Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame

[theOHIOSTATE!]

But I would love to roll out an OL and DL that are just full of big ass kickers. Our DL with Goldman and Hicks already have some big ass kickers.

Great, so would I....

OTOH, I am MORE SCARED of the prospect of trotting out a 30 yr old Prince Amukamura in 20 months as a starting CB who is in decline and produces basically no TO's. Or a Kyle Fuller who is fat and happy with a huge contract and has regressed to 2015/16 form.

Also, we need a pass rusher, TE and possibly 2 starting WR's.

When you consider the whole picture, OG seems like a relative luxury.

 

[WindyCity]

But I would love to roll out an OL and DL that are just full of big ass kickers. Our DL with Goldman and Hicks already have some big ass kickers.

Great, so would I....

OTOH, I am MORE SCARED of the prospect of trotting out a 30 yr old Prince Amukamura in 20 months as a starting CB who is in decline and produces basically no TO's.

Prince had a good this season. CB would not scare me as much as the wasteland of OLB.

But you are right, we would have to under invest in another position to take Nelson, there would be no argument from me.

 

[Visionman]

Several years ago now, no one though a WR was ever worth a top 10 pick until Detroit started taking them every year. Then others started doing it as well, and now no one even blinks if a WR is taken that high.

If a player is worth the pick, take them. Who cares about some make-believe "positional value"...

 

[satchice]

If you guys really think we need a Guard couldn't we pick up FA Andrew Norwell, Justin Pugh, Zach Fulton or maybe even Matt Slauson ? There are options in FA for a Guard but what FA WR and CB (the position that we actually need) are out there that you like?

 

[bamainatlanta]

If you guys really think we need a Guard couldn't we pick up FA Andrew Norwell, Justin Pugh, Zach Fulton or maybe even Matt Slauson ? There are options in FA for a Guard but what FA WR and CB (the position that we actually need) are out there that you like?

Slauson ended the season on IR and if they keep a zone blocking scheme, he is an absolutely terrible fit for it.
But you bring up a good point on filling a need with FA. OG will be a need unless Sitton takes a paycut--I'm not expecting him to keep his $8million salary.

 

[xer0h0ur]

You might as well start conditioning yourself to the concept that Pace will not be able to address every single need or upgrade every position that needs it...in this off-season. Otherwise you're setting yourself up to be mad. I'm going into free agency and the draft with a clear mind waiting to see what direction his coaching staff steers Pace.

 

[xer0h0ur]

I've already addressed this so many times. There are zero reasons for Sitton to take less money to play next season. Zero. None. Zip. Nada. He was still one of the top guards in the league this season and the few guys worth signing that are going to be available this off-season are going to command 8-10 million per season. Why in the hell would he take a penny less than the full 8 million he's due to make?

 

[BearClaw55]

Yeah or it could be because he's the best guard prospect in the last 20 years. Wether or not a guard is worth a top 10 pick is certainly a valid discussion. Nelson's ability and upside are not. Sometimes people just seem to like to argue for no reason. If you or anyone can point to literally any actual criticism of his play, let's hear it. His tape is unbelievable.

Exactly! I’m not even an ND fan. I don’t pay much attention to them. I just wanted to see if he was as good as advertised & his tape shows he is. He is sound technically & was mauling defensive players from top conferences, SEC, ACC, Big 10 etc. This guy is a top 10 prospect, position value is another story but the Bears could use him.

 

[WindyCity]

I've already addressed this so many times. There are zero reasons for Sitton to take less money to play next season. Zero. None. Zip. Nada. He was still one of the top guards in the league this season and the few guys worth signing that are going to be available this off-season are going to command 8-10 million per season. Why in the hell would he take a penny less than the full 8 million he's due to make?

I agree.

I also would not be shocked if the Bears decided not to pay it, but I think a lot will depend on Long's health.

 

[WindyCity]

If you guys really think we need a Guard couldn't we pick up FA Andrew Norwell, Justin Pugh, Zach Fulton or maybe even Matt Slauson ? There are options in FA for a Guard but what FA WR and CB (the position that we actually need) are out there that you like?

Norwell is the only comparable player and he will command 12/season and there is a good chance that we cannot land him.

But I agree that there are solid options in free agency at the position.

 

[xer0h0ur]

I agree.

I also would not be shocked if the Bears decided not to pay it, but I think a lot will depend on Long's health.

That has to be the biggest factor in play. If they don't believe Long is going to be ready then they are universally stupid to cut Sitton. Otherwise if they plan on replacing Sitton in the draft do it. If they actually plan on cutting Sitton, not drafting his replacement AND use one of our backup linemen as his replacement then I am probably going to be a bit irate.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

I don't understand the thinking behind, "you can't draft a guard in the top 10." If the guy is head and shoulder above the rest at his position, and has the talent - why wouldn't you go after him?? The Bears are a bad team, and have been a bad team for awhile. Maybe doing the conventional thing isn't worth it anymore.

 

[PeterMbangala]

If you take Nelson at 8 you need to be prepared for 2 things

1. You are not addressing at least 1 of your pressing needs.

2. You are probably going to ignore the defense until day 3.

Id love Nelson if Fitzpatrick is gone (and Chubb but he'll go top 5 for sure). I wonder what the conversation with Fangio was like though and whether any reassurances were made about getting him some high end talent in the draft. Goldman and Floyd are the two D players taken out of the 6 1st and 2nd rounders. Take Nelson and, say, Kirk and I imagine Fangio would be at least a little pissed.

 

[fatbeard]

How many people are taking Trubisky's mobility and a Chiefs-style scheme into account when advocating for potential OL picks?

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

How many people are taking Trubisky's mobility and a Chiefs-style scheme into account when advocating for potential OL picks?

This is a very fair point, and I'd only answer it by saying that if Nelson were not able to adapt to multiple styles of play then he's not worth the #8 pick. While I am high on Nelson (Actually, my top choice is Fitzpatrick) I will concede that not being adjust into a variety of schemes is a major negative in my book.

 

[bamainatlanta]

I don't understand the thinking behind, "you can't draft a guard in the top 10." If the guy is head and shoulder above the rest at his position, and has the talent - why wouldn't you go after him?? The Bears are a bad team, and have been a bad team for awhile. Maybe doing the conventional thing isn't worth it anymore.

Someone brought up a good point--you can fill that OG need(if Sitton or Long cant go) in FA if need be. Also wondering if Nelson will be a good fit for the scheme--as a ND fan, I don't recall him on the 2nd level all that often which is a must for a zone blocking scheme. Not saying he can't do it, but not sure how he would fare in it.

 

[WindyCity]

How many people are taking Trubisky's mobility and a Chiefs-style scheme into account when advocating for potential OL picks?

I think Nelson fits in any system.

I also think that the system may cost Sitton his job. This is a system that runs a ton of screens and he is no longer that good at getting out in front of them.

 

[xer0h0ur]

How many people are taking Trubisky's mobility and a Chiefs-style scheme into account when advocating for potential OL picks?

Since this thread is about Quenton Nelson I am a bit confused by this question. As Nelson seemingly can transcend scheme. As he alluded to in the question bears26 posted when they asked him about how Hiestand prepared him for the NFL. His answer was that Harry preached and taught fundamentals. So as for a guard, Nelson offers you anything you would possibly need out of a guard. His pass blocking is great, his run blocking is mauler style serving up pancakes galore. His pulling isn't as athletic as like a Kyle Long in my opinion but he's still good at it regardless of it looking slow.

 

[Nick80]

How many people are taking Trubisky's mobility and a Chiefs-style scheme into account when advocating for potential OL picks?

Who cares?! He's a "mauler" and threw a guy down once!

 

[xer0h0ur]

Once? I don't think you were paying attention to how many pancakes he was dishing out in that highlight reel alone. I also posted his PFF analysis which you're welcome to check for yourself as for his pass blocking grades. Nelson is a guy who wins the moment his mitts touch defenders.