The Chicago Bears might stay at #1 overall, but the warning signs are getting too loud to ignore. It feels like they will trade out of that spot with a team seeking their QB of the future. That isn’t hard to believe. The Bears are rebuilding. They have their QB in place with Justin Fields. More picks will allow GM Ryan Poles to possibly accelerate his plans to makeover this roster into a contender. His goal is to get the best possible deal for the Bears. That means weighing the risks vs. the rewards. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah knows this well.
In this case, if moving down is the objective, the question becomes how far. If there is a specific player Poles fancies that won’t be available outside the top four or five spots, then he may seek a deal that keeps him there. On the other hand, if he wants to get the biggest return package possible and doesn’t see a huge gap between his top two prospects and everybody else, then he could move further down the board. Jeremiah believes passing on Jalen Carter or Will Anderson will be tough.
However, if the Bears decide to move further down, their target becomes obvious.
“I would probably go back to the same guy I just talked about: (Peter) Skoronski,” Jeremiah said of the Northwestern offensive lineman. “As bad as the Bears’ defense is, you’ve got to give Justin Fields some help going forward. If they traded all the way down to No. 9, I would think they’re probably trading themselves into their choice of offensive linemen at that point in time. It would be hard to trade away from those two defensive players because they’re really, really good. But if you could get just the sheer haul of picks that could serve you well into the future, I think I would go that route and it probably would switch me from the defensive side of the ball to the offensive side with their first pick.”
Daniel Jeremiah makes an assessment shared by others.
Most draft experts seem to follow the same thinking. The top half of the first ten picks will be quarterbacks and defensive linemen. Starting around #7 through #10 is when then offensive tackles like Skoronski, Paris Johnson Jr., and Broderick Jones could start coming off the board. The Bears have a glaring hole at right tackle. Any of those three names would be able to plug it. In terms of the best all-around game, Skoronski is the guy. He’s big, strong, quick, and a technician with his hands. The issue evaluators have with him is his arm length. Expectations are they’ll be around 32 inches, which many consider too short for NFL tackles.
That is why several projections have him moving inside to guard. That wouldn’t be a problem for the Bears. They need help there too. Cody Whitehair is getting older and had multiple health setbacks in 2022. Skoronski could step right in and replace him. It wouldn’t be a difficult pick. Daniel Jeremiah has that much right. Poles’ job is to add good players. Skoronski will be a good NFL player.
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You are spot on Dean, and the Bears are not drafting Skoronski with the 9th pick to play guard.
Waddle using CAPS. He must mean business.
Outside of a 3 tech like Dre’mont Jones, I prefer using FA for the O-line and the draft for the D-line. A good O-line takes time to develop. (the Quentin Nelson’s of the world notwithstanding). Working together is more vital than it is on the D-line. It’s more intricate and demands a lot of time praticing as a unit. I think a good veteran presence makes that go quicker. So guys like Jawan Taylor (RT) and Ben Powers (G) would help. Plus they’re still young and proven NFL players. Defense is a bit easier to acclimate to and doesn’t take… Read more »
I think there are still solid edge rushers available in that #7 to #9 range (Tyree Wilson & Myles Murphy) Bears could nab before an offensive tackle (which is not a bad choice either).
Well, I do like the thought of fortifying the OFFENSE first for a change.