NEWSLETTER
I bucked tradition yesterday in not ordering draft weekend pizza. Instead, I went with a Portillo’s order. It was fine. But unlike when I have leftovers for a quick breakfast when I order pizza, I do not have leftovers this morning. And it has made for a challenging start to my day.
• The Bears area already active on the final day of this year’s NFL Draft:
#DaBears are trading the 2023 sixth-round pick they were getting from the Chargers in the Khalil Mack trade BACK TO LOS ANGELES for two seventh-rounders later today.
Confused? It's OK. We got you covered here: https://t.co/ASKytEu7ED pic.twitter.com/nSHYrXiv4r
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) April 30, 2022
• It’s a wild set of trade mechanics, to be sure. But it is a welcome one because the Bears now have five picks to use today. GM Ryan Poles wanted more picks, then found a creative way to get them. Well played, sir.
• This also sets the Bears up to target some players they’d otherwise might’ve been waiting out as UDFAs after the draft with some late-round picks. Considering how many spots the Bears need to fill on the roster, I’ve been expecting them to be aggressive in the late rounds and in going after priority free agents.
• After sitting out of first round activities for the third time in four years, the Bears finally got their chance to take a swing at the 2022 NFL Draft. And the result of their first day of drafting was three new players:
The Bears' Friday night picks if you missed them … CB Kyler Gordon: https://t.co/I2Wq4WsHXl
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) April 30, 2022
And WR Velus Jones, Jr.: https://t.co/zcd2NJ8Ryq
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) April 30, 2022
• I realize we’ve spent a bunch of web space discussing the Bears’ needs on offense. But, as we pointed out in our DB prospect breakdown, addressing concerns in the secondary was a must. And the Bears double-dipped in doing so, first with Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon and later with Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker. According to The Athletic’s consensus big board, which is made up of 82 different draft analysts, the Bears were successful in adding the 36th (Gordon) and 38th (Brisker) best prospects in this draft. All things considered, that’s tremendous value to get two top-40 prospects in the span of 10 picks. *tips cap*
• And if you were curious to why the Bears were insisting on drafting secondary needs, maybe this will refresh your memory:
The Bears should maybe guard Cooper Kupp. pic.twitter.com/Sn0eCIP0LI
— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) September 13, 2021
https://twitter.com/4thandGoalUSP/status/1437213796548939781
• And that was just Week 1! That trend was one that was weaving throughout the entirety of the Bears’ 2021 season. And frankly, it was one I’m looking forward to never revisiting again. Don’t get me wrong. Bringing in Tavon Austin is a nice nod toward raising this group’s floor. But bringing in a likely Week 1 starter in Gordon has the potential to make the ceiling grow a bit.
• At minimum, the cornerbacks room just got a bit more swaggy:
Kyler Gordon is a vibe. He’s already got the Birdman hand rub locked down. #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/HAKarwE8jQ
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) April 30, 2022
First look as a member of the @ChicagoBears@Kyler_Gordon #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/Asc5rgeTYx
— NFL (@NFL) April 29, 2022
Thank you God 🙏🏽So excited to be a BEAR!!! They just got the steal of the draft. So blessed and thankful to be here, Bears nation you won’t be disappointed let’s goooooooooooo #GoBears https://t.co/WIUeHNVQ2u
— Quanny B. (@JaquanBrisker) April 30, 2022
• Chicago drafting help for the secondary makes so much more sense after watching the Vikings help the Lions (Jameson Williams) and Packers (Christian Watson) execute trade-ups to satisfy needs at receiver.
• There’s one thing that stands out to me when it comes to the Brisker pick. Because, on the one hand, we’ve long been waiting for the Bears to team Eddie Jackson with a young safety because the alternative of rotating one-year stop gaps just wasn’t cutting it. Viewing the pick through that lens makes it easier to get a grasp as to why the Bears made such a choice. Solidify the secondary with a high floor prospect with some upside for now and into the future. But on the other hand, it felt that there was value left on the table by going back to the DB well instead of targeting potential help along the offensive line or at wide receiver. Hence, we saw a backlash of displeasure from Bears fans when it came to the Bears’ second-round picks.
• But it’s not like Chicago was walking away from the draft empty-handed sans receiver help. Let’s not sleep on the Velus Jones Jr. pick:
I really like Velus Jones to the @ChicagoBears. Not as good a route runner as Skyy Moore but can still thrive in the slot, and also has the thick build to play some outside too. A real weapon for Justin Fields.
— Chris Simms (@CSimmsQB) April 30, 2022
The Bears got themselves a YAC monster in Velus Jones. pic.twitter.com/38JwR5aRFO
— CFB Film Room (@CFBFilmRoom) April 30, 2022
• It sure looks like the Bears got some #athletes:
Compliments of @MathBomb, here are the RAS scores of @kyler_gordon @JaquanBrisker & @VelusJr. #Bears GM Ryan Poles going with +9 RAS on all 3 picks. Something important to keep in mind as we head to day 3. pic.twitter.com/hDM3qHVsj5
— Shayne L. Marsaw (@ShayneMarsaw) April 30, 2022
• Eventually, I’ll expand on my lack of concerns about Jones being 24 on the verge of being 25. But for now, I appreciate this energy in response to said concern:
"At the end of the day, I can play ball." –Velus Jones
He said "the age thing" came up a lot, but the soon-to-be 25-year-old says he feels like he's 21.
— Sean Hammond (@sean_hammond) April 30, 2022
• A bunch of people sent me the first tweet didn’t send the second, and both tweets deserve equal time:
For those who see this and have no idea what my model is: this is for fantasy football purposes. The likelihood that he's very fantasy relevant is extremely, extremely low.
— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) April 30, 2022
• I love fantasy football. But far too often fantasy analysis is mistaken for something it isn’t. And as the number of people who play fantasy has grown, the number of voices discussing football through this sense also gets bigger. But it also drives football analysis in too different directions. It is one reason why there are two very different opinions on someone like Kirk Cousins, whose numbers suggest one thing while in-game showing says something different.
• Let’s keep it simple for the sake of the Jones pick. Just because someone is high on a prospect from a fantasy perspective doesn’t make them a lock to succeed. And the same is true if it was the other way around. It’s important to keep perspective. I’d meet you in the middle and agree that it might not have been the best value pick. That’s a discussion worth having. However, judging a player with analysis rooted in the fantasy realm feels like a slippery slope. And that’s one I don’t necessarily want to play on at this time.
• OK, but maybe we shouldn’t be bothered that the Bears didn’t take a small-school receiver:
Non-Power 5, non-early-declare wide receivers drafted in Round 2 since 2011: Anthony Miller, Zay Jones, Aaron Dobson, Titus Young, Andy Isabella, D'Wayne Eskridge, Brian Quick…Christian Watson.
— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) April 29, 2022
• This is dubious company for Packers second-rounder Christian Watson to be in after his selection.
• Even with Andy Isabella being name-checked above, I wonder if the Bears will be in on something like this:
Among the veterans who could be traded today: #AZCardinals WR Andy Isabella. The Cards have offered the former second-round pick to a few teams in recent weeks, sources say. Sometimes these things get done on Day 3 of the #NFLDraft.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 30, 2022
• Here’s hoping that Ryan Poles can one day (1) build a core and (2) keep it together:
Arturas Karnisovas Hopes to “Keep the Core Together”https://t.co/ddXcsUulGi pic.twitter.com/T2m6Rn13PU
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) April 29, 2022
• It’s nice to read some good news on the prospect front:
Cubs Have Been “Taken Aback” By How Good Pete Crow-Armstrong Has Looked – https://t.co/jX7dZcdHj1 pic.twitter.com/haJDnNGopx
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) April 29, 2022
