• he and Caleb will have the chance to grow up together and develop chemistry, similar to what Burrow and Chase have in Cincy
• Taking a WR at 9 signals a new era for the Bears. Any other past Bears regime would have gone with edge at 9. Poles doubled down on offense in taking potentially an elite WR in an effort to support and develop QB1

Taking Amegadjie in the 3rd gives the Bears OL depth, something we desperately need. The dude has great length and athleticism and could develop into a starter by year 2.

Taylor will be the third starter from this draft and could be one of the best punters in the NFL by season's end. Field position is huge in any game and Taylor will be a weapon in that equation.

Booker is a project but has a lot of great qualities including length and athleticism. He would have been projected to go much higher next year had he stayed in school.

 

[Black Rainbow]

B-

Caleb carries what should be a D. I like Odunze the player and prospect (he comps to a faster Allen Robinson without the preinjured knee), but WR3 at 9 was a completely unnecessary pick and a luxury, and just something we’d make fun of the lions for doing some 2 decades ago; holes everywhere on the roster? Take another WR.

He’ll be WR2 next year? Great! Who’s LDE1 this year? After Tez nobody on the DL can get home. I hope this kids a perennial 1000+ per year guy. He’s going to be called a bust when he finishes this year with 300-400 receiving yards.

The OL was a project player who’s got traits and measureables, but not really technique. Nice local story I suppose.

A punter at 122 was egregious, even if he is being called the Iowa Hawkeyes best offensive weapon. I’m not saying Trenton Gil was good or that they should keep him longterm, but punter at 122? That’s something a stupid football team with minimal picks does. Overreach.

The trade up for the edge I like. Booker feels like he should have gone a lot higher than 144 though. I wonder why.

You could be absolutely right. If Ordunze gets like 400 yards next year, and we're last in sack percentage again...I'll just say the excuse making will be epic.

I like your statement: holes everywhere on the roster? Take another WR.

Lotta truth to that.

 

[HeHateMe]

The first round was absolute lightning, but I can't say I'm not underwhelmed with how the rest of the draft played out.

Solid B for me.

I gave it a C. Because no option for a D.

If the draft was just one round, I'd give it an A+++

But unfortunately for Poles he kept drafting, and made a bunch or questionable picks.

A punter. Again drafting a punter. What kind of confidence does he have in all his offensive moves if he's drafting a punter in the 4th round? Makes ya think.


His OL is a specimen but a total rich entitled kid from Hinsdale IL who went to Yale. Sure he cracked the 300 ranking for incoming OL but this is the guy you're drafting with your third pick?

Then you have the linebacker he drafted to be DE because he's too slow to play LB and will likely just be a special teams "ace" giving up draft capital for Booker was weird to me. Could have gotten him as a UFDA.

 

[Chicago Staleys]

People forget. This was the Bears 2024 draft

1st rd - CW
1st rd - Odunze
2nd rd - Sweat
3rd rd- KA
4th rd - Taylor
4th rd - Allen
5th rd - Bates
5th rd - Booker

 

[bamainatlanta]

Caleb Williams is a D?

You would have rather taken a lesser prospect to fill a need at 9? That’s how mediocre organizations stay mediocre.

This is a horrendous take.

No he meant Caleb and the defense.

 

[GoDJtop10]

I give it an “A”. We walked away with a blue chip QB, a blue chip WR, a blue chip Punter, and also a highly rated Offensive Tackle and highly rated Defensive End that our coaching staff can develop the next couple years.

Although the pass rush is still a concern, as I’ve been saying for quite a while Dexter progressed nicely last season and I expect him to ball this season. As far as DE opposite Sweat, we didn’t get one of the top players this draft, but we have enough ammo in the 2025 draft to get one of the top kids next draft. In the meantime, we can re-sign Yannick (who was decent once Sweat came here) for this season and possibly use one of our 2025 2nd or 3rd round picks to trade for a veteran mid season (like we did with Sweat) if required.

 

[Nelly]

You could be absolutely right. If Ordunze gets like 400 yards next year, and we're last in sack percentage again...I'll just say the excuse making will be epic.

I like your statement: holes everywhere on the roster? Take another WR.

Lotta truth to that.

You don't draft for need at the top of the draft. Odunze was the clear best prospect, helps your franchise QB, hedges you against some giant WR contracts being handed out and gives you Allen insurance from injury or walking next year. It was a great pick.

 

[IBleedBearsBlood]

People forget. This was the Bears 2024 draft

1st rd - CW
1st rd - Odunze
2nd rd - Sweat
3rd rd- KA
4th rd - Taylor
4th rd - Allen
5th rd - Bates
5th rd - Booker

I didn’t. And it’s stupid to think that an offensive lineman or a d lineman in the 3rd (especially who was left for edge rushers) were suddenly just going to step right in as starters and change our ranking to #1 best line in the NFL.

Not saying you think that OP. Just putting it out there is all.