The Chicago Bears have done a good job of keeping everyone guessing as to their real intentions for this upcoming NFL draft. Some think they take the best offensive tackle available. Others believe Matt Eberflus will push GM Ryan Poles to consider Jalen Carter or a top pass rusher. There is even a contingent of people in the fringe that think wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is in play. All scenarios seem possible because this team needs lots of help. There is also the lingering possibility they trade down again.
In these situations, it’s often interesting to get the perspective of people inside the league itself. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reached out to several sources on what could unfold early in the draft. According to what he’s hearing from several scouts, the belief is Chicago will focus on Justin Fields’ protection.
The Bears (No. 9), Titans (No. 11) and New York Jets (No. 13) are among teams that scouts believe will strongly consider offensive line help with their top picks. These teams met with Georgia’s Broderick Jones this week. Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski — whom one NFC scout says has the ability to become a Hall of Fame-type guard — is an option for the top 10, and Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr. and Tennessee’s Darnell Wright are also well-positioned for high picks. Once one offensive lineman comes off the board, a run on tackles could follow.
This is hardly a surprise. The Bears still have a glaring hole at right tackle and question marks at center. They failed to land any of the top free agents at either position. So it only makes sense Poles would look to correct the problem in the draft.
The Chicago Bears have every reason to do this.
The last time this organization invested a 1st round pick in the offensive line was Kyle Long in 2013. Offensive tackle was Gabe Carimi in 2011. It’s been far too long. The road to playoff success in the NFL has always been in the trenches. It isn’t a coincidence the Bears’ lack of overall success for the past decade can be traced to constant weakness up front. Fields was sacked 55 times last season. If they want him to be anything close to a franchise quarterback, that number must be cut in half.
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That can rarely be done with half-measures. The Chicago Bears have to get serious. If they want to make the most of Fields, it requires true investments. D.J. Moore was a good start. So is new guard Nate Davis. Now it’s time to bring everything together with a talented tackle. Then again, this regime has already shown it won’t bow to outside pressures. If Poles believes another player carries more value than the tackles available, he will take that player. He proved it last year by ignoring wide receivers in the 2nd round.
The 28th will be a fascinating evening.
Must have been writing the article coming from the bar and not to it; lol
So, I come to one of two conclusions here.
1) Erik will be in Japan for the draft, and the first round will happen there, on the 28th, around noon.
2) Erik doesn’t care about the #9 pick, and is more concerned about what the Bears do with #53, #61, and #64.
Neither makes a lot of sense. Hoping it was a typo on his part, and not pure ignorance of when the draft starts. If so, he needs an editor. (I am NOT volunteering for that job.)
This article appears to reference really good intel (if accurate). If the Bears are serious about picking a premier OT (Johnson or Jones), then their trade-down options to explore end at #12 with Houston. Ideally, Houston picks Anderson at #2 and uses #12 to trade up to Bears for the last good QB on the board. Who knows though. A previous article here mentioned mid-teens as a sweet spot to start taking OTs.
Bigdog51: The assumption is that you try to trade down. If there’s a lot of interest in your pick, you drive a hard bargain. If there’s little interest, you don’t get as good of a value. And if no one will agree on a trade, then you make the pick, and take the best player available for your team. That said, Poles has shown that he’s pretty adept at trading, especially down. He did it several times last year (albeit in lower rounds, where it’s easier to do). So he’s kind of established that he can do that, so now… Read more »
Why is everyone assuming they can just trade down it takes 2