Sleeper Fits, Skoronski’s Length, Eberflus and H.I.T.S. at Wrigley, and Other Bears Bullets
A later-than-I-wanted set of Bullets on a Saturday morning because getting up was physically and mentally more taxing than I would’ve otherwise been anticipating. Today feels like a good day to get back in bed after I push these out the door. And then how about we reconvene later this afternoon? I hope that sounds good to you because it sounds good to me.
- You’re going to need to be a little more specific, NFL Twitter account…
- … because there have been moments where there have been happy tears (and others with not-so-happy tears) as a Bears fan following the NFL Draft.
- Don’t get me wrong. I love following the NFL Draft. And I love our coverage of this premier NFL event. More than anything, I love the unpredictability and watching it unfold with my fellow Bears fans. But today marks the 103rd day since the regular season came to a close for our favorite football team. To me, that is way too much time between the end of meaningful football and the start of the draft. But at least we’re approaching the final stretch.
- I’m trying to look at it this way: At this time next week, we’ll be neck deep in Day 3 of NFL Draft coverage. Our wait is almost over.
- On the one hand, I don’t love that the Bears aren’t seen as an ideal fantasy fit for any of the top RBs, WRs, or TEs in the 2023 NFL Draft via this Jonathan Macri post at Pro Football Focus. But on the other hand, it doesn’t take much to make a case for the Bears to be fit for any of the options listed in the piece. Heck, any of these players can be seen as a fit on any of the 32 teams because they’re legit prospects with notable upside. All this to say read this post not through the lens of the headline, but instead you should read it as a last-minute exercise to better know some of the draft’s most unique prospects.
- Day 2 prospects at skill positions who could make sense as players the Bears could target with their Round 2 or Round 3 picks are aplenty. Among them are North Carolina WR Josh Downs, Iowa TE Sam LaPorta, Georgia TE Darnell Washington, UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet, and Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs. Chicago has other positions of need to fill. But if you can get a top skill-position player prospect who can take your offense to another level, then I wouldn’t hesitate to make the call (or the pick.
- The only thing more polarizing than taking a running back, receiver, or tight end while knowing the Bears have needs in the trenches might be using a pick on Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski. Because even though Skoronski has legitimate credentials and a strong case to be the first lineman taken in the upcoming draft, his arm length is a red flag for draftniks who cite measurements as reasons to push pause on a prospect. But leave it to Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald to have his guy’s back:
I talked to a GM of another team last week and I said one thing, ‘Just go back and watch the tape,'” Fitzgerald said on 670 The Score with Mully & Haugh (h/t NBC Sports Chicago). “When Peter moves people against their will – it’s one thing to pass, set, be all pretty and all. But when push comes to shove and you got to take a man and move him, I have never seen someone like Peter do what he does. And that’s the way he was in high school. He was that way in the Big Ten. And I fully expect to be that way in the NFL.”
- OK, so I get why the arm length stuff is a concern. But I wonder if Skoronski does other things well enough to counteract those issues. He has at the collegiate level. And he has done so at a high level against stud players. Perhaps that will be enough for some team to believe that they can max out Skoronski at tackle instead of immediately moving him to guard (which is what many project). In any case, it’ll be fascinating to follow.
- Here is some video of Skoronski handling then-Michigan star Aidan Hutchinson:
- You might remember Hutchinson won the NFL’s Rookie of the Year honors in 2022. Seeing Skoronski more than hold his own against that guy puts his prospect stats into a different perspective for me.
- Matt Eberflus and his staff spent their Friday how I should’ve spent mine — at Wrigley Field:
- The last time Eberflus was a guest of the Cubs, they beat the Pirates 21-0. I was at that game, too. Maybe the Cubs should extend the olive branch to Halas Hall more often. Can’t hurt, could help.
- I still can’t believe Drew Smyly’s perfect game bid ended like this:
- As Bears fans, we know untimely endings all too well. But this one hit differently — literally with catcher Yan Gomes taking out Smyly on what could’ve been a close play at first base. Perhaps Gomes will make his way to Halas Hall for a tryout during the offseason. After all, that NFL roster churn truly never ends.
- Let this guy run the Bulls:
