2018 Draft Prospects Pre-Combine

   Last year I only picked some draft prospects that intrigued me for the Bears to pick but once I started to search for game play on this years crop of players I couldn't stop and ended watching at least one and if possible three videos of each player that will attend the combine this year that had some game play on youtube, some only had videos from the 2016 season but tried to watch the more resent and competitive games available. Listed the positions that I think the Bears should need to address via free agency at first and then the draft. I made a top 10 list in order of talent and on what round i would assume they would go, the rest of them are arranged just by the round. There are some that are assigned a NA round meaning I didn't find game play of them but are still players that got invited to the combine and will be watching to get an idea of their talent. Then there is the FA status on players that entered this years draft that I believe will not get drafted.

Rk WR Rd Rd 1 Calvin Ridley 1 Steve Ishmael 4 2 Courtland Sutton 1 J'Mon Moore 4 3 Simmie Cobbs Jr 2 Chris Lacy 4 4 Marcel Ateman 2 Cam Phillips 4 5 Equanimeous St. Brown 3 Darren Carrington 5 6 Auden Tate 3 Allen Lazard 5 7 James Washington 3 Byron Pringle 5 8 Jaleel Scott 4 DJ Chark 5 9 Cedric Wilson 4 Dante Pettis 5 10 Jordan Lasley 4 Deon Cain 6 Antonio Callaway 6 Rk WRS Korey Robertson 6 1  Christian Kirk 2 Javon Wims 7 2 Anthony Miller 2 Trey Quinn 7 3 Deontay Burnett 3 Davon Grayson 7 4 Michael Gallup 4 Ray-Ray McCloud 7 5 DaeShon Hamilton 4 Dylan Cantrell FA 6 Keke Coutee 5 Robert Foster FA 7 D.J. Moore 6 TJ Martin FA 8 Steven Mitchell 6 Marquez Valdes-Scantling FA 9 Quadree Henderson 7 Ka'Raun White FA 10 Braxton Berrios 7 Jake Wieneke FA Tre'Quan Smith FA Jester Weah FA Richie James FA Brandon Powell FA

   I separated the WR class and made a top 10 for the players I think are more dangerous in the slot. Calvin Ridley looks like a Rd1 but its really hard to see on tape although he is arguably the better all around player that looks to have the speed, quickness, leaping ability and hands to be a WR1 in the NFL. Cedric Wilson and Jordan Lasley are the next players that look like all around WRs. James Washington is the one that really doesn't fit in the list but you can't ignore his hands and speed, reminds me of Torrey Smith. Then the rest on the top 10 are tall receivers that dominate often on the jump ball. The top 5 slot receivers are very intriguing because they have the size to take a hit and still be able to be very quick and elusive but what seems to separate Christian Kirk from the others is he appeared to be a leader for his team and that counts in the NFL.

Rk OT Rd Rd 1 Mike McGlinchey 1 Tyrell Crosby 4 2 Brian O'Neil 2 Martinas Rankin 4 3 Connor Williams 2 Toby Weathersby 4 4 Isaiah Wynn 2 Joel Noteboom 4 5 Jamarco Jones 3 Chukwuma Okorafor 5 6 Orlando Brown 3 Ike Boettger 5 7 K.C. McDermott 3 David Bright 5 8 Geron Christian 3 Nick Gates 6 9 Kolton Miller 4 Brett Toth 6 10 Desmond Harrison 4 Bentley Spain 6 Brandon Parker 7 Greg Senat 7 Timon Parris 7 Cole Madison 7 Will Richardson FA Austin Corbett FA Alex Cappa FA Casey Tucker FA

 
   I like Mike McGlinchey to be the next RT for the Bears to then possibly move him to LT with time, hope he gets evaluated really hard to see if he is worth it with the 8th pick. From what I have seen on other websites is that I grade Connor Williams and Orlando Brown a tad lower that "normal". I am not a fan of  Williams and Brown's size, Williams lacks strength but looks like he can play the LT position but I haven't heard the same for Brown and its no wonder with how big he is that it doesn't seem he can keep up with speedy edge rushers, he looks like Cam Robinson but less athletic and Robinson wasn't considered athletic. Really like Isaiah Wynn's versatility and demeanor, could be true that he is better suited to be a guard in the NFL but I can see him being a reliable LT. Desmond Harrison looks to have good size and technique together with a tough attitude, he seems to dominate his opponent every time in the games I found playing with the UWG Wolves, he could be very good but really cant tell when playing against defenses from Division II and he has red flags to explain about for his disciplinary issues he had when playing with the Texas Longhorns.

Rk G/C Rd Rd 1 Quenton Nelson 1 Mason Cole 5 2 Isaiah Wynn 2 Austin Golson 5 3 Billy Price 2 Scott Quessenberry 5 4 Braden Smith 2 Sean Welsh 5 5 James Daniels 3 Brian Allen 6 6 Tony Adams 3 Sam Mustipher 7 7 Bradley Bozeman 3 Coleman Shelton 7 8 Will Hernandez 4 Mark Korte FA 9 Frank Ragnow 4 Nick Linder FA 10 Will Clapp 4

   Decided to view game play of some guards and centers that are being named to be very good but focused more on players that have the versatility to play both interior positions. Isaiah Wynn is the only player I repeated in more than one list just because I believe he is that good to be able to play multiple positions very well. There is talk that Quenton Nelson could be considered to be the best player on this draft, but I really don't see him being that dominant, but he is very good. Billy Price is considered in some mock draft to be a Rd1 player but I only see that if someone really needs a C and doesn't what to wait until the second round. Same thing with Will Hernandez being considered a RD2 player, he comes from a small school and didn't impress much in the Senior bowl, he has good size and strength but seems to lack technique, so he looks to be a very raw player.

Rk DE/NT Rd Rd 1 Vita Vea 1 Breeland Speaks 3 2 Da'Ron Payne 1 Jerry Tillery 4 3 Taven Bryan 1 Da'Shawn Hand 4 4 R.J. McIntosh 2 Kendrick Norton 4 5 Andrew Brown 2 John Atkins 4 6 Tim Settle 2 B.J. Hill 5 7 Harrison Phillips 3 Eddy Wilson 5 8 Drew Bailey 3 Rasheem Green 5 9 Kahlil McKenzie Jr 3 Folorunso Fatukasi 6 10 Duke Ejiofor 3 Lowell Lotulelei 6 Du'Vonta Lampkin 6 Taylor Stallworth 7 Joshua Frazier 7 Matt Elam FA Deadrin Senat FA John Franklin-Myers FA Bilal Nichols FA Jojo Wicker FA

 
   This list is made by thinking which players are best suited to play on a 3-4 formation. Vita Vea is an intriguing player, looks like the next Haloti Ngata and that makes me think he may be worthy of taking him with the 8th pick, that will depends on how much the Bears trusts the players already on the roster in Johnathan Bullard and Roy Robertson-Harris, which they have been improving. Love Duke Ejiofor's hand usage to shed blocks, but his size to play the 5T is what worries me. Breeland Speaks is all over the place, he is a big guy with average speed that was used often to rush QBs as a OLB and although he is strong he didn't show it consistently because of technique, I really don't know if he is better off playing 4-3 DT.

Rk	CB	Rd				Rd				Rd
1	Denzel Ward	1			D.J. Reed	2			Kamrin Moore	7
2	Joshua Jackson	1			Anthony Averett	3			M.J. Stewart	7
3	Jaire Alexander	1			Levi Wallace	3			Darius Phillips	7
4	Mike Hughes	1			Nick Nelson	3			Greg Stroman	7
5	Duke Dawson	1			Kevin Toliver II	3			Brandon Facyson	7
6	Isaiah Oliver	2			Isaac Yiadom	4			Henre' Toliver	7
7	Carlton Davis	2			Kameron Kelly	4			Jamarcus King	FA
8	Donte Jackson	2			Taron Johnson	4			Dane Cruikshank	FA
9	Tarvarus McFadden	2			Michael Joseph	5			Rashaan Gaulden	FA
10	Holton Hill	2			Christian Campbell	5			Andre Chachere	FA
					Tony Brown	5			Grant Haley	FA
					Danny Johnson	5			Sean Chandler	FA
					Jordan Thomas	5			Dee Delaney	FA
					J.C. Jackson	6			Chris Jones	FA
					Davontae Harris	6			Chandon Sullivan	NA
					Quenton Meeks	6			D'Montre Wade	NA
					Rashard Fant	6			Avonte Maddox	NA
					Parry Nickerson	6			Tracy Walker	NA

 
   I didn't divide this position separating the nickel corners in another list because I find it hard to determine which player is not capable of playing the outside. This position is deep this year with lots of talent that deserve first and second day considerations. I list Denzel Ward as the best CB this year because I value more his technique to stick to a player than the one productive year Joshua Jackson had this past season, Jackson has the better height but even so Ward plays as well or better than Jackson. Duke Dawson is really high in my list because I believe he can play the outside even with his short height and has good recognition and cover skills. I like CB that can tackle and I think all top 10 players can do a good job at it.

Rk OLB/EDGE Rd Hercules Mata'afa 4 1 Bradley Chubb 1 Dorance Armstrong Jr 5 2 Arden Key 1 Ogbonnia Okoronkwo 5 3 Sam Hubbard 1 Jeff Holland 5 4 Harold Landry 2 Leon Jacobs 5 5 Marcus Davenport 2 Tyquan Lewis 5 6 Chad Thomas 3 Jayln Holmes 6 7 Kemoko Turay 3 Josh Sweat 6 8 Uchenna Nwosu 3 Mike McCray 6 9 Lorenzo Carter 4 Marquis Haynes 6 10 James Hearns 4 Davin Bellamy 7 Marcell Frazier 7 Olasunkanmi Adeniyi 7 Fred Warner FA Chris Covington NA Joel Iyiegbuniwe NA Darius Jackson NA Jacob Pugh NA

 
   Again, I list these players as the better 3-4 defensive players. Bradley Chubb should be considered the best player in this years draft, he is a relentless pass rusher and good at run defense, don't know if he has problems in coverage but I believe that his pressure to opposing QB should make up for it. Marcus Davenport is considered a Rd1 pick but I think that is to risky, many have said he is raw playing against average competition from Conference USA, I initially had him as a Rd4 player but did see he showed good skills in the Senior Bowl but not enough to sky rocket him to the first round. Kemoko Turay will be someone I will be paying attention to.

Rk ILB Rd Rd 1 Roquan Smith 1 Micah Kiser 4 2 Tremaine Edmunds 1 Dorian O'Daniel 4 3 Leighton Vander Esch 2 Tegray Scales 5 4 Darius Leonard 2 Skai Moore 5 5 Jack Cichy 2 Chris Worley 5 6 Rashaan Evans 3 Jerome Baker 6 7 Malik Jefferson 3 Josey Jewell 6 8 Jason Cabinda 3 Kendall Joseph 6 9 Matthew Thomas 3 Azeem Victor 6 10 Christian Sam 4 Keishawn Bierria 6 Shaun Dion Hamilton 7 Garret Dooley 7 Genard Avery 7 Kenny Young 7 Nick DeLuca FA Oren Burks NA Andre Smith NA

 
   I really had problems evaluating this position, I was close to not giving anyone a Rd1 grade, guess I was to hard on these players and expected more from an NFL prospect. Roquan Smith is a more complete LB but Tremaine Edmunds is more physical with a bigger body, his problem is a lack of awareness to see where the play is going, he compensates it with speed. Jack Cichy missed the 2017 season because of a ACL tear but he looks the part of a complete ILB, I hope he can get back on track. Jason Cabinda is considered as an OLB but I've saw plays where he played at the inside and I believe he can handle it much better as a run stopper than an outside rusher. Rashaan Evans and Malik Jefferson are seen as day one players by some but I didn't see Evans shedding blocks as often as I would like and Jefferson is big and strong but a bit slow to get from side to side and in coverage.

   I wanted to get these lists out before the combine to see how good I do in "evaluating" these future NFL players, I will teak the list once the combine is over and maybe again when pro days are done. The rest of the positions I will add before the draft, really don't care much about them because I believe the Bears are pretty set on those.

Super Bowl LII

   Lets start by congratulating the Philadelphia Eagles winning their first ever Lombardi trophy by defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII where the halftime show was bland and so where the defenses.

   With the final score of 41 to 33 I really didn't expect this to be a shootout. I don't know whats more impressive, that Tom Brady and the Patriots offense can put 30+ points on anyone or that Nick Foles and the Eagles offense put it together plan to score more than 40+ points against, well anyone. Doug Peterson and his crew deserve mayor props for getting Foles comfortable, running the ball so effectively and being aggressive in a pair of 4th downs especially the one ending in a TD just before the end of the first half giving them a very meaningful 10 point lead. They needed to be focused and not give Brady a shot to get back in the game, but they almost blew it. Down by just 5, the Patriots got the opportunity to end this game with a TD but when Brandon Graham stripped sacked Brady and recovered by rookie Derek Barnett it seemed that the Eagles where going to shut the door by running down the clock, but for a moment it looked like they forgot how they got to where they were and got too conservative by running the ball three times even with a 10 men front on 3rd and 5, they ended kicking the FG to increase the lead to 8 points, which was good but left Brady and the Patriots 1 min and change on the clock and hope, a thing you don't want to give this team. It all came down to a hail mary that took 3 players to stop Rob Gronkowski to snatch the ball, even after being batted down it took a bounce on an Eagle player that kept the ball alive for another split second but ultimately fell to the ground giving the Eagles fans a brief sigh of relief before their harts exploded in emotions... and in a large majority their heads exploded as well, as many feared.

   I just feel kind of awkward about the situation the city of Philadelphia lived moments after the game ended, what should have been a time of "Brotherly love" turn out to be a pillage. I'm saddened about the work places that where severely damaged and the time the authorities had to take to deal with these people that just don't get it and smear a bad name on their fan base. This wasn't a group just loosing their heads, it was a movement almost organized just to make mayhem and there is no place for that in what should have been a time of celebration and joy long awaited by many, luckily it ran out at the day of the parade which went how you would expect it to go. I don't really expect the players to shine a light on the situation, but I probably would have expected the team to address the behavior of their fans on that Sunday night, but I didn't catch any article that stated anything of the sort, so I guess they are alright with it? Hope not, maybe im asking too much.

   Now we can start thinking and imagining what the 2018 season will look like starting with the combine to see what rookies can impress with their body skills. But what everyone will be waiting will be march madness, the news on new contracts and who gets let loose to go in free agency pool.

   Patriots can be hated more by the haters with the news on Josh McDaniels bailing the Colts HC position the day he was going to sing his contract. This makes Ryan Pace look pretty good with his decision to not go with McDaniels which was reported he was interested and instead go with high praised Matt Nagy to speed up the process of filling the other coaching positions pending which they have done and dodge a bullet in the process. Keeping Vic Fangio and getting an offensive brain at HC are huge moves by Pace, so things are looking good at the start of next season.