My 1st Mock (first 3 rounds only)

[JABF]

People have been asking on the messageboard what "The Haul" could look like.  I think this gives one idea of how it COULD look.  This would be a massive upgrade of roster talent impacting offense and also defense.  We would just be a much better team.  This one has Fields as our QB1 & that is my hope moving forward.  Here's my first three rounds of the draft:

The trade down gives us another 1st round pick in 2025, so we could do this again next year too.  It's the Poles trade gift that keeps on giving.

I was able to get 7 picks in the first 3 rounds by trading down twice.  I did a trade down to get Marvin Harrison Jr. at #4

Didn't like what was there at #9 so traded down to #17 to get C Jackson Powers-Johnson from Oregon

At #27 (from the trade down) I took Safety Kamren Kinchens.  Elite athletic skills but is a bit raw.  I thought he'd be a good fit for the Bears Defense though.

At pick #35 (trade down pick) I got OT Kingsley Suamataia from BYU.  He is 6'4" 329lbs and I think this guy would be an ELITE guard.  Off the charts elite as a guard along side Jackson Powers-Johnson at C.  If Jenkins can stay healthy we'd have the best IOL unit in the NFL once the two rookies got past their rookie phase.  

At pick #48 (trade down pick) I got Edge Chris Braswell from Alabama.  The guy is an athletic freak with what is descrbed as a gunshot quick explosiveness and the dude is monster-strong.  Squats over 700lbs and powercleans over 400lbs.  One scouting report said he's the kind of player that will keep opposing tackles up all night before a game.  Another said "Brings a dynamite combo of speed and power, sending offensive tackles reeling."   I think he would be good opposte Montez Sweat.

At pick #66 got TE Ja'Tavion Sanders from Texas.  His scouting report included:
Excellent open-field blocker takes effective angles and shows strength against secondary defenders.
Super reliable receiver potential outstanding high pointer
Exhibits great deep speed and agility as a route runner
Effective after the catch, shows potential as a screen receiver to take it the distance
Nice lateral movement, adding versatility to his receiving abilities
Can not be covered by linebackers, will need a corner to keep up with him
Has strong hand usage against press coverage - able to get off at the line
Super soft hands - rarely drops a pass

At pick #75  I got DT Leonard Taylor out of Miami (FL) who I believe could be a great 3-technique guy for us.  Getting a guy this good in the 3rd round would be sweet.  

So 7 high-quality players in the top-3 rounds alone (we are only halfway through this draft at this point!!!)... but it is with us keeping Justin Fields, and that is my favorite move for the Bears.  

[AlexM]

Feb 16, 2024 22:30:43 GMT -6 JABF said:

People have been asking on the messageboard what "The Haul" could look like.  I think this gives one idea of how it COULD look.  This would be a massive upgrade of roster talent impacting offense and also defense.  We would just be a much better team.  This one has Fields as our QB1 & that is my hope moving forward.  Here's my first three rounds of the draft:

The trade down gives us another 1st round pick in 2025, so we could do this again next year too.  It's the Poles trade gift that keeps on giving.

I was able to get 7 picks in the first 3 rounds by trading down twice.  I did a trade down to get Marvin Harrison Jr. at #4

Didn't like what was there at #9 so traded down to #17 to get C Jackson Powers-Johnson from Oregon

At #27 (from the trade down) I took Safety Kamren Kinchens.  Elite athletic skills but is a bit raw.  I thought he'd be a good fit for the Bears Defense though.

At pick #35 (trade down pick) I got OT Kingsley Suamataia from BYU.  He is 6'4" 329lbs and I think this guy would be an ELITE guard.  Off the charts elite as a guard along side Jackson Powers-Johnson at C.  If Jenkins can stay healthy we'd have the best IOL unit in the NFL once the two rookies got past their rookie phase.  

At pick #48 (trade down pick) I got Edge Chris Braswell from Alabama.  The guy is an athletic freak with what is descrbed as a gunshot quick explosiveness and the dude is monster-strong.  Squats over 700lbs and powercleans over 400lbs.  One scouting report said he's the kind of player that will keep opposing tackles up all night before a game.  Another said "Brings a dynamite combo of speed and power, sending offensive tackles reeling."   I think he would be good opposte Montez Sweat.

At pick #66 got TE Ja'Tavion Sanders from Texas.  His scouting report included:
Excellent open-field blocker takes effective angles and shows strength against secondary defenders.
Super reliable receiver potential outstanding high pointer
Exhibits great deep speed and agility as a route runner
Effective after the catch, shows potential as a screen receiver to take it the distance
Nice lateral movement, adding versatility to his receiving abilities
Can not be covered by linebackers, will need a corner to keep up with him
Has strong hand usage against press coverage - able to get off at the line
Super soft hands - rarely drops a pass

At pick #75  I got DT Leonard Taylor out of Miami (FL) who I believe could be a great 3-technique guy for us.  Getting a guy this good in the 3rd round would be sweet.  

So 7 high-quality players in the top-3 rounds alone (we are only halfway through this draft at this point!!!)... but it is with us keeping Justin Fields, and that is my favorite move for the Bears.  

View Attachment

That WOULD be an awesome draft. Especially if we sign an elite DE prior to that, in FA.
Only thing that concerns me is QB and huge question mark Fields. Packers game still resonates.

[JABF]

Feb 17, 2024 5:43:29 GMT -6 AlexM said:

That WOULD be an awesome draft. Especially if we sign an elite DE prior to that, in FA.
Only thing that concerns me is QB and huge question mark Fields. Packers game still resonates.

To be honest, I go back and forth on it too, Alex.  So I am going to be okay if the Bears move on from Fields, if that is what they think is best.  But, if they do truly believe Fields is our best QB1, then I am going to trust them on that too.  Whatever they decide will be okay with me.  I say that because I admit I really don't know what's best here.  And I trust that they have a lot more expertise and data available to support their decision than I do.  

So I'm not pushing this as what we should do.  It was just one option that I used doing the mock draft.  I will do another this weekend reflecting us going with a drafted QB... maybe one with us keeping that 1st pick and going Caleb, and another with us doing a tiny trade down and grabbing Maye.  And then again, there is the possibility (small possibility I admit) that the Bears truly believe a guy like Bo Nix or J.J. McCarthy would be their guy.  That would be an interesting mock draft too (you could still do the trade down and get Marvin Harrison Jr.

[AlexM]

Feb 17, 2024 9:56:49 GMT -6 JABF said:

Feb 17, 2024 5:43:29 GMT -6 AlexM said:

That WOULD be an awesome draft. Especially if we sign an elite DE prior to that, in FA.
Only thing that concerns me is QB and huge question mark Fields. Packers game still resonates.

To be honest, I go back and forth on it too, Alex.  So I am going to be okay if the Bears move on from Fields, if that is what they think is best.  But, if they do truly believe Fields is our best QB1, then I am going to trust them on that too.  Whatever they decide will be okay with me.  I say that because I admit I really don't know what's best here.  And I trust that they have a lot more expertise and data available to support their decision than I do.  

So I'm not pushing this as what we should do.  It was just one option that I used doing the mock draft.  I will do another this weekend reflecting us going with a drafted QB... maybe one with us keeping that 1st pick and going Caleb, and another with us doing a tiny trade down and grabbing Maye.  And then again, there is the possibility (small possibility I admit) that the Bears truly believe a guy like Bo Nix or J.J. McCarthy would be their guy.  That would be an interesting mock draft too (you could still do the trade down and get Marvin Harrison Jr.

Yeah, I feel the same way.
Btw, I see more and more Harrison going at 4, which was 3 until not long ago.. we will see.

[matsellah]

I like it. It's how I've been mock drafting those first 2 picks. Taking JPJ at 17 (where I'm usually trading back to) will be seen as a reach, but given the number of teams needing a Center this season, the empty well in Free Agency and the talent falloff afterward... so be it. Bears taking a Center at 17 is good for me. It's a huge need.

Afterward, we veer because while we do need someone to replace EJ, the draft is relatively deep in safties and there will be options in later rounds. What concerns me is the IRL drama surrounding JJ. If they let him walk, CB becomes crucial. So much so that taking a pair might not be such a bad idea.

In between, Bears need another Guard, OL depth and another WR.

Getting Leonard Taylor that late is a coup. Nice draft.

[butkus3595]

Here's a recent 4 round mock draft I did:

Round 1, Pick 1: Caleb Williams, QB USC

TRADE: Justin Fields, Pick R1:9, Pick R4 2025 to ATL for R1:8, R2:43, R3:74, R4 2025

Round 1, Pick 8: Rome Odunze, WR WASH

Round 2, Pick 43: Darius Robinson, EDGE MIZZU

Round 3, Pick 74: Kamren Kitchens, S MIAMI

Round 3, Pick 75: Christian Mahogany, G BC

Round 4, Pick 111: Javon Baker, WR UCF

Round 4, Pick 123: Malik Washington, WR Virginia

Everyone knows how I feel about Fields, but it seems like this is the move thats going to be made. There's a lot of smoke around a potential deal to ATL and I wanted to jump in front of them to try and get 1 of the top 3 receivers. If one of them wasn't there I was going to try and trade back.

I'm not sure Robinson will be there in the 2nd, but he was...so I took him even though I could have traded back. Kinchens solves an obvious need for us at FS and Mahogany provides depth at the guard spot and I think he could be a starter in the league. I've watched him play since HS and the dude has a MEAN streak to him.

Finally I hit receiver again twice. Baker is a guy who I'm liking a lot based on some things I've seen of him and would be thrilled if we got him in the draft. Washington was a bit of a luxury pick...I heavily considered TE Ben Sinnot from K State, but Malik reminds me a lot of Tank Dell...and I couldn't let that go. With Odunze, Baker, and Washington our WR room has star power AND depth!