Using the NFL Draft trade value chart, it looks as though the Chicago Bears may have done better than we thought:
This is saying nothing of the picks, themselves (which obviously matters more than anything else), but it appears that the Bears did do well for themselves, all things considered. However, the only way to measure pick value, of course, will be how well the chosen players actually perform on the field.
After picking three non-FBS prospects in the NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears continued to dip into relative obscurity with their signings of undrafted free agents. However, this is a place where the Bears could add some diamonds in the rough. Among those possible diamonds is Wyoming receiver Tanner Gentry, who could turn out to provide real value for a team short on big play ability at the position. Pro Football Focus notes that Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen, who is one of the 2018 draft’s top prospects, had a 124.6 rating when targeting Gentry, but a 91.6 overall. Gentry had the second highest average yards-per-route-run of any receiver in his draft class, and excelled in running deep routes and hauling in these types of passes. He was PFF’s 13th rated receiver prospect prior to the draft.
Also at PFF, Tyler Loechner provides a different perspective in a look at how often top-10 picks actually turn into busts.
As far as draft grades are concerned, the Bears did as well as a team with only five picks could conceivably do, according to ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. The Bears received a C+ grade, which is a surprise of sorts considering the backlash the team faced after Thursday’s move to get Mitch Trubisky and the fact that three non-FBS prospects and a twice-injured safety were the team’s other weekend picks. Kiper likes the developmental upside of players like Tarik Cohen and Jordan Morgan (who will discuss shortly). Unfortunately, the upside factor is the only thing saving the Bears’ draft grades from a complete public thrashing.
For a different perspective on the Bears’ draft picks, Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune goes one-on-one with a question-and-answer session with Ken Heckendorf, Trubisky’s quarterback coach at North Carolina.
Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long seems to be in better spirits as he continues to recover from surgery on an injured ankle that cost him a significant chunk of the 2016 season. ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson highlights a series of tweets in which the three-time Pro Bowl lineman has started running on a treadmill and is getting back closer to his listed playing weight, going from 255 pounds in February to 310 pounds in May. There hasn’t been a timetable set for Long’s return, but his presence on the line would add some much-needed stability.
Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter believes Bears quarterback Mike Glennon should embrace the challenge of taking on Trubisky in the wake of his reported reaction to the Bears’ stunning draft-day move. Glennon was handed the starting job in March when the Bears signed him to a deal that featured $18.5 million in guarantees and could be worth up to $45 million over three years. The team again confirmed their stance that Glennon is the QB1, even after drafting Trubisky. Carter discussed the deal and the reports of Glennon’s unhappiness with the team on FS1’s Undisputed program. He and Shannon Sharpe showed no sympathy for the situation, adding that Glennon should actually be thrilled by his situation – comparing it to what Matt Flynn went through when he signed a free agent contract to start for the Seahawks, but was beaten out by third-round pick Russell Wilson.
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