Da Dos

Category: NFL, Bears, Draft

  • Combine ’26

    Combine ’26

    Don’t know why, but the combine really snuck up this year. I had a few ideas for pieces, but it came and went quickly. Then moving to Indiana and Dalman retiring [NTM the U.S. launching another Middle Eastern War].

    Likely a combo of factors. Bears for once weren’t irrelevant by Thanksgiving, even winning the division and a playoff game. So the season was actually longer. Must’ve thrown off my circadian Bears’ rhythm conditioned to suckage and checking mock drafts in November.

    It’s also a little hard to get super-hyped over this draft because.

    1. It’s more than likely Poles trades away the 1st [+ change] rd pick.

    2. Even if Poles keeps it, it’s still the 25th. Not complaining. Better than the alternative of perennially drafting in the top 10.

    But mostly it’s reason #1 that’s keeping me from getting truly invested though that will change as we near April.

    As such, I’ll let Unbearble Sports breakdown the ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ from the combine.


    Two quick Butch notes.

    I know Bears desperately need Dline, but man, if Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles miraculously drops to #25, Poles needs to waddle his ass to the podium.

    Styles recorded a blistering 4.46-second 40-, a 43.5-inch vert, and an 11-foot-2 inch broad jump at 6’5″, 244 lbs.

    That is INSANE. Those are Urlacher metrics

    I must admit I haven’t watched the other Buckeye’s tape because he keeps shooting up the boards, but if Safety Caleb Downs also somehow tumbles to #25, I’d have no issue with Poles pulling the trigger. It’s a copy-cat league, and many just witnessed what a rookie S in SEA named Nick Emmanwori can do. SEA didn’t exactly have the ’85 Bears pass-rush, but they rostered exceptional talent all through the “Darkside.”

    Kyle Hamilton on the Ravens is another example of how a versatile S can impact games.

    I doubt Caleb Downs’ RAS will surpass theirs, but from most ‘experts’, he’s the goods.

    UPDATE. Bears Trade DJ Moore to Bills.

    That’s not a shabby exchange actually. DJ’s production didn’t match his contract, and it dropped mostly because of circumstance.

    Under Ben Johnson, the Bears are a run-first team. Feeding Swift-Monangai tandem ate a lot of snaps. Then the acquisitions of Rome, Burden and Loveland siphoned away more targets [let’s not forget that Kmet is also still on the team].

    I mean, if Flus was still HC, and if Fields is still the QB with DJ as his lone target, then DJ is a 100 catch/1200+ WR [if he stays upright]. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case, and now he can be the true #1 or #2 target on the Bills while the Bears can use that extra 2nd rounder for a Center, LT, S, LB, or even to sweeten the pot for a DE/DT via trade.



  • Mock Draft #1!

    Mock Draft #1!

    It’s waaaaay too early for mock drafts, but here we are! Unlike Jeff, I do not view them as ‘slave auctions.’

    I think they’re quite entertaining and excellent ‘filler’ post-SB.

    No, I am not entirely comfortable with strange old men measuring young athletes like a slab of meat, but if someone is willing to throw me millions to measure my arms and run, jump and bench in spandex, sign me up.

    Kiper, aka Legohead, was the OG. He’s probably over the hill, but hey, time makes us all fat Elvis. There’s a lot of Draftniks out there, but Joel Klatt eats, drinks and breaths college football year round. He’s a maniac, and doesn’t do ‘hot takes’ for hits.


    Spoiler alert, he has Bears drafting DT Kayden McDonald, Ohio St @ #25. I don’t know much about McDonald, but I DO love selecting a DT since I still believe that’s the Bears’ biggest need. The sooner the Eberflus leftovers are gone, the better [and Jarrett didn’t exactly wow either].
    Debating who the Bears should draft at #25 is almost useless at this point though since everyone believes Poles is trading it for an Edge.

    Speaking of which, Harrison Graham discusses the price [via insider] which Maxx Crosby might take.

    Long story short.

    Bargain cost: #25 + DJ Moore

    Expensive cost: Two 1sts, another 2nd/3rd + DJ Moore

  • Happy New Year!

    Happy New Year!

    Can you believe it’s already 2026? Man, this year zoomed by.
    From a Bears’ fan point of view, we went from 7 win expectations, to maybe a winning season, to – hey, Wild Card is entirely in the realm of possibility – to holy shit, NFCN champs; maybe we can win it all!

    It’s been a crazy ride, and no matter what, it was fun. It’s not often life pleasantly shocks. May the Cinderella season continue, and a happy New Year!

  • Trade Deadline ’25

    Trade Deadline ’25


    Deadline: Tues, 4:00 PM ET
    Bears’ current cap space: $6.7M

    Poles’ 3rd RDers: Velus Jones Jr. (2022), Zacch Pickens (2023), and Kiran Amegadjie (2024)

    It’s no secret the Bears are hunting for Dline and CB, especially since Dayo Odeyingbo has torn his achilles [again]. For me, achilles is worse than an ACL/MCL, etc.

    It can sometimes take two seasons to regain the same explosion. Dayo isn’t getting any younger, and it’s not as if he was Lawrence Taylor to start with. Hard to envision this ending any better than the Claypool fiasco.

    There’s too many trade targets to name. So here’s some possible options.


    Bears EDGE trade targets:

    Trey Hendrickson (CIN)
    Danielle Hunter (HOU)
    Jermaine Johnson (NYJ)
    Kayvon Thibodeaux (NYG)
    Bradley Chubb (MIA)
    Josh Sweat (ARZ)

    No clue if J. Sweat even available, but he looked great on MNF

    DTs:

    [You really trust Jarrett or Billings? Dexter, like Shemar, can spell Booker/DomRob though I understand if Poles prioritizes DE]

    Jeffery Simmons (Titans) Supposedly had a short list he OKed. Washington was one of those teams, but now that Jayden Daniels is out, I wonder if he’d pencil in Chicago…

    Quinnen Williams (Jets)

    Mazi Smith (Cowboys)
    Dre’Mont Jones (Seahawks)[now a Raven]

    CBs:

    [CJ Gardner-Johnson did ok. Gordon eventually set to return. Maybe JJ later]

    Riq Woolen (Seahawks)
    Alontae Taylor (Saints)
    Cam Taylor-Britt (Bengals)
    Rasul Douglas (Dolphins)

    HBs:[No longer such a high-priority]

    Breece Hall (Jets)

    Devon Achane (Dolphins)

    Jerome Ford (Browns)

  • Baby Got Half-Back?

    Baby Got Half-Back?

    I’m hearing lots of Bears’ HB chatter. Let’s start with the draft.  
     
    IMO, the Bears were serious about trading up for Jeanty, but then Jags traded up with Browns. Remember, everyone was mocking Jeanty to the Raiders at #6, so a popular scenario was for the Bears to trade up with the Jags at #5. 
     
    Of course, NOBODY predicted that the Jags would fly over the cukoo’s nest and trade all the way up to #2 with the Browns 
     
    This threw a wrench to get Jeanty in two ways 
     
    1. The enormous price Jags paid may have set a precedent Poles wasn’t willing to pay. For those like me who were hoping Poles would stay put [unless it was for Abdul Carter], we must credit Poles for remaining disciplined and not trading away a future 1st or something akin  
     
    2. The Browns now sat at #5, and they likely weren’t willing to drop again in a draft where true ‘blue-chippers’ were rare. They likely graded DT Mason Graham in that tier and weren’t willing to move off 
     
    Raiders now on the clock at #6. To nobody’s surprise, they draft Jeanty. There goes #1HB target 
     
    The rest of the draft can best be summed up by this tweet: 
     
    Adam Hoge@AdamHoge 

    [No. 36 – CLE drafts RB Judkins] 
    No. 38 – NE drafts RB TreVeyon Henderson 
    No. 39 – Bears draft Luther Burden 
    No. 41 – Bears trade back 

    No. 104 – JAX drafts RB Bhayshul Tuten 
    No. 105 – NYG drafts RB Cam Skattebo 
    No. 109 – Bears trade back 

    No. 147 – SF drafts RB Jordan James 
    No. 148 – Bears trade back 
    ————————— 

    I have no ‘inside source’, but my intuition tells me that Bears really coveted Treveyon Henderson. Either way, many Bear fans were clamoring for Judkins or Henderson, but once they were stolen, Poles did what most good GMs do. Stuck to his board 
     
    Now, could Poles have traded up with SEA at #35 to jump both CLE and NE? Yes, but it takes 2 to tango. SEA either asked for too much or weren’t willing to move off S Nick Emmanwori who many judged a 1st rder and 2nd best safety with insane upside 
     
    And just like that, the ‘top HBs’ were gone. The Bears could’ve drafted RJ Harvey [he’s 24 btw, so by the end of his rook contract, be 28], but preferred OT Ozzy Trapilo at #56. Broncos drafted Harvey at #60, then Bears at #62 drafted DT Shemar Turner 

    One may argue, “Poles shoulda drafted Harvey or some other HB at #56” yet these are likely the same fans who want to fix the lines. Can’t draft Harvey and Trapilo with one pick. Poles decided that the Oline was more important at that point no doubt eyeing the $25M/yr Braxton may demand next season

    I also don’t believe Poles miscalculated. After Bears drafted Trapilo, a team didn’t pick another true OT for basically a whole round, so Trapilo was likely the last in that tier
     
    The Bears didn’t own a 3rd, but the only HB drafted in that RD at #83 was Kaleb Johnson. Unless you were a yuge Kaleb Johnson fan and  willing to trade away draft capital, this missed chance didn’t anger many. Either way, evidently the Bears weren’t that high on Kaleb because if they were, they easily could’ve traded back from #62 to get into the 3rd and nab Kaleb, but they didn’t. Poles preferred Shemar Turner at #62 over Kaleb [or other HBs] .

    The 4rth is where I personally had my last hope. My ‘value’ pick all along was Bhayshui Tuten who I saw as Jeanty-lite. A fast, explosive runner with tremendous upside. However, the Jags sniped him with the 2nd pick of the 4rth. Now, I was praying Cam “White Thunder” Skattebo lasted 3 picks. That hope was crushed immediately as Giants drafted Skattebo right after Tuten. It is also debatable if Poles even drafts slow Skattebo at that draft slot. Bears then traded out of pick #109 with the Bills who drafted DT Deon Walker. I may have stayed put at #109 and drafted HB Dylan Sampson, but maybe Poles viewed Sampson as too similar to Swift. Other HBs drafted in the 4rth: 
     
    Trevor Etiene, Woody Marks, Jarquez Hunter 
     
    Bears likely saw the rest of the HBs as dice rolls, and by this point one can argue that available FAs like JK Dobbins or Chubb are better options requiring no draft capital 
     
    Which brings me to the endless Twitter debate: 
     
    Should we sign Dobbins or Chubb? 
     
    I’ll answer that on next post…
     

  • Film Study: 2019 DAN ROUSHAR Saints Wide Zone Clinic

    Film Study: 2019 DAN ROUSHAR Saints Wide Zone Clinic

    Maybe take a break from draft for a day. I found this informative Dan Roushar seminar that looks like it was given in a Holiday Inn, but is loaded with tons of info about his system and coaching in general. Fair warning, it’s pretty hardcore and an hour long, so prepare your angus!

    I don’t know about you guys, but I always feel like I can learn more about oline in general, and what better way to learn than from Bears’ new Oline coach? HOPEFULLY Roushar finally fixes this damn oline that has struggled mightily since everyone kept trying to gaslight us that Mike Tice was great.

  • All Aboard Ozzy Train!

    All Aboard Ozzy Train!

    Perhaps the #1 story going into camp will be Ozzy Trapilo. He has a lot of backers, but also more than his share of detractors, “a 2nd RDer for a back-up!” 
     
    The criticism is legit, but friendly reminder: it was going to be difficult for any prospect to crack the starting lineup
     
    One could argue that if the Bears, and not 9ers, drafted Mykell Williams, Edge [6’5, 265] , then he would’ve been the starter. Maybe that’s true, and much like Wright will be forever contrasted with Carter, Loveland will be compared to Mykell, but more likely Mykell ends up in a heavy rotation 
     
    Still, if we consider NB Gordon a ‘starter’ [and he sure as hell is getting PAID like one], then we must equally consider the move TE/Slot WR a starter too

    SAM was about the only open ‘starter’ slot but 4-3 base is run less than 50% of time
     
    Even so, “swing” likely won’t see the field unless an INJ [or suckage] strikes; hence on paper at least, Ozzy isn’t a ‘starter’
     
    That being said, do you recall the last time the starting 5 olinemen for the Bears began and finished a season as a unit without missing a game? I sure can’t. My best guess is the Kreutz’ era 
     
    “Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst” 
     
    Ozzy’s natural position seems to be RT Maybe LT in a pinch 
    But how about possible OG to take over for Thuney or if Jonah Jackson underwhelms? 
     
    Well, I dug a little into Ozzy’s metrics and precedents 
     
    According to PFF, the top OGs heading into ‘24 season: 
     
    Chris Lindstrom, ATL; Thuney, KC; Sam Cosmi, Wash; Tyler Smith, DAL; Quinn Meinerz, DEN 
     
    One can make his own list, but I’m just going off PFF 
     
    I won’t boggle you down with numbers, so I just focused on height, weight and 10 yd split:
     
    Lindstrom, 6’3, 308, 1.68 
    Thuney, —6’4, 304, 1.71 
    Cosmi, —-6’5, 314, 1.68 
    Smith, —-6’4, 320, 1.7 
    Meinerz, -6’2, 320, 1.73 

    —————
    Jonah Jackson 6’3, 306, 1.84 
    Darnell Wright 6’5, 333, 1.75 
    Braxton Jones, 6’5, 310, 1.68 
    Ozzy Trapilo, –6’8, 316, 1.77* 

    All, except Thuney, 33”+ arms 

    [If you’re interested in RAS, follow Kent Lee Platte]
     

    Now if you just look at these numbers [and verify it with tape], we can note some interesting possibilities 
     
    Jonah Jackson’s 1.84 sticks out like a sore-thumb. He’s also been INJ-ridden, so that’s not going to help his quickness 
     
    Lindstrom, Cosmi and Braxton Jones have a 1.68 split. This checks cuz we know Braxton can pull and demolish LBs at the second lvl. So, why not him at OG if you believe he’s a subpar LT? 
     
    Say you’re fine with Braxton at LT, ‘Give him an opportunity under competent coaching’ 

    Ok, well, maybe Wright at OG? He profiles very similarly to Tyler Smith; then start Trapilo at RT 
     
    Greg Gabriel believes that Trapilo has bend and movement to play OG, but that’s hard to envision at 6’8/ 1.78 split. Maybe he’s that good but seems like an outlier. I thought Long was too tall for OG, even so he was 6’6, not 6’8!  
    Being that tall also didn’t help Long’s back 
     
    Braxton or Wright at OG appear to better fit the precedents; albeit if this happens, I doubt it’s immediately. The Bears will give this lineup a chance first before moving around players:

    Braxton-Thuney-Dalman-Jackson-Wright

    Nevertheless, it appears that Ozzy at least provides BJ ‘flexibility’ along the lines 
     
    Besides, never know. Maybe Ozzy Trapilo can man LT. A gal can dream…

  • “This Time, It Feels Different” by guest reg Rob

    “This Time, It Feels Different” by guest reg Rob

    One of the stranger aspects of Bears’ fandom since the Lovie Smith era has been the Bears’ general draft strategy. We witnessed two reset-the-franchise picks under Ryan Pace (Trubisky, Fields) mixed in with aggressively trading away draft picks as if the team were just a player or two away from contender status. It was an odd but telling combination for one of the worst teams in football over the past decade.

    Ryan Poles has reversed some of those trends – the Bears have held more than the standard seven draft picks in three of his four drafts – but his first two years at the helm still saw the Bears treading a familiar path, selecting five defensive players out of seven total picks in the first three rounds.

    We all knew what was coming in ’24, but for me, the 2025 draft comes as a revelation in the wake of Bears history – in my 31 years of Bears’ fandom, I cannot recall a draft approach quite like this one.

    First, some historical notes: since the modern-day seven round draft commenced in 1993, the Bears have selected offensive players with their first three picks seven times (which surprised me). The 2024 and ’25 drafts mark the first time in the modern draft era in which the Bears drafted three offensive players at the top of the draft in back-to-back year.

    This offense-first draft focus in back-to-back years is extremely rare for the Bears in the overall history of the NFL draft.  Only the 1945-46 drafts and the 1941, ’42 and ’43 drafts saw the Bears select three offensive players at the top of each draft (position names back then are a bit wonky, so forgive me if I got that wrong).

    Pro Football Reference has all the gory details, like the cherished 1997 draft that brought TE John Allred, G Bob Sapp and RB Darnell Autry to the Bears with their first three selections.

    But back to the hopefully good stuff of ’25:

    • While the Colston Loveland pick has its critics (preference for Warren, too high of a selection for a TE), we should appreciate this pick for its glass-breaking novelty. The Bears have a solid TE under contract (Cole Kmet), and they went out and picked another one anyways! Perhaps this is foolish for a 5-win team, but have we ever seen such an attitude from the Bears? The only comparison I can think of was the selection of Cedric Benson in ’05 with Thomas Jones under contract.
    • The selection of Luther Burden follows a similar trend. Olamide Zaccheaus is a perfectly acceptable football player and slot receiver. In virtually any other era of Bears football, the Bears would have been “set” at WR going into the draft. And yet, the Bears aimed to improve a critical position group in the modern game.
    • Ozzy Trapilo once again breaks the mold. The Bears have an offensive line that, on paper, is at least OK. The Bears even have a developmental tackle with real draft capital in Kiran Amegadjie. For the first time in a very long time, “OK” and “let’s start Arlington Hambright” is no longer good enough for the offensive line.

    Of course, bucking history only has value as a narrative. The draft is an annual crapshoot, and Loveland, Burden and Trapiilo may all bust. But for at least a brief moment, Bears fans should savor the feeling that the franchise is, for once, trying a different approach.

  • Post-Draft mish-mash

    Post-Draft mish-mash

    Boy, I think this draft is going to split Bear fans

    Camp 1. Obviously BJ in charge now, and as such, he’s finally ushering the Bears into the modern NFL of offense and playmakers

    Camp 2. TE & WR were ‘luxury’ picks, and Ozzy was a big reach at LT in the 2nd. Poles shoulda stayed put and drafted trenches and HB – Draft Day Butch
    ———————-
    This is an informative Greg Gabriel interview [before day 2] cuz it shows how the sausage is made. Some insights.

    1. “James Pierce just doesn’t give a fuck”. No wonder he dropped some. Huge risk
    1. ‘Mike Green was off the board for some teams, so you know he was never on the Bears’ board’
    2. Scourton had 10 sacks at 256 standing up. As DE at 280 lost explosion. 5 sacks
    3. Colt’s Insider msged Greg Gabriel that Bears drafted right TE
    4. ‘Ppl say, ‘trade down’, the Colts would’ve traded up for Colston. Other teams were trying to do same
    5. That praise for Warren and Jeanty trade-up talk was to throw teams off Bears’ target: Loveland
    6. Gabriel contacted DR. Shoulder will be alright. Sounds worse than it really is
    7. OT Ersey is not a fit for Ben’s scheme. He doesn’t move well enough
    8. OT Charles Grant is basically another Kiran project
    9. ‘This was a good draft for oline, just not LT’. Doesn’t think Wright athletic enough for LT
    10. ‘HB is a one-contract position now. Is that value?’
    11. Alfred Collins had INJ concerns. ‘Not one big thing, just a lot of little shit’

    Day 3

    1. Daniel Jermiah comped Ozzy to Rob Havenstein, Gabriel thinks Ozzy like Mike McClinchey
    2. Ozzy has athleticism and bend to play OG, though true, not many 6’8 OGs
    3. “Shemar Turner is a bad MOFO”

    —————–
    Twitts
    ——————
    Courtney Cronin@CourtneyRCronin
    The Bears draft is over. Here’s their 2025 draft class:

    1st – 10th: TE Colston Loveland
    2nd – 39th: WR Luther Burden III
    2nd – 56th: OT Ozzy Trapilo
    2nd – 62nd: DT Shemar Turner
    4th – 132nd: LB Ruben Hyppolite II
    5th – 169th: CB Zah Frazier
    6th – 195th: G Luke Newman
    7th – 233rd: RB Kyle Monangai
    ——————————–
    Adam Hoge@AdamHoge

    [No. 36 – CLE drafts RB Judkins]
    No. 38 – NE drafts RB TreVeyon Henderson
    No. 39 – Bears draft Luther Burden
    No. 41 – Bears trade back

    No. 104 – JAX drafts RB Bhayshul Tuten
    No. 105 – NYG drafts RB Cam Skattebo
    No. 109 – Bears trade back

    No. 147 – SF drafts RB Jordan James
    No. 148 – Bears trade back
    —————————

    Kevin Fishbain@kfishbain

    Bears director of player personnel Trey Koziol on CB Zah Frazier: “We brought him in for a 30-visit and this guy was unbelievable. … Outgoing. Really self-aware. Had to take the long route to the NFL … but we absolutely loved having him in the building.”

    Adam Hoge@AdamHoge

    Summary on CB Zah Frazier from #Bears director of player personnel Trey Koziel:
    Height/length/speed guy. Got his hands on the ball a lot last year. Can turn and track the ball. Good instincts. Fits Dennis Allen’s desire for length/speed on the outside. 30-visit was great. A lot of energy.
    —————–

    Kent Lee Platte@MathBomb

    Ruben Hyppolite was drafted in round 4 pick 132 in the 2025 draft class. He scored a 8.22 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 570 out of 3204 LB from 1987 to 2025.
    ——-

    https://twitter.com/BearsBlitznet/status/1916116771032940815/photo/1

    🌊
    @MIKEYSAINRISTIL

    Tyler Shough will officially be the last person drafted to the NFL born in the 1900’s
    —————-

    Butch post-draft musings

    1. BJ wants speed, speed and more speed. I think all draftees were fast for their position or ran a great 10 yd split [short area burst]. BJ wanted to give Caleb some easy completions. DJ/Rome/Kmet aren’t really ‘separators’. Loveland and Burden are.
    2. Shemar at 290 is a 3T. HOWEVER, Allen stated he likes his DEs about 280. Shemar loses 10 pounds, he’s a DE
    3. Bears needed a 3T and DE. Shemar may be both. He played INJed last year [stress fracture], but in ‘23 racked up 6 sacks
    4. Bears either nabbed BPA [Loveland/Burden] or “reached” [Ozzy/Hyppolite]. Add all the tradedowns, and it’s understandable why many fans are ‘wtf?’
    5. Poles may have reached for OT at #56, but look at draft. Another true OT [not projected OG] doesn’t get picked after Ozzy ’til pick #91 Emery Jones who may not fit BJ’s scheme.
      OT Charles Grant went #99, but he’s basically another Kiran project. So essentially the draft went a whole round without drafting an OT after Ozzy #tiers
  • Draft Dross

    Draft Dross

    “One can make a valid argument and still be wrong” the Prof boomed

    It’s a concept I never truly considered. I was young, so still lived in a black-and-white world where everything is either right or wrong, no gray [life cures you of that, btw]

    A flat-earther is not likely to win any debate because by default that argument won’t be valid. Too much overwhelming evidence to the contrary

    But one can make a valid argument that intelligent life exists outside earth
    And one can make a valid argument that it does not

    A LOT of issues are like this [perhaps too many unless you just like arguing]

    Enter the draft

    It’s basically just one big argument

    GMs are making the case for THEIR methodology, for THEIR guys

    They’re likely not going to be YOUR methodology or guys, and this is where the endless mocks, big boards, debates and post-mortem dissecting originate

    Exhibit A

    Last year Poles stayed at #9 and drafted Rome. That was a valid move
    It was valid because many graded Rome as a top 3 WR, and sure-fire top-10, even 5, talent [more so than WR Tet McMillan who went #8 overall]. Everyone knew Keenan Allen was just a band-aid, hence WR still a need

    Nevertheless, some favored other prospects like Fashanu, Murphy, Dallas Turner…
    Some preferred to trade down and draft [fill in the blank]
    Others, like me, wanted the DOUBLE trade-down then nab Graham Barton, C, Duke

    Guess what?

    All were valid plans: staying put, trading down, trading down twice

    [What was NOT valid IMO was trading UP for Rome, which Poles almost did since he’s no Howie Roseman]

    2015 Butch would’ve been FURIOUS Poles didn’t trade down and draft Graham. Now? Maybe I’ve mellowed, or tuned,-out, but I’m more patient, “OK. I am not as high on Rome as Poles, but I’ll give Rome a shot”

    This came from experience. I specifically remember the 2013 NFL Draft

    In that draft, Emery drafted Kyle Long at #20. I borderline HATED that pick, and became a nigh insufferable prick about it!

    I was SURE my plan to draft Eifert [who many comp Loveland to] or Sharrif Floyd, then scoop Warford later, was the correct plan

    IMO Emery was just wrong, and naturally, I the Golden-God and bringer of football light, was right

    Well, as it turned out, ALL THREE: Long, Floyd, and Eifert were derailed by INJs

    While Warford no doubt was the better OG than Long, and stolen in the 3rd, he didn’t help the Lions win any SBs

    In fact, how many SBs did the Bears, Vikings or Lions win after 2013?

    ZERO

    Maybe in the micro I was a bit more right. Eifert+Warford was likely more optimal than Long+Bostic, but in the macro, it barely registered because the Bears employed Emery as GM, Trestman as HC, and Cutler at QB

    Floyd, Eifert, or nearly any prospect, was never going to miraculously make those 3 HOFers

    Heck, KC drafted Kelce in the 3rd that year, and it still wasn’t enough ’til Mahomes

    And oh yeah, lest we forget, nearly every Bear fan at that time was clamoring for the two ‘lock’ OGs: Jonathan Cooper and Chance Warmack. Both went Top 10

    Both BUSTED. Worse than Long

    And let us recall everyone wanting Solomon Thomas in the Trubisky draft

    ‘Valid’ pertaining to the NFL Draft is scarily relative. In science it may take 100s of years to disprove the sun revolves around earth, but in the NFL your ‘theory’ is proven ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ inside 3-4 years

    And if you wrong – you gone
    However, it’s about being wrong at QB/HC

    Truth is, much like in 2013, this 2025 draft is practically superfluous because the REAL determiner of Bears’ success is already in place: Caleb, BJ, and Poles [in that order]

    The rest is dross