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Late Draft Buzz Hints Bears Are Leaning Towards This Position at #8

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears draft buzz

Chicago Bears draft buzz must be taken with a grain of salt. We all know this. They proved last year they could keep people guessing as to what they really wanted right up until the pick was made. So there’s no reason to think they can’t do it again. It might be even easier this time because not as many as are on their pick as there were a year ago.

This has led to rampant speculation about which direction they could go. The most popular name is Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson. Not far behind is linebacker Roquan Smith and pass rushers like Harold Landry and Marcus Davenport. All are viable talents, but are they truly what the Bears are aiming at?

The belief remains strong one of those names will be called, but the winds have shifted ever so slightly. In the past 24 hours, there’s been a growing hint that the team may, in fact, have another idea in mind. One that could look a bit puzzling at first, but may, in fact, have a profound long-term positive impact.

Chicago Bears draft buzz is picking up around the secondary

Things seem stable around the Bears secondary these days, which is incredible to think about. The returns of Kyle Fuller, Prince Amukamara, and Bryce Callahan have kept their corner position solid. Eddie Jackson and Adrian Amos formed an able tandem at safety last season. Yet it seems the Bears coaches aren’t satisfied.

Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times, who still believes Roquan Smith is the pick, admitted he’s hearing chatter about eyes shifting to the back end.

“There are rumblings that the Bears want to upgrade their secondary with a true playmaker. It was a goal last season, too.

It’s why the Bears traded up in the fourth round to select safety Eddie Jackson. The Bears also had LSU safety Jamal Adams in mind early in the first round if quarterback Mitch Trubisky was off the board.

Two players stand out in this year’s draft: Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward and Alabama safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. It’s interesting that they visited Halas Hall and that Florida State safety Derwin James did not.”

He wasn’t alone either.

Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog, who correctly reported the Bears’ hiring of Harry Hiestand, heard from a top executive absolutely sees them targeting a defensive back.

“Asked both of the aforementioned personnel men what the Bears need? The GM stumbled around and gave me nothing. The other was dead-on. “They need defensive backs that make big plays when they get their hands on the football. And there will be several available when they pick. That’s where I expect Ryan to target and I KNOW that’s what Vic wants.”

This might seem hard to understand at first. The Bears seem relatively set in the secondary. Why target it so early? There is a simple explanation:  turnovers. The Bears defensive backs combined for just seven interceptions in 2017. For context? Detroit Lions cornerback Darius Slay had eight by himself. That is not good.

Forcing takeaways has remained a persistent issue for Fangio’s defense and the secondary is a primary culprit. Clearly, they want to put somebody back there who can get his hands on the football. Jackson was a step in the right direction last year. Now they require another. Under these conditions, the name to watch would be his former teammate Minkah Fitzpatrick.

He had nine interceptions during his three years with the Crimson Tide and exhibits the sort of versatility that Fangio covets.

REPORT: White Sox Trade For Pirates Outfielder

By
Aldo Soto
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You don’t see many trades in April and although these aren’t blockbuster deals, the Chicago White Sox have reportedly traded for another outfielder. According to Rob Biertempfel, the White Sox have made a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates for Todd Cunningham.

Cunningham, 29, was a second-round pick in 2010, by the Atlanta Braves and has played in 67 MLB games. In 130 plate appearances at the major-league level, the outfielder has a slash line of .207/.256/.264, with no home runs and seven doubles.

The right-handed hitter has been with five organizations since being drafted in 2010, and that includes four different teams since 2015. Cunningham has nearly 3,000 at-bats in the minors, putting up a .276/.355/.372, slash line with 30 home runs and 124 stolen bases.

So far in Triple-A this season, Cunningham was hitting .190 in nine games.

The White Sox also made another move on Thursday, removing Casey Gillaspie from the 40-man roster.

The reason for that move could be to make room for a pitcher to start one of the games in Saturday’s double-header against the Kansas City Royals.

Last week, the White Sox made a few trades as well, dealing Tyler Saladino away to the Milwaukee Brewers for some money and then sending some money to the Oakland A’s for outfielder Trayce Thompson.

Marcus Davenport Gave Curious Answer On His Bears Draft Meeting

By
Erik Lambert
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marcus davenport

The name Marcus Davenport isn’t quite as well known to Chicago Bears fans at this point. This shouldn’t be a surprise. He almost literally came out of nowhere in the past few months from the University of Texas-San Antonio. That school has only produced one draft pick in history up to this point. So it’s not exactly a hotbed of NFL talent. Still, people are having a hard time ignoring him.

In fact, he’s even drawn comparisons to former star pass rusher Aldon Smith. That certainly set off buzz alarms, given how Smith dominated under Vic Fangio in San Francisco. What people want to know is could Davenport be a target for the Bears at #8? They certainly need pass rush help. Leonard Floyd is their only proven player and he’s coming off a knee injury.

An interesting twist on it is what Davenport may think. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune had a chance to ask the prospect about his visit with the Bears. Davenport’s answer was more than a little curious and perhaps telling.

Marcus Davenport avoid too much detail on his Bears visit

When asked if he had made a pre-draft visit to the Bears, the edge rusher who has vaulted from relative anonymity just last fall to a big deal this spring, stepped back, cracked a big smile and then took a sip of his bottled water.

“That’s an interesting question,” the 6-foot-6, 264-pound Davenport said. “What do you think? Why the Bears specifically?”

Told that the reporter covers the Bears, Davenport smiled again.

“I met (outside linebackers coach Brandon) Staley,” Davenport said. “I like him a lot.”

It’s possible that Davenport was just having fun at the expense of Bears media. Then again, one needs to remember the context. Last year it came out that GM Ryan Pace specifically told Mitch Trubisky to avoid revealing any of their meetings together. They valued complete secrecy so another team might not try to jump them to secure their guy. Trubisky complied and the entire NFL community was stunned when the pick was made.

Davenport fits the profile of a type of player Pace would covet. He’s big, strong, highly athletic and clean off the field. He carries a chip on his should too, coming from a smaller program. The Smith comparison certainly doesn’t hurt either. It’s not hard to think that his murky answer to the question may have been encouraged by the Bears to avoid national attention.

White Sox Minor-Leaguers Continue To Impress

By
Matt Enuco
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Despite the flurry of media speculation and probing for the possibility of heralded Triple-A pitcher Michael Kopech to earn an early promotion, the flamethrowing right-hander was left in the minors this week…and it should stay that way. Two other White Sox prospects had big nights on Wednesday as the farm system continues to be a point of pride for an otherwise grim major-league season.

Kopech fired six frames of one-hit baseball, fanning eight and walking two on his way to a no-decision. After today’s outing, his season statistics are magnificent.

Few would be surprised to hear Kopech dialed up 102 on the radar gun today, and fewer still would find his early success at Triple-A surprising. But there are at least three factors that will hold him in the minors longer than fans and prognosticators like to believe.

Kopech’s development is less about success in the minors and more about polish. It doesn’t appear that Triple-A is challenging for him right now, and in fact, many analysts predicted that Kopech could’ve joined the big leagues in early 2017 and sat hitters down. The fact remains that he is still working on polishing his changeup and must demonstrate more efficiency in various scenarios (i.e. pitching to contact when he doesn’t have his best stuff).

Secondly, Kopech is going to struggle at some point, and it’s better to endure those tribulations in the minors where the lights are not so bright than face a gaggle of reporters after every start diagnosing your defects. After speaking with White Sox director of player development Chris Getz a few weeks ago he confirmed that it is important to reach certain milestones and benchmarks at each level. Kopech and Eloy Jimenez will live under a microscope for most of 2018, and while Jimenez is unlikely to make the big-league club at all in 2018, Kopech’s ascension is imminent but delayed.

But what will hold Kopech down longer is his innings. He reached 130 innings in 2017 and White Sox brass are acutely aware of overloading the youngster too quickly. Getz noted that he anticipates Kopech to throw the majority of his innings in Triple-A this season, an estimation that given Rick Hahn’s flair for the dramatics can be read in multiple ways.

High Octane Power In High-A

Micker Adolfo was once considered a gem in an otherwise tarnished farm-system, but he has boosted his standing among other elite prospects. After posting a career high in home runs in 2017 (16), Adolfo is in the midst of a thunderous encore. The White Sox No. 10 prospect smoked two home runs on Wednesday night in both ends of a doubleheader.

Adolfo is batting .324 with five home runs, 15 runs batted in and a .965 OPS.

A Hitch In Collins’ Development

After Zack Collins was drafted by the White Sox in the first round of 2016, many believed he had the maturity and polish to jump into a big-league lineup immediately. This hasn’t changed much. Collins controls the strike zone extremely well and works deep counts consistently. However, pitchers have discovered they can exploit an exaggerated hitch in his swing and pound him just beneath his hands. Collins is disciplined enough to lay off those pitches but in certain counts, he has to defend that hole in his swing.

The question with Collins has always been whether he will stay behind the dish or not. It’s a convenient excuse to say that he’s been focusing on his defensive deficiencies and that’s why his production at the plate has suffered, but this is a flimsy argument. Collins’ struggles are from his hitch, not his approach. But remember, this is only Collins second full season of professional baseball and he’s already in Double-A.

The young slugger is batting an embarrassing .098 and does not have a hit off of a left-handed pitcher in 2018. Still, don’t run to hit the panic button yet. The season is still young and Double-A is a critical benchmark for players to excel at. After Wednesday’s home run, Collins is five for his last 24. And while a .208 batting overage over the last eight games is nothing to gloat about, it’s an improvement nonetheless.

Small victories are part and parcel of minor-league development.

Roquan Smith May Have Copied a Trubisky Tactic To Gain Bears Favor

By
Erik Lambert
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roquan smith

People love to say the NFL is a copycat league. That may sound cliche but it’s true. If you don’t figure out why something works for certain teams and figure out how to employ it yourself, you’re a step behind. Teams that are a step behind don’t win championships. This can also be applied to the draft. Players who are a step behind in how to gain favor with teams won’t be drafted high. Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith learned his lesson well.

One thing that has become clear about this Chicago Bears regime under Ryan Pace is they want players who want to be Bears. Matt Nagy likely delivered the decisive blow in his interview when he stated at the end he really wanted to coach Chicago. However, the OG of this methodology is their young quarterback Mitch Trubisky.

Nobody delivered a masterstroke in the “I want to be a Bear” arena than him. It took place before the 2017 draft when Pace tasked him with setting up a dinner meeting.

“Pace also ordered Trubisky to keep the meeting top secret, so as not to tip off anyone — not any Tar Heels coaches or teammates, not any other NFL execs or agents, not even a campus meter maid — to the Bears’ interest.

Trubisky took the directive and pieced things together.

Before Pace and his cohorts arrived on campus, the Bears GM had a text. Dinner at 7 p.m.

The venue: Bin 54, a top steakhouse in North Carolina’s Triangle region. And to keep the gathering covert, Trubisky made the reservation for six under an alias: James McMahon.”

Genius. Pace loved that move and further cemented his desire to make Trubisky a Bear. It would seem Smith, who could be a target for them at #8 overall, may have taken a page from that playbook.

Roquan Smith knows his football history, especially his Bears history

Smith spoke with Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune recently about his pre-draft experience and how his meeting went with the Bears. He seemed to love the idea of reuniting with Leonard Floyd, a former Georgia teammate and also pairing with Danny Trevathan. He sees no problem with playing in a 3-4, having done it through most of college.

When it came to playing for the Bears franchise itself? He made a rather interesting comment.

If the Bears draft Smith, he would enter the building with a better idea than a lot of young players of the Bears’ rich tradition at of the linebacker.

“Dick Butkus, Brian Urlacher, Mike Singletary, Bill George, Lance Briggs. Lot of guys,” Smith said off the top of his head. “I am a football junkie, so I know a lot about the game and a lot of history.”

Being a smart guy in the Xs and Os is one thing for the Bears. Yet to rattle off that many names, particularly Bill George who is one most people forget? That’s damn impressive. Everybody knows how much this franchise embraces its history and tradition. Smith almost certainly kept that in mind when he met them. A clever tactic indeed. Was it enough to win their favor?

We’ll find out if he’s still on the board when they go on the clock.

Bears Mailbag – What Are Some Dream Draft Scenarios?

By
Dhruv Koul
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chicago bears trade

The ultra-hyped, yet much anticipated, NFL Draft begins tomorrow night. Enough said.

As fascinating as last year’s draft was, with the Chicago Bears being linked to Jamal Adams, Solomon Thomas, and Deshaun Watson pre-draft, this one might be even more intriguing.

Ryan Pace on Tuesday said that there are eight players he likes in the eighth draft slot. So he’s guaranteed to get a player he likes at that spot. Who will be available, and who will Pace prioritize? Nobody has a clue.

No need for a bigger preamble than that for this week’s Bears Mailbag. All we can do is wait now. So I’ll reach into the Mailbag right away. Thanks to everybody who submitted questions — always appreciate the participation!

The Bears’ philosophy is to draft the best player available on their board in every round. While that’s great, we as dreamers and fans also have to take team needs into account, at least a little bit. For example, Chicago’s biggest remaining need is EDGE rusher, and they need multiple bodies, both starting caliber talent and depth. And this year’s EDGE class is not very deep — plenty of high upside prospects available, but many of them need a TON of work before they’re really ready to contribute consistently.

So I’d be loathe to not prioritize EDGE rusher in Round 1. Harold Landry is my favorite EDGE rusher, and one of my favorite overall prospects, in this draft. For those that follow me on Twitter (@DhruvKoul), they know I’ve been adamant about this for months. So I’d love to see him go at 8. However, if Quenton Nelson, the best OL prospect to come out in decades and the best player in this draft, were to fall to the eighth pick, I don’t see how they could afford to pass up that opportunity. Grabbing Nelson would give the Bears an interior line of Nelson-Whitehair-Long … Jordan Howard might run for 2,000 yards before the BYE week. Only kind of kidding.

I know the questions asks for my “dream” draft … and while I don’t really have a “dream” draft figured out, I have a couple that I would like depending on whom the Bears select at 8. If they don’t go EDGE rusher, they really need to STRONGLY consider taking an EDGE in the 2nd round. And even if they do go EDGE in the first, I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing them double-dip as early as the second round.

So I’ll answer your question two ways: One where the Bears take Nelson at eight, and the other where they take Landry. Realistically, it would only change my first couple selections, but here goes:

Round 1: Quenton Nelson (G) or Harold Landry (EDGE)
Round 2: Lorenzo Carter / Kemoko Turay (EDGE) or Christian Kirk (WR)
Round 4: Darius Leonard (ILB)
Round 4: Alex Cappa (OL)
Round 5: Dorance Armstrong (EDGE)
Round 6: J’Mon Moore (WR)
Round 7: Chase Edmonds (RB)

In his pre-draft press conference on Tuesday, Ryan Pace said that there are eight prospects that the Bears would be happy with taking at eighth overall. He also said that if they were to trade down, that would likely preclude them from taking at least two of the eight players they like. So, theoretically, and not accounting for other teams that could trade up to grab non-QB prospects they value highly, the Bears could drop six spots, to 14, and still get someone they like.

Assuming Miami wants a QB at 11, Chicago could then trade down one more spot and get a player they covet. Trading with Arizona at 15 is likely to fetch the Bears the best package and still get them a high value prospect. So on the surface, this is the trade I would make. And the return would likely include multiple mid-round picks in addition to swapping first rounders. So the Bears would get a player they like in Round 1, and have additional draft capital to grab depth later on.

But honestly, count me as one of those that doesn’t want to see the Bears trade down. Yes, Pace could grab somebody he likes even by doing so. But not all prospects are made the same. For example, for arguments sake, let’s say Pace likes both Quenton Nelson and Marcus Davenport in Round 1. Nelson is a Day 1 starter, a Day 1 All Pro Watch kind of player who will make the Bears’ interior line arguably the best in football. Davenport needs a good amount of development before he’s unlocked his potential. Nelson won’t be available if they trade down, but Davenport likely will.

And I’d rather have Nelson than Davenport.

It’s certainly an interesting point and a question worth pondering. My issue with Barkley is that his vision and decision-making at the line of scrimmage when running the ball has always been subpar. He got away with a lot of bad decisions in college because he’s one of the best athletes the college game, and soon the NFL, has seen in a long time, and he could just shift and outrun everybody. But the NFL employs a different level of athlete on defense. If he doesn’t improve his running intelligence, which is not easy to do at all, NFL defenders will eat him alive. Before his injuries, the same issue(s) plagued Trent Richardson.

But as an all-round offensive weapon who lines up everywhere on the field? That’s certainly worth a conversation. It’s not just about Matt Nagy’s offensive fit, either. Jordan Howard will fit this offense just fine because every offense could use a runner like Howard. But Barkley lining up in the slot, or even in two-RB sets with either Howard or Tarik Cohen, and now you can have some fun.

The question is, is that worth a Top 10 pick? I don’t know. I don’t think so, honestly. Barkley is unlikely to get past Tampa Bay. But if he is available, and I was Ryan Pace, I’d pass and let someone else have him. The Bears would be better off building a wall in front of Howard by taking Quenton Nelson, in my opinion.

Cubs Sit Kris Bryant For Second Game In A Row

By
Aldo Soto
-

Kris Bryant is out of the Chicago Cubs lineup for the second game in a row against the Cleveland Indians after getting hit on the head Sunday in Colorado.

Bryant passed all concussion tests and flew with the team to Cleveland after Sunday’s series-finale against the Rockies. That’s when Bryant was drilled on the head and was taken out of the game in the first inning.

Obviously we all hope this is only precautionary and that Bryant will be back for the start of their seven-game home stand on Thursday. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reports the Cubs are taking it day-by-day until Bryant feels ready to go.

Tommy La Stella is starting at third base once again, filling in for Bryant against Cleveland.

Even without Bryant, the Cubs have scored 19 runs in their last two games. Albert Almora Jr. and Javier Baez have certainly given the offense a boost, hitting at the top of the order.

Plus, Kyle Schwarber continues to smash baseballs in the state of Ohio, so hopefully Bryant’s absence won’t hurt the Cubs too much.

Is The Bears Draft Approach Flawed? Here’s What the Numbers Say

By
Erik Lambert
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leonard floyd

Athletes vs. football players. This is something that has hovered around the Chicago Bears draft approach for the past three years. GM Ryan Pace has a method of operation he’s stuck to since taking over the franchise. In the first round of the draft, he always targets players with athletic upside. Always. Without exception. This has drawn him considerable criticism. A lot of people, fans and experts alike, think he should be trying to go after “football players.”

Now, what exactly does that mean? It can be a bit complicated, but the simplest explanation is that football players are prospects that were highly productive in college but might not have been the absolute best athletes on the field. They were more about being proven then they were about true upside. What scouts like to call “high floor” guys.

Another way to put is “safe” picks. Pace does not embrace such an approach. He’s said time and again he doesn’t want the Bears to be good. He wants them to be great. To do that he has to take some calculated risks. To him, drafting more for athletic ceiling is a key way to do it. The question is whether that line of thinking might be misguided.

Which Chicago Bears draft approach has done better?

To help determine this, it was important to use recent Bears draft history as a reference point. That meant separating all of their first round picks into two categories. Those that were drafted more for their athletic potential and those that were drafted on proven production. This was done using a mix of scouting combine numbers and scouting reports.

After that, it was about determining the quality of career for each player. Pro Football Reference provided that with their “Career Approximate Value” system. What they revealed in the athlete vs. football guy debate was rather surprising.

More athlete than football player

  • Leonard Floyd (12)
  • Kevin White (1)
  • Kyle Long (36)
  • Shea McClellin (17)
  • Greg Olsen (55)
  • David Terrell (11)
  • Brian Urlacher (118)

Average score:  35.71

More football player than athlete

  • Kyle Fuller (16)
  • Gabe Carimi (12)
  • Chris Williams (26)
  • Cedric Benson (34)
  • Tommie Harris (54)
  • Rex Grossman (23)
  • Michael Haynes (8)
  • Marc Colombo (42)

Average score:  26.87

The numbers tell a pretty interesting story. Drafting the more proven football players shows that the Bears tended to secure guys who were a little more reliable and for the most part at least had an okay career but there was only one true home run hitter. Conversely, the athlete angle saw some ugly busts like Terrell, McClellin, and White. On the other hand, they also secured three studs in Urlacher, Olsen, and Long.

It’s fairly decisive. Drafting athletes obtained a significantly higher average score in terms of career quality than football players. While the bust factor risk may be higher, the reality is football is no different than any other sport. The teams with the best athletes tend to win more games and have more success. The hard part isn’t drafting them. It’s molding them into what they should be. That requires top quality coaching.

Are the Bears equipped for that going forward? Based on opinions across the league, far more so than they were last year. That’s why 2018 should be fun to watch.

Kyle Schwarber REALLY Enjoys Hitting In His Home State

By
Gus
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Kyle Schwarber returned to the place where he made his big league debut yesterday as the Cubs faced the Cleveland Indians for the first time since they won the World Series in 2016. Schwarber belted two home runs in the 10-2 win, including a f*cking missile that left his bat at 117 mph.

He finished 2-5 with another home run and pushed his slash line to .302/.413/.635 which has to make the “Kyle Schwarber is overrated” contingent extra salty.

There must be something about playing in his home state that gets Schwarber amped up. If you recall, his MLB debut was also in Cleveland in 2015 and he had himself a day by going 4-5 with a triple and three singles.

You also have to realize that Schwarber is lucky enough to get to be in the same division as the Cincinnati Reds which allows him to hit at Great American Ballpark yearly to take BP off the Reds pitching staff. When you combine his numbers from hitting in Cleveland with his numbers in Cincinnati, he’s hitting .283 with six home runs and fourteen RBIs.

Throughout his career, Schwarber has thrived in Ohio. Whether it was the game his senior year at Middletown where he hit three bombs against Oak Hills or the three game set at Ohio State his junior year at Indiana where he batted .500, Schwarber loves hitting in his home state, specifically in the city of Cleveland.

And while it’s also a weird thing to note here, Schwarber is now the Cubs all-time leader in home runs as a DH with seven.

Seems Like Yesterday

While it’s great to see Schwarber’s success so far this season, let’s not forget that it was only a little over two years ago that his career was up in the air.

After bursting on the scene with the Chicago Cubs in 2015, Schwarber saw the bulk of his 2016 season cut short due to a torn ACL which he suffered in early April that year. It seems like just yesterday, I wrote an article to the Cubs fan base explaining that Schwarber was the type of guy who would put the work in to get back bigger and stronger than before but even I did not envision him getting back in the lineup that same season, let alone resurface in the goddamned World Series.

I reached out to his high school coach, Jason Cave, and got his insight about Schwarber’s return in 2016. Cave was one of the few people who was not surprised to see Schwarber make his return so quickly and he gave a great reason why.

“Kyle’s positive attitude, strong work ethic, and team first mentality played a vital role in getting back to the Cubs so quickly.”

Even with a great attitude, there were still doubts if the knee would hold up — along with a thousand other questions going through Cubs fans minds before that famous Game 1 in Cleveland.

How would he respond to big league pitching? Is this hurting him in the long term? Should he even be playing?

Schwarber gave zero f*cks about the doubters and proceeded to have himself a monster World Series. He slashed .412/.500/.471 and had an OPS of .971 which is even more impressive when you factor in he had knee surgery a little over six months before the World Series began.

The Reemergence

Now that the disappointing 2017 is in the rear view mirror, Schwarber appears to be back and better than ever. Besides the fact that he absolutely rakes in his home state of Ohio, there is one other major change that I noticed this year — he’s not pulling the ball as much.

I’ll be the first to admit when teams put the pull shift on Schwarber, the first thought that comes into my mind is, “Hit the ball over the damn shift and out of the park,” but that mentality is what got him in trouble last season.

If you look at his spray chart of ground balls and line drives from last year to this year, you’ll see a significant difference.

Defenses will more than likely continue to use the pull shift on Schwarber but will have to at least acknowledge the fact that he’s now hitting the ball to all fields with authority. I’m realistic in the fact that I know Schwarber cannot keep up this torrid pace all season but when you look at how far he’s come from since April 2016, what he’s doing now is nothing short of incredible.

He has another shot tonight at 6:10 to add on to his already ridiculous numbers hitting in Cleveland.

 

 

Scouts From Other Teams See Four Ideal Chicago Bears Draft Targets

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears draft fits

Ryan Pace isn’t telling you anything. Best get over it. Secrecy is something he values more than most things. So the only way to get a gauge on what he might do on April 26th when the NFL draft begins is by figuring out the best Chicago Bears draft targets. This is a problem because different people might have different interpretations of the types of players who are best for them.

Everybody has an opinion, as the saying goes. So what happens when somebody gets the opinions of guys who get paid to do this stuff for a living? Dan Pompeii of The Athletic endeavored to find out. He got in touch with a number of scouts and front office people, asking them about what the Bears could do, will do and won’t do.

There were certainly some surprising revelations. Not the least of which was the unpopular view that Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson, the best prospect in the draft to many, isn’t the best fit for them. Not because of his talent so much as he’d be bad value for the Bears taking him that high. Instead, the opinions seemed to funnel elsewhere.

Chicago Bears draft targets are all about that defense

Outside of Nelson the cast of names the experts connected to the Bears was exclusively on defense. If one were to go by both talent and fit for the system, the list narrowed to four names that were the most likely.

“Remember, the Bears essentially have the third pick in the draft based on their assumed intentions. And there are four players who are ideal fits: Alabama safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, Florida State safety Derwin James, Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith and Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward. That’s why the Bears are in a good place.”

Truth be told that is a strong list of talent, and also one featuring tons of versatility. All four of those players could probably fit in any scheme and do well. Under a proven coach like Vic Fangio? The sky would be the limit. What the experts had to say about each prospect? That’s bound to get fans fired up.

Fitzpatrick

“He can do everything,” one scout said. “He will get everyone lined up. You don’t see him out of position. He’s a rare football player.”

James

“He’s physical, mean, aggressive and explosive,” a player personnel director said. “He’s an alpha male. He is fast and can cover tight ends and backs. I love him.”

Smith

“He’s a bulldog, in your face,” the college scouting director said. “He’s hardcore. He finds the ball.”

Ward

“He has a unique ability to lock guys down,” the player personnel director said. “You can put him on Antonio Brown.”

Put simply, the Bears are in a good position. Unless they completely trip over themselves or decide to get cute (Shea McClellin anyone?) they should add a front line talent to an already good defense. There is one small problem with that list. Now, this is probably nitpicking a bit but the fact is none of those names solve the Bears’ biggest issue.

That being their edge rush position. They’re in a precarious spot. Leonard Floyd, Aaron Lynch and Sam Acho are their three best options at present. The first is coming off a knee injury, the second has 2.5 sacks the past two years, and the last is over 30. Worse still, this upcoming class is considered thin at the position. Can they afford to ignore it even for one round?

A tough call. If it goes that way though, the Bears will get a good player.

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