DL Reconstruction…so far

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I think Billings is our NT and Walker is our LDE. Consider calling them both strong side DT and DE. I like that for the run. And I think Walker can slide in to DT in sub packages depending on how the rest of the personnel play out.

When you have big space eaters like them, you can afford to be a little lighter on the edge if you have special players there. I just watched the video you guys posted on Myles Murphy.

Do I think Carter is our 3T if he’s there? Yeah, I do.

But what if he’s not? I like Van Ness a lot but at times he doesn’t play as fast as he timed. But his versatility makes me think of a modern day Dan Hampton, giving you flexibility at DE and some DT. He’s another guy I like but 9 might be too rich. I looked at Nolan Smith’s tape just now. Holy crap I really like that guy. He’s only 240 lbs so he’ll need to add 10-15 lbs. But he plays with great strength and technique. He’s actually a better run defender now than he is a pass rusher (he’s no slouch but could use some moves in his arsenal which is mostly speed and power—this guy is crazy strong). I’d not be too shocked if they went for a smaller, speed rushing guy as their other DE. Smith has the traits I think they’d look for.

On the other side of it, if Carter is gone, and Tyree Wilson is there, I don’t think they’ll need to ponder very long about who their guy is. Wilson is the guy. So….give me Carter or WIlson if they’re there at 9. If not, trade back a few spots and get best available. Wilson is a huge, athletic DE who would add protection to our edge in the run game on his way to the QB. Would make life a little better for our OLBs and also DBs playing the edge.

Why not an OT? I think something odd is afoot here. I dunno if they’re going to take one later, or do something with what they have, like move Jenkins over to RT and keep Borom as the swing OT. They need too many additional bodies and talent on the D front from a pass rushing perspective to not go 3T or DE in R1. Could all change between now and FA, but these are my silly thoughts on a Sunday morning, still over a month from the draft.

What if they can’t get a 3T they really like? I think they’re pleased with what they got from Justin Jones, and if they had to go to the season with him as the starter, given they also find their LDE (edit—RDE) there could be worse things. Jones played decent ball with a bunch of scrubs around him last year. They might have to select one later in the draft that they can develop and hopefully be in the rotation.
Last edited by Noots on Sun Mar 19, 2023 2:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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I don’t agree, I think Walker will primarily be used as a rotational 3T that can slide outside sometimes. He’s been more successful rushing on the inside, so I think they’ll stick with that.

Billings is definitely going to be the 1T.

RT is something they obviously think they need since they targeted McGlinchey. But I don’t think they’re going to intentionally draft a RT with a top 10 pick.

As of right now, I don’t think you can gamble on Carter with a top 10 pick either.
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Great post Noots
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Noots wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:40 am I think Billings is our NT and Walker is our LDE. Consider calling them both strong side DT and DE. I like that for the run. And I think Walker can slide in to DT in sub packages depending on how the rest of the personnel play out.
I think that's probably correct. At least at the moment.
Noots wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:40 amI like Van Ness a lot but at times he doesn’t play as fast as he timed. But his versatility makes me think of a modern day Dan Hampton, giving you flexibility at DE and some DT. He’s another guy I like but 9 might be too rich.
I'd be fine and dandy with Poles getting Van Ness at 9. And, at this point, he's actually given himself less flexibility with his first two picks.

I don't think that Van Ness' up and down play should concern anybody very much, either. That defense was a mess. A very sub-par year for the Hawkeyes (by their relatively high standards of defensive play). Had Riley Moss declared after '21--which a lot of people thought he was gonna do--he would have went in the first three rounds. Now, he's being talked about somewhere in the fifth or sixth.
Noots wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:40 am On the other side of it, if Carter is gone, and Tyree Wilson is there, I don’t think they’ll need to ponder very long about who their guy is. Wilson is the guy. So...give me Carter or WIlson if they’re there at 9. If not, trade back a few spots and get best available. Wilson is a huge, athletic DE who would add protection to our edge in the run game on his way to the QB. Would make life a little better for our OLBs and also DBs playing the edge.
I still get the feeling that Murphy will be the second DE selected, so Wilson may well be there at 9...
Noots wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:40 amWhat if they can’t get a 3T they really like? I think they’re pleased with what they got from Justin Jones, and if they had to go to the season with him as the starter, given they also find their LDE, there could be worse things. Jones played decent ball with a bunch of scrubs around him last year. They might have to select one later in the draft that they can develop and hopefully be in the rotation.
I think you've nailed it, right there. Now that they have Billings, they're relatively happy. See who gets cut, see how the draft falls.
TheWorldBreaker wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 11:09 amRT is something they obviously think they need since they targeted McGlinchey. But I don’t think they’re going to intentionally draft a RT with a top 10 pick.
Well, it'd be really weird to unintentionally draft someone, right? ;)

But, you're right. This is why I was pounding the table for Poles to sign one of the top three DTs, regardless of their age. Now, he's pretty much forced to go DE in round one.

You never know with Poles, though. He could trade down a bajillion times more and do all kinds of weird shit...
Noots wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:40 amAs of right now, I don’t think you can gamble on Carter with a top 10 pick either.
I bet Poles feels the same way. Someone else might not, though.
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Heinz D. wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 11:39 am
Noots wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:40 am I think Billings is our NT and Walker is our LDE. Consider calling them both strong side DT and DE. I like that for the run. And I think Walker can slide in to DT in sub packages depending on how the rest of the personnel play out.
I think that's probably correct. At least at the moment.
Noots wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:40 amI like Van Ness a lot but at times he doesn’t play as fast as he timed. But his versatility makes me think of a modern day Dan Hampton, giving you flexibility at DE and some DT. He’s another guy I like but 9 might be too rich.
I'd be fine and dandy with Poles getting Van Ness at 9. And, at this point, he's actually given himself less flexibility with his first two picks.

I don't think that Van Ness' up and down play should concern anybody very much, either. That defense was a mess. A very sub-par year for the Hawkeyes (by their relatively high standards of defensive play). Had Riley Moss declared after '21--which a lot of people thought he was gonna do--he would have went in the first three rounds. Now, he's being talked about somewhere in the fifth or sixth.
Noots wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:40 am On the other side of it, if Carter is gone, and Tyree Wilson is there, I don’t think they’ll need to ponder very long about who their guy is. Wilson is the guy. So...give me Carter or WIlson if they’re there at 9. If not, trade back a few spots and get best available. Wilson is a huge, athletic DE who would add protection to our edge in the run game on his way to the QB. Would make life a little better for our OLBs and also DBs playing the edge.
I still get the feeling that Murphy will be the second DE selected, so Wilson may well be there at 9...
Noots wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:40 amWhat if they can’t get a 3T they really like? I think they’re pleased with what they got from Justin Jones, and if they had to go to the season with him as the starter, given they also find their LDE, there could be worse things. Jones played decent ball with a bunch of scrubs around him last year. They might have to select one later in the draft that they can develop and hopefully be in the rotation.
I think you've nailed it, right there. Now that they have Billings, they're relatively happy. See who gets cut, see how the draft falls.
TheWorldBreaker wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 11:09 amRT is something they obviously think they need since they targeted McGlinchey. But I don’t think they’re going to intentionally draft a RT with a top 10 pick.
Well, it'd be really weird to unintentionally draft someone, right? ;)

But, you're right. This is why I was pounding the table for Poles to sign one of the top three DTs, regardless of their age. Now, he's pretty much forced to go DE in round one.

You never know with Poles, though. He could trade down a bajillion times more and do all kinds of weird shit...
Noots wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:40 amAs of right now, I don’t think you can gamble on Carter with a top 10 pick either.
I bet Poles feels the same way. Someone else might not, though.
Van Ness is very raw (he literally has one move in his bag) and looks like he’s going to need to take some to develop. I think taking him in the top 10 is a bit of a reach his tape and production don’t warrant that.

As far as Carter goes, he has the talent to be a top 10 pick but the way he’s trending I don’t think so. He has time to turn it around and get in shape, which is why it makes sense to do the top 30 visit. But if he doesn’t dramatically improve I think his fall could be significant.

My fear is he turns it around becomes motivated and goes to the Lions and they have him up the middle with Hutchinson. That’d be rough if he actually consistently played to his level.

As far as RT goes what I mean by intentionally drafting a RT with 9 is that if they draft a T at 9 it will be with the intent of them being a franchise left tackle—it’s possible that they could not be good enough and have to play RT but that would be somewhat of a failure of a pick.
Last edited by TheWorldBreaker on Sun Mar 19, 2023 1:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Noots wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:40 am What if they can’t get a 3T they really like? I think they’re pleased with what they got from Justin Jones, and if they had to go to the season with him as the starter, given they also find their LDE, there could be worse things. Jones played decent ball with a bunch of scrubs around him last year. They might have to select one later in the draft that they can develop and hopefully be in the rotation.
Again, I think they're really looking for ADETOMIWA ADEBAWORE at 3T (HA, I have to keep cutting and splicing his name to get it right :-P ). The more tape I watch of this guy, the more convinced I am. Right now, he's climbing and expected to go at top of round 2. I could see him in a trade down. But you know, it reminds me of when Bruce Irvin came out and I was extolling him and Seattle took him right in front of us. It would not surprise me if we traded down and took him in round one, or even just took him straight up at #9 if Tyree Wilson isn't there.

If 3T is the driving force of our defense, and that's what you're looking for, AA is a much better prospect than Clancey. He had the best testing of any edge at the Combine but really projects more inside. AA is 6'2", 282 with sub 4.5 speed and a 1.61 ten-yard split! Among edges, he had the third best vertical at 37.5" and the seventh best broad at 10'5". These both would have been far and away the best among DTs. And he had 27 reps which would have been the fifth best among edges and the fourth among DTs.

He only had the seventh best production, but that was as an edge primarily:



Here he is completely dominating at the Senior Bowl as a DT:



Don't be completely shocked if we draft him at #9. I remember when I was laughed at when I suggested we just take Bruce Irvin with our first round pick (and Seattle took him right in front of us) and when I strongly advocated for taking Mahommes at #3. And look at where we are now. I think if we want AA, we'll have to at least get him in the first with a trade down and maybe with #9.
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I would not be shocked if they took AA at 9. Like at all.
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wab wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 4:16 pm I would not be shocked if they took AA at 9. Like at all.
Holy crap really?
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I think whatever Poles does it will be unexpected.
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Yogi da Bear wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 1:18 pm Again, I think they're really looking for ADETOMIWA ADEBAWORE at 3T (HA, I have to keep cutting and splicing his name to get it right :-P ). The more tape I watch of this guy, the more convinced I am. Right now, he's climbing and expected to go at top of round 2. I could see him in a trade down. But you know, it reminds me of when Bruce Irvin came out and I was extolling him and Seattle took him right in front of us. It would not surprise me if we traded down and took him in round one, or even just took him straight up at #9 if Tyree Wilson isn't there.

If 3T is the driving force of our defense, and that's what you're looking for, AA is a much better prospect than Clancey. He had the best testing of any edge at the Combine but really projects more inside. AA is 6'2", 282 with sub 4.5 speed and a 1.61 ten-yard split! Among edges, he had the third best vertical at 37.5" and the seventh best broad at 10'5". These both would have been far and away the best among DTs. And he had 27 reps which would have been the fifth best among edges and the fourth among DTs.

He only had the seventh best production, but that was as an edge primarily:

Don't be completely shocked if we draft him at #9. I remember when I was laughed at when I suggested we just take Bruce Irvin with our first round pick (and Seattle took him right in front of us) and when I strongly advocated for taking Mahommes at #3. And look at where we are now. I think if we want AA, we'll have to at least get him in the first with a trade down and maybe with #9.
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I heard an interview with him on NFL radio during the combine (which he blew up) and the interviewers were super-impressed by him. Turns out he is a high level Shot Putter (Missouri state champ in High School) and they talked extensively about how the sudden explosiveness needed to excel at the shot put translates extremely well to interior defensive line play.

On top of all that, he was super smart and polished in the interview. Not sure I see him at 9 but I could certainly envision him as a high 2nd rounder or even a late 1st if we decide to trade back a bit. I think he is an impressive young man that could be our answer at 3T.
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wab wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 4:16 pm I would not be shocked if they took AA at 9. Like at all.
Fine with me. Means they'd have to go DE with #53, though, and I'm not sure how well that'd work out...
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TheWorldBreaker wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 1:17 pm Van Ness is very raw (he literally has one move in his bag) and looks like he’s going to need to take some to develop. I think taking him in the top 10 is a bit of a reach his tape and production don’t warrant that.
Well...he declared after his redshirt sophomore season, didn't he?

Yeah, he's raw. I don't care.

Draft him at #9. I'll be doing cartwheels.
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Heinz D. wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 8:00 pm
TheWorldBreaker wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 1:17 pm Van Ness is very raw (he literally has one move in his bag) and looks like he’s going to need to take some to develop. I think taking him in the top 10 is a bit of a reach his tape and production don’t warrant that.
Well...he declared after his redshirt sophomore season, didn't he?

Yeah, he's raw. I don't care.

Draft him at #9. I'll be doing cartwheels.
Yes, and so you’re not drafting him based on his actual production but a projection of what he could become based on his physical tools.

If he doesn’t live up to the draft spot or takes a few years to develop, your cartwheels will mean nothing to the GM taking him instead of a player performing better than him that was drafted after him.
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TheWorldBreaker wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 8:17 pm
Heinz D. wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 8:00 pm
Well...he declared after his redshirt sophomore season, didn't he?

Yeah, he's raw. I don't care.

Draft him at #9. I'll be doing cartwheels.
Yes, and so you’re not drafting him based on his actual production but a projection of what he could become based on his physical tools.

If he doesn’t live up to the draft spot or takes a few years to develop, your cartwheels will mean nothing to the GM taking him instead of a player performing better than him that was drafted after him.
Yeah - I don't love 1-2 years lag time on a DL in the Top 10
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TheWorldBreaker wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 8:17 pm If he doesn’t live up to the draft spot or takes a few years to develop, your cartwheels will mean nothing to the GM taking him instead of a player performing better than him that was drafted after him.
That's true of literally every player in the draft.
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IotaNet wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 5:28 pm
Yogi da Bear wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 1:18 pm Again, I think they're really looking for ADETOMIWA ADEBAWORE at 3T (HA, I have to keep cutting and splicing his name to get it right :-P ). The more tape I watch of this guy, the more convinced I am. Right now, he's climbing and expected to go at top of round 2. I could see him in a trade down. But you know, it reminds me of when Bruce Irvin came out and I was extolling him and Seattle took him right in front of us. It would not surprise me if we traded down and took him in round one, or even just took him straight up at #9 if Tyree Wilson isn't there.

If 3T is the driving force of our defense, and that's what you're looking for, AA is a much better prospect than Clancey. He had the best testing of any edge at the Combine but really projects more inside. AA is 6'2", 282 with sub 4.5 speed and a 1.61 ten-yard split! Among edges, he had the third best vertical at 37.5" and the seventh best broad at 10'5". These both would have been far and away the best among DTs. And he had 27 reps which would have been the fifth best among edges and the fourth among DTs.

He only had the seventh best production, but that was as an edge primarily:

Don't be completely shocked if we draft him at #9. I remember when I was laughed at when I suggested we just take Bruce Irvin with our first round pick (and Seattle took him right in front of us) and when I strongly advocated for taking Mahommes at #3. And look at where we are now. I think if we want AA, we'll have to at least get him in the first with a trade down and maybe with #9.
This is “My Guy.”

I heard an interview with him on NFL radio during the combine (which he blew up) and the interviewers were super-impressed by him. Turns out he is a high level Shot Putter (Missouri state champ in High School) and they talked extensively about how the sudden explosiveness needed to excel at the shot put translates extremely well to interior defensive line play.

On top of all that, he was super smart and polished in the interview. Not sure I see him at 9 but I could certainly envision him as a high 2nd rounder or even a late 1st if we decide to trade back a bit. I think he is an impressive young man that could be our answer at 3T.
You got a good one there Iota.

I’d love us to draft him :clap:
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Taking Double A first is starting to grow on me. At 9? I don't know - if he is going to be as good as people seem to think, then why not? Why not get that 5th year for a stud DT? The Bears only have one first rounder - so if they're taking someone at 9 I can rationalize it.

Trading down and risking not getting him probably makes more sense. But how far can they go and confidently still grab the guy? The next 5 teams could conceivably want to grab a DE/3T stud so if the Bears have conviction on the guy they might be forced to take him at 9.
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IE wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 8:32 am Taking Double A first is starting to grow on me. At 9? I don't know - if he is going to be as good as people seem to think, then why not? Why not get that 5th year for a stud DT? The Bears only have one first rounder - so if they're taking someone at 9 I can rationalize it.

Trading down and risking not getting him probably makes more sense. But how far can they go and confidently still grab the guy? The next 5 teams could conceivably want to grab a DE/3T stud so if the Bears have conviction on the guy they might be forced to take him at 9.
Steelers or Seattle would be my trade partners as I want their high second.
However, you risk missing out on a stud.
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Saw something earlier that may tie in to the reconstruction of the DL relating to Gibson. he had 7 sacks 2 years ago playing more while standing up. They moved him to DE and it clearly didn't go well. I had pretty high hopes for it working out as he mostly played with his hand down at Tulsa.

Poles isn't scared to make move and he could try and trade him to a 3-4 team. Don't think we could get more than a LATE 5th round pick for him, but I wouldn't be shocked if a move like that was made.

I'm at a total loss for what I think this team will do at 9. It could be drafting one of the "blue chip" OTs, one of the many highly rated DL that we've talked about, a shocking DL guy no one would have projected a week ago such as AA, draft a CB or trade down.

I'm at such a loss about what I think will happen, I've given up trying to have a clue and just want the draft to get here.
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Arkansasbear wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 10:28 am Saw something earlier that may tie in to the reconstruction of the DL relating to Gibson. he had 7 sacks 2 years ago playing more while standing up. They moved him to DE and it clearly didn't go well. I had pretty high hopes for it working out as he mostly played with his hand down at Tulsa.

Poles isn't scared to make move and he could try and trade him to a 3-4 team. Don't think we could get more than a LATE 5th round pick for him, but I wouldn't be shocked if a move like that was made.

I'm at a total loss for what I think this team will do at 9. It could be drafting one of the "blue chip" OTs, one of the many highly rated DL that we've talked about, a shocking DL guy no one would have projected a week ago such as AA, draft a CB or trade down.

I'm at such a loss about what I think will happen, I've given up trying to have a clue and just want the draft to get here.
Here's my current pet favorite:

Bears pick Carter at 9 because despite the noise he's BPA. THEN they trade 61, 64 and 103 to some team in the 20s and grab AA who is still there. So basically two first round DTs (one who can play DE and then sub in for big fatty on passing downs).

Walker, Billings, Carter & AA, Backed up by DomRob, Jones, Gip and a later round 1T?

How good is that defense, adding those guys to the new LB corps and the Bear DB group?

Bears would still have a mid 2nd rounder, low 4th rounder, two 5ths and the two 7ths to fill out needs: Center, CB, backup TE, another 1T, OL. I think D would rise to top 10 easy. The cost would be risking Jenk at RT with Borom there if he struggles. I personally would do this in a heartbeat. And there would likely be a "rent a RT" type come available after the draft to mitigate risk.
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I think the folks who advocate 'building from the ball outwards' will be highly gratified.

We are going to see Ryan Poles' version of the BPA subset known as BLA, or Best Lineman Available.

This is where Poles and his coaches will make the foundational decisions and choices that are going to define the Bears franchise for quite a while.
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It would be very nice to hit on 2 DL overall

Looking at the 2024 roster (Assuming resigning Kmet, JJ and at least one of the WR) - we are young (Whitehair is over 30 and the new DE/DT we signed will be turning 30). Not many holes - And we will have 2 1sts
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Ditka’s dictaphone wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 9:16 am
IE wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 8:32 am Taking Double A first is starting to grow on me. At 9? I don't know - if he is going to be as good as people seem to think, then why not? Why not get that 5th year for a stud DT? The Bears only have one first rounder - so if they're taking someone at 9 I can rationalize it.

Trading down and risking not getting him probably makes more sense. But how far can they go and confidently still grab the guy? The next 5 teams could conceivably want to grab a DE/3T stud so if the Bears have conviction on the guy they might be forced to take him at 9.
Steelers or Seattle would be my trade partners as I want their high second.
However, you risk missing out on a stud.
This reminds me so much of the Mahommes draft, wherein I advocated for Mahommes in a trade down to like six or seven. I was harangued endlessly for it. Mahommes was projected in the low twenties by every single mock that I read. So I developed a Picnic Basket where I took Malik Hooker at #3 and traded back into the first (at #20) to take Mahommes. But in that same Basket, I admitted that if it were up to me, I'd just take Mahommes at #3 and be done with it. We all know how that draft turned out.

So in this one, yeah, I'd like a trade down with the Steelers, but we do indeed risk losing out on AA if we do. He's the most physically gifted defensive lineman in this draft, and production wise, he's the seventh best edge (playing out of position). His production at DT at the Senior Bowl was jaw dropping. He won every single rep that I saw, and it wasn't close.

He's undoubtedly going to go before Clancey. The guy has sub 4.5 speed and a 1.61 ten-yard split at 282 pounds! To put this in perspective, at 6'1", 280, Donald set the 40 record for DTs when he came out with a 4.68. AA's 6'2" with nearly 34" arms. He had 31 pressures and 27 run stops (3rd among edges). Here's a listing of some of his physical attributes:
Made Bruce Feldman's Freak's List - ranked #30. He wrote, "The 6-2, 280-pounder this offseason did 30 reps on the bench at 225. He maxed 410 on the bench and 685 in the squat and 375 power clean. His times also are elite: a 4.05 pro shuttle; a 6.9 3-cone to go with a 10-5 broad jump and a 37.5 vertical jump."
Everybody is looking at Jalen Carter as the best DT in this draft, but he has neither the production of AA (neither in pass rush or run stops) nor the athletic ability. At 6'3", he's only an inch taller but he has smaller arms. He also takes many plays off and has to substituted often. Conversely, AA has a non-stop motor, takes no plays off, and none of the baggage of Carter.

So I will say what I said during the Mahommes draft, if it were up to me, I'd just take AA at #9 and be done with it. There are plenty of edges we can get in the late second in this rather deep draft for them. And any who would be willing to take Carter at #9 should have no qualms about taking AA there. He's a better DT in every aspect than Carter is. I don't care what the pundits say.

As added pluses, if you need him to play edge, he can. Although he may not have the length you look for, he certainly has the strength and the speed. Hell, he could probably even be converted to LB if you want (all homage to Chris Zorich). lol Finally, being a local Northwestern kid, he's pretty damn smart.
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Well Yogi, you do have the Mahomes call in your back pocket to justify going against the experts. But I still side with the multiple experts who watched all the film and said Carter was the best prospect. I just don't watch enough college ball myself to feel comfortable going against them, particularly when so many of them saw it the same way.
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Working my way through too many mock draft simulations has helped me realize that there are only a few DTs and a few OTs I'm happy with. There are plenty of guys at every other position but for these two its risky to wait for #61. I would take multiple mid-round swings on EDGE to go with my 1st or 2nd round DT.
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dplank wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 12:17 pm Well Yogi, you do have the Mahomes call in your back pocket to justify going against the experts. But I still side with the multiple experts who watched all the film and said Carter was the best prospect. I just don't watch enough college ball myself to feel comfortable going against them, particularly when so many of them saw it the same way.
While Carter has gotten a lot of big pundit love, a lot of the smaller "semi-amateur" tape watchers I pay attention to on Twitter have had so many questions on the guy. That said I think the less established folks have a stronger bias towards things like effort and production, and less towards project ability, which the big guys, and largely NFL teams, do.
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Yogi da Bear wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 10:51 am
Ditka’s dictaphone wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 9:16 am

Steelers or Seattle would be my trade partners as I want their high second.
However, you risk missing out on a stud.
This reminds me so much of the Mahommes draft, wherein I advocated for Mahommes in a trade down to like six or seven. I was harangued endlessly for it. Mahommes was projected in the low twenties by every single mock that I read. So I developed a Picnic Basket where I took Malik Hooker at #3 and traded back into the first (at #20) to take Mahommes. But in that same Basket, I admitted that if it were up to me, I'd just take Mahommes at #3 and be done with it. We all know how that draft turned out.

So in this one, yeah, I'd like a trade down with the Steelers, but we do indeed risk losing out on AA if we do. He's the most physically gifted defensive lineman in this draft, and production wise, he's the seventh best edge (playing out of position). His production at DT at the Senior Bowl was jaw dropping. He won every single rep that I saw, and it wasn't close.

He's undoubtedly going to go before Clancey. The guy has sub 4.5 speed and a 1.61 ten-yard split at 282 pounds! To put this in perspective, at 6'1", 280, Donald set the 40 record for DTs when he came out with a 4.68. AA's 6'2" with nearly 34" arms. He had 31 pressures and 27 run stops (3rd among edges). Here's a listing of some of his physical attributes:
Made Bruce Feldman's Freak's List - ranked #30. He wrote, "The 6-2, 280-pounder this offseason did 30 reps on the bench at 225. He maxed 410 on the bench and 685 in the squat and 375 power clean. His times also are elite: a 4.05 pro shuttle; a 6.9 3-cone to go with a 10-5 broad jump and a 37.5 vertical jump."
Everybody is looking at Jalen Carter as the best DT in this draft, but he has neither the production of AA (neither in pass rush or run stops) nor the athletic ability. At 6'3", he's only an inch taller but he has smaller arms. He also takes many plays off and has to substituted often. Conversely, AA has a non-stop motor, takes no plays off, and none of the baggage of Carter.

So I will say what I said during the Mahommes draft, if it were up to me, I'd just take AA at #9 and be done with it. There are plenty of edges we can get in the late second in this rather deep draft for them. And any who would be willing to take Carter at #9 should have no qualms about taking AA there. He's a better DT in every aspect than Carter is. I don't care what the pundits say.

As added pluses, if you need him to play edge, he can. Although he may not have the length you look for, he certainly has the strength and the speed. Hell, he could probably even be converted to LB if you want (all homage to Chris Zorich). lol Finally, being a local Northwestern kid, he's pretty damn smart.
I know absolutely nothing here but reading that gets me excited!
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karhu wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:22 pm
TheWorldBreaker wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 8:17 pm If he doesn’t live up to the draft spot or takes a few years to develop, your cartwheels will mean nothing to the GM taking him instead of a player performing better than him that was drafted after him.
That's true of literally every player in the draft.
There’s a huge difference in perception and expectations on a top 10 pick and a late first round pick.

You can take a flyer on a guy on day three like Dominique Robinson and it’s expected and accepted that it’s going to take time for a converted WR to play at a high level—if it even ever happens.

A guy you draft in the top 10 is expected to have an immediate impact.
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TheWorldBreaker wrote: Tue Mar 21, 2023 8:02 pm
karhu wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:22 pm

That's true of literally every player in the draft.
There’s a huge difference in perception and expectations on a top 10 pick and a late first round pick.

You can take a flyer on a guy on day three like Dominique Robinson and it’s expected and accepted that it’s going to take time for a converted WR to play at a high level—if it even ever happens.

A guy you draft in the top 10 is expected to have an immediate impact.
Like Pat Mahomes?

It's more important for your first-round pick make a significant contribution. That seems about as far as history would take the idea.
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karhu wrote: Tue Mar 21, 2023 8:50 pm
TheWorldBreaker wrote: Tue Mar 21, 2023 8:02 pm

There’s a huge difference in perception and expectations on a top 10 pick and a late first round pick.

You can take a flyer on a guy on day three like Dominique Robinson and it’s expected and accepted that it’s going to take time for a converted WR to play at a high level—if it even ever happens.

A guy you draft in the top 10 is expected to have an immediate impact.
Like Pat Mahomes?

It's more important for your first-round pick make a significant contribution. That seems about as far as history would take the idea.
They had an established QB and traded up to 10 and it was still majorly criticized by a lot of people and a lot of their fans at the time, especially since Mahomes comp out of college was Jay Cutler.

When you earn your way into the top 10 the expectation is someone is going to come in and help you make an impact to start the turn around.

And when your first, first round draft pick in the draft is say Kevin White it can cast a shadow over your reign.
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