Man, I had too much shit to do, so I picked up my son, here's the exchange: Son: "oh yeah, I watched the draft dad, the seahawks picked a CB". Me: "I don't give a shit about the Seahawks, who did the Bears pick?" Son: "I think right now the Seahawks are going to be picking again" Me: "WHO DID THE BEARS PICK SON? IT WASN'T JALEN CARTER WAS IT" Son: "I think they picked a TE". Me: "A TIGHT END, WHAT THE FUCK? No, you must be thinking offense (now hopeful) was it Skoronski?" Son: "No, I don't think so" Me: "Go to bed" The compensation for trading down, I don't love, that said, they only moved down one spot, so I'm not sure why the Eagles even did the trade, they had to have thought someone else would jump? Certainly not that the Bears would pick Carter, even though that was the smoke and mirrors prior. That said, they got the player they wanted, which hurts, given that Skoronski was the very next pick and still there, but man, all the talking heads have been harping on his arm size, and how he'll play guard, citing numerous similar examples of elite LT play, and that he would be an elite guard. Given the guards aren't as much of a need as RT, I guess. But it does mean Braxton Jones at LT right? Or does this kid have the skills to potentially swap sides? dline/pat/ev, whoever, I'm looking for your input there specifically as college watchers. We get a center and that's definitely progress. That fucking Claypool trade is looming large right now since we gave up OUR fucking pick instead of Baltimores. The cheesedicks will pick twice in the second round before us now.
Ha, I just saw the Falcons took Bijan before us, well I guess we'll never know if Poles would have taken him, heh.
I mean its a fact that a 2024 Eagles 4th rounder, which will certainly be a late 4th rounder, is borderline insulting as far as draft comp goes. Poles went in with a wheeling and dealing tiger in Howie Roseman and he got taken. That 4th rounder at least needed to be this year in order to help Poles move two 4ths to get up higher in the 2nd round if he needed to. But i can't dwell on that because ultimately this is a good outcome. Dodging Carter who would've been a disaster in Chicago, check. Not going Bijan, check. Dropping the pick on a premium OL like it needed to be, fucking check! I knew Poles was never gonna draft Skoronski. When the Bears released that vid months ago inexplicably showing the world the inner working of their draft process inc "length" being one of their top priorities, Skoronski felt like a pipe dream to me. I don't agree with it, he would've been my pick and he would've been playing Tackle, but after him and with Paris gone Wright was the guy to take. This is an incredibly solid pick. Yes the trade comp was tiny, but coming out of the 1st round with Wright and an extra pick is a win. Overall, A-. Well done Poles, keep it up. It does mean Jones at LT next season. And we here know thats not a great plan, but like Skoronski it was never gonna be any different. Wright is nailed on at RT this season. Whether it stays that way longer term depends on a few things. FWIW i read during my research that Wright has it in him to play LT, but as always, pat and dline pls give us a better read.
So after some time to sleep it off, it looks like Braxton is LT, Wright is RT. I don't love that, especially since it looks like Jones wont even face competition for LT. I didn't know Wright was a RT in Tennessee. Didn't know much about him, other than he was a late riser throughout the process and apparently he shut down Will Anderson, mr #3 overall. You knew about Broderick Jones, Skoronski, and Paris Johnson by mid college season as top OT picks, whereas Wright really came on about the combine/later in the process. Lots of DL off the board. Still some good ones, but a trade up is starting to look necessary for one of Derek Hall, Keion White, Tuli Tuipolutu, Adebawore, or Isaiah Foskey. It is 5 guys, but standing pat, the bears next pick is 22nd of the 2nd round. A big part of Wright seems to be the hyper athletic profile, which I should have caught on sooner with because Tennessee's QB last year, Hendon Hooker, is similar profile to Justin. In open space, I'm sure DBs and off-ball LBs will get run over. On a 3 step drop, now I'm concerned. They already have Philly's 4th rounder this year from the Robert Quinn deal early in the season. My first reaction was what Blang said, should have been a 3rd this year and next years 4th.
So, I stayed awake until the Bears' pick, and then went right to bed. With some time to literally sleep on it, I think this was one of those, "We asked for it and got it" kind of days. First, the trade down - Poles clearly hadn't convinced the Eagles that there were many other teams interested, but he did enough to at least get something. Could it have been better? Yes. Gotta see if Poles improves on draft day trades over the next two days. Then, we avoided the pitfalls that had been rumored - no RB, no Jalen Carter, no WR, none of that. Bears just did the sensible thing and picked an offensive lineman. I mean, whether or not that's the player we personally preferred, it's definitely an investment in the offensive line that we were all hoping to see. And frankly, you've gotta love that. As for the player, Wright was a guy that I didn't expect to be taken that high, just because there were other OT's that were talked about all season as being early candidates. Like Ev said, we all knew Skoronski wasn't going to be the pick, even if we were hoping - the Bears' video from earlier in the season showed that they were big on physical traits first and foremost. That shows with their picks last year, too. We knew what we were getting this year. To see Skoronski picked at the next selection hurt that much more, but I guess I get it. So, Wright is a player that I thought you could get a little later in the first round, but Poles clearly didn't want to risk it, and that was probably the right call. For all the talk about 4 or 5 QB's going early (I never bought it), it was OT that got hammered throughout the first round, and for good reason. It's just a position you need to invest in. Wright is a bruiser - the guy is big, physical, and can really move in open space. He goes looking for work, and you love to see that. I remember starting my scouting with Will Anderson, Brian Bresee, Jalen Carter, and a few other dlinemen. Every time I watched their tape against Tennessee, I walked away thinking, "Damn, Tenn's two tackles really came to play. Who are these kids?". Am I bummed that Wright is likely going to be a RT at the next level, and that Jones is probably going to walk into a starting LT job next year? Absolutely. But that said, I really think the Bears got a RT that's going to fit what they want to do, and excel at the spot. I think I can be okay with that compromise, as long as Jones doesn't shit the bed again all year. I'm interested to see what Poles does next. He did the right thing and just got an OT taken. Simple, effective, and ultimately what needed to be done. That's a great start. Looking forward to Wright and Teven Jenkins on the right side of this line for years to come. That is going to be a duo that you do NOT want to fuck with.
I love the pick because it was a position of need, but I'm not in love with the pick. I mean you gotta love how he held off Alabama and Georgia against some real competition, but my concern is reports that he is lazy, entitled, and doesn't have a good work ethic. I know how many of these reports are bogus as fuck, but I got to tell you it doesn't ease my mind one bit because they often have some truth to them.
Not to dampen the mood or anything, but with teams having time to regroup between rounds with the 1st & 2nd being on different days, the Bears phone would be absolutely blowing up right now with teams wanting to trade up for Will Levis. That is v annoying.
The problem is that you and I can't really know the truth until we see whether or not he fails on Sunday. This "behind the scenes" stuff is what GM's have to make their money off of, because we can all watch the same film. Them determining who the player is as a person and as someone transitioning to adult life as a professional is the part that they have to get right, and we just kind of have to trust for now. There's no way for us to know one way or the other today, but we're sure gonna find out in the coming months.
The Claypool trade was horrendous when it happened, and hasn't aged any better. It makes me sick every time I think about it. Seeing the Bears' picks at 22 and 30 in the second round, instead of at #1... infuriating. That said, I don't necessarily think that teams are going to be trading up for Will Levis at the top of this round. If someone wanted him, they're better off sneaking up to the end of the first round for that fifth round option. Levis is probably looking at a mid-second round pick at best, and it's just because he was never the guy that he was hyped to be. Young and Stroud were the only NFL ready QB's in this draft, and Richardson vaulted himself up into the first round as the offseason went on because of his physical ceiling. I don't think that Richardson or Levis were every truly first round talents, this is just such a QB-needy league.
Good catch pat, thanks. I was thinking that was Baltimore's but it wasn't. As for the 3rd & 4th, i just don't think Poles was in that strong of a negotiating position. Within seconds of the call, or for even answering at all, Roseman would've known the Bears weren't taking Carter. Could Poles have bluffed him with the Lions at 12? Maybe, but if they liked him that much wouldn't the thinking be they would've taken him at 6? I'm just not sure Poles had too many options and trading back too far was fraught with danger. Look at the dumbass Jets, moved back 2 spots to 15, missed out on the top 4 Tackles.
Here is the deal with the trade. The difference between the two picks is 50 points which equals a mid 4th round pick. The eagles don’t have a 4th round pick this year. Their 3rd round pick is the 3rd pick in the 3rd round which is worth 260 points which the Eagles would have to be drunk to make that deal. So you’re not getting 2023 compensation because the Eagles just don’t have the mid to lower round picks to make it happen. So next years 4th which could be late and you lose a few points or could be higher and you gain a few points. Seems logical to me.
Just to reiterate: Teven Jenkins and Darnell Wright next to each other on the right side of the line has me all turned on. Hoping that happens.
I'm watching Poles' press conference from yesterday, and he's being pretty forthcoming. Basically said that they had one other team trying to get up into that spot, and they would've had to drop down to a position where they'd risk losing Wright, and they didn't want to do that. So they were really just getting a free fourth rounder from Philly, considering that it sounds like they didn't really have any other meaningful offers. I'm okay with that.
Ev's post pretty much sums up where I'm at. We avoided Bijan, avoided Carter, should've gotten more for the trade back, but we got a position of need and what appears to be a guy we can plug into RT on day one. All in all, it could've been way worse. Also lol at the Lions. Even dumber than I thought. I'm going to jump the gun on my first prediction and say we will finish ahead of them this year in the division. Worst record in the NFL and trading the #1 overall pick in the draft, then trading back again in the first round... it's unfathomable that there are 22 picks still ahead of us for round 2. Crap. I haven't seen these reports yet but I'll check them out. This is where we need a real leader on the o-line. Not just a good player but an emotional + team leader to get the younger talented guys to step up.
I don't have any issue with the trade. Yeah you didn't get much back but you picked up a 4th next year and you still drafted the guy you were going to draft anyway. Would have been nice to get more but it is what it is. You got an extra pick and all you had to do was wait an extra five minutes to send your pick to the commissioner. The pick itself....I don't like Jones as the LT so I am mixed on this. The player himself I like a lot. He's massive and he's athletic. He is probably what you ideally want when you picture a RT. Wide as can be and can get to the next level and block in space. The issue I keep coming back to is I hate our LT. I just don't know what the team sees in him and it continues to bother me.
Watching a ton of vidoes on him and he seems to eat bull rushers for lunch. I haven't seen any power rushers beating him. Seems the way to beat him is to go wide with speed or overload his side.
