W2 & 3 Losses to Bucs and Chiefs: Bring in the clowns

    There is truly not much to say, the Bears are lost and do not have a team ready to compete, they are still trying to find players who can play whatever they are trying to play and showing an embarrassing performance every week.

   The offense wont click until Justin Fields finds his way if it ever happens, he isn't looking confident or comfortable behind an Oline that is missing three starters listed at the beginning of the season and was always missing an upgrade and need at Center, it doesn't matter if WRs get open or if the run game works, if Fields cant get back to what he showed last season and improve upon that, he should get people at the offices fired along with him and that is just NOT what I want.

Upside players: I don't feel anyone deserves to be placed here but Darnell Wright is playing better each game, still is costing the offense some plays. 

Downside players: Obvious players is Chase Claypool, his play and demeanor might just cost him his spot for this next game. Cole Kmet is just too average, needs to up his game. Justin Fields needs to feed D.J. Moore and Darnell Mooney the ball more and they need to catch it, Mooney has disappeared from this team and that is just inexcusable. 

   The strength of this defense was the back seven, it hasn't showed on games, thy are three starting secondary players down, its a mess and all this happens because the Bears cant pressure the QB, they cannot get near him as much as they need to help their backs make plays, the front four are playing decent run defense ill give them that but they cant get themselves out of the field because they are giving the QB too much time costing them 3rd downs resulting in more playing time and exhaustion which results in big running back just blast through them to end games. this is not good for the offense who are in need of more opportunities to fix their own mess.

Upside players: Its all about the rookies and watch how they make plays even if its not in a consistent basis, Gervon Dexter Jr., Tyrique Stevenson and Terrell Smith have shown some flashes. Protect Andrew Billings at all cost.

Downside players: Tremaine Edmunds is not the dominant LB I was hoping to see, he misses tackles and isn't helping get pressure, his coverage is ok but he is still isn't in synch with the other backs. Yannick Ngakoue is leaving the few QB sack opportunities get by him, add that he was brought to bring the speed to the line and it doesn't translate to the need the Bears needed at the EDGE position.

   The Bears have a lineup in front of them of teams that are struggling and have all the opportunity in the world to get back on track this season but they need answers RIGHT NOW against the Broncos. The offense needs the ball and Fields needs to let the ball go or go himself, wight now its not looking good, the secondary is too banged up which could result in less minutes for the offense with the ball, meaning that the offense will have to go toe to toe with the Broncos offense. All of this is to have a chance to win, honestly I just want to see a freaking spark go on in this team something to cheer for, I expected the losses at the beginning of the season, what is killing the vibe is the playing on the field which is just a joke to this point.

Useless predictions: 2023 Week 4 picks

   Missed last week but the one before was horrendous, needed the time out. Nothing really surprising these first weeks other than the Broncos still not good for whatever reason and now the Bears join them as an over rated team (thanks a lot for the unneeded doses of depression) the Cardinals and Rams are not bad as thought to be and Steelers not as good as thought to be. Other than that, everything seems right on schedule with Vikings and Chargers choking, Ravens getting hurt a lot and the favorites for the Super Bowl are still the Chiefs and Eagles. On to next week.

Last week: 1-12-2 (7%)

Season overall: 3-25-2 (10%)

Falcons at Jaguars (-3)    (O42.5)

   First international game of the season where I believe the Jaguars can use to bounce back from their subpar playing. Nothing against the Falcons but they are surviving with a one dimensional offense and strong defense, that is not a sustainable plan for success.

Dolphins (+2.5) at Bills    (O53.5)

   The Bills play sloppy but ooze talent that makes them uncover the sloppiness. The Dolphins are a freaking machine, they just need to protect general Tua at all cost and they will continue to play how they want.

Vikings (-4.5) at Carolina    (U46.5)

   Bryce Young is coming back so Carolina will continue struggling until they can protect him and he can get comfortable playing in the NFL. The Vikings need this game to build up on something for the future.

Commanders at Philadelphia (-9)    (O43)

   Commanders are playing average and their strength is the Dline, the Eagles are a power house and their strength is the OLine, this is already decided.

Bengals at Tennessee (+2.5)    (O41)

   The Bengals have shown to little to believe in them yet, they have all the talent to be a winning team but something is still off. The Titans are a question mark every game, they have enough talent and coaching to pull games off of their ass but just malfunction for no reason. Its anyone's game. 

LA Rams (PK) at Indianapolis    (U45.5)

   I like the Rams, a very young team that is very well coached, while Matt Stafford is protected this team has legit shots of adding on the win column. The Colts are still trying to get Anthony Richardson in sink, that is a hard task if he keeps getting injured.

Buccaneers at New Orleans (-3.5)    (O40)

   Both defenses are stingy, both offenses have good receivers, Carr is more reliable than Baker. If Carr plays I'm with the Saints.

Steelers (-2.5) at Texans    (O42)

   The Texans play hard and rookie C.J. Stroud is looking good, but they are very banged up and while the Steelers offense is struggling mightily, the defense is keeping them in the games.

Ravens at Cleveland (-2)    (O39)

   The Ravens are just to banged up to go against a though Browns defense, only chances the Ravens have is if Deshaun Watson gives them those chances.

Broncos (-3) at Chicago    (U46.5)

   the Broncos have always been good on paper but its unreal how they cant win, they go up against another team coming with high expectations going to this season and they have shown almost nothing to back that up.

Raiders at LA Chargers (-5)    (O48.5)

   Oh boy, Aidan O'Connell is starting for the Raiders, normally a rookie should struggle, this might still be the case even if O'Connell has been praise mightily in the offseason. The Chargers have the offense to burry the Raiders in points, can the defense do enough to be out of reach?

Patriots (+6) at Dallas    (U43.5)

   The Cowboys losing against the Cardinals tell me more about the Cardinals than the Cowboys, they are still a good team and should be just a slip. The Patriots are a solid team and will compete with anyone this season, they just don't have that big weapon make them a real contending candidate.

Cardinals at San Francisco (-14)   (O43.5)

   The Cardinals are not bad, obviously they have a weak roster but they play to their maximum potential, it wont matter against the niners unfortunately. 

Chiefs (-8.5) at NY Jets     (U41.5)

   Its a nightmare for the Jets, Zach Wilson is not looking the part and is bringing down the whole team with him, if the coaching staff cant find a solution fast they will lose the locker room.

Seahawks at NY Giants (+1)    (U47)

   The seahawks need all their starters to have a chance to win, they are too banged up. The Giants need more stable offensive plan to get Daniel Jones going.

Useless predictions: 2023 Week 2 picks

    Well damn I did ok on the spreads but the O/Us killed my predictions, welp that's life. A lot of sloppy games as predicted and many surprise results, just what the fist week of the season is all about. On to next week.

Las week: 2-13 (13%)

Chargers (-2.5) at Tennessee    (O45.5)

   The Titans really struggled against the Saints defense, they might find it easier against the Chargers if Joey Bosa doesn't go, but I'm counting on the Chargers offense to light it up even without Austin Ekeler, still the Chargers could find a way to shoot themselves in the foot like they have done many times under coach Brandon Staley.

Raiders at Buffalo (-7.5)    (O47)

   I believe this week will be a bounce back week for some teams that got the other side of the upset. The Bills should dominate against an average Raiders that still be without Chandler Jones.

Packers at Atlanta (-3)    (U40.5)

   This should be a battle of defenses, the Packers will have to count even more in Jordan Love with Aaron Jones out for this one, the Falcons can control the clock with its high powered run game.

Ravens at Cincinnati (-3)    (U45.5)

   The Ravens didn't wait long to start their annual injury extravaganza, this is the chance the Bengals need to bounce back to playoff form.

Bears (+2.5) at Tampa Bay     (O41)

   Im going homer for just one more game, the Bears need to show some pulse and beat this Bucs team to pave some kind of road to their rebuild, Bucs wont make it easy with they blitz heavy front seven, both missing corner help can make this a crazy sloppy aerial attack.

Chiefs (-3) at Jacksonville    (O50.5)

   The Chiefs are getting back what they missed a lot against Detroit, Chris Jones to man the middle of the defense and Travis Kelce to provide Patrick Mahomes with dependable hands against a solid Jaguars team.

Colts at Houston (EVEN)    (U40)

   Counting on the Texans front 4 to make Anthony Richardson's day a bit to though to handle.

Seahawks at Detroit (-4.5)    (U47)

   OK so the Seahawks aren't all that and they go against Aidan Hutchinson and the Lions on their turf without their two starting tackles, that is not a good combination.

Giants (-4) at Arizona    (U39.5)

   The Giants can be THAT bad right? the Cardinals aren't THAT bad? The Giants need this one more.

49ers (-7) at LA Rams    (O45)

   The Rams had a great game against Seattle, they looked competent, but so did the niners, they looks unstoppable to a Steelers team that showed promise as a solid team. 

Jets (+8.5) at Dallas     (U38.5)

   The Cowboys can beat the New Jersey teams teams back to back, they probably will but the Jets might not get blasted like their cousins. 

Commanders (+4) at Denver    (U38.5)

   I cant believe the Broncos are still stuck in purgatory, the Commanders almost lost to Arizona but its still a wait and see if it was because the Cardinals are not all bad. 

Dolphins (-2.5) at New England    (O46.5)

   The Patriots can be a legit playoff team if they keep it up, unfortunately they are in a stacked division and Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill are looking unstoppable. 

Saints  at Carolina (+3)   (39.5)

   This one might be a close game, the Panthers looked good on defense and the Saints struggled against a good Titans defense.

Browns (-2.5) at Pittsburgh    (U38.5)

   The Browns might be for real finally, the Steelers where embraced at home, need to see it to believe this team isn't in a funk starting this season. 

W1vsGB: This wasn't it

    I was ready for a possible loss that Sunday, the end of the game didn't show possibilities, it showed that it wasn't just one man that owns this franchise, its a team. The Packers are a solid unit but the Bears weren't supposed to look as awful as they did, they failed as players, as coaches, as individuals and as a team, it was purely a soul taking loss, and its back to the drawing board.

   Offensively it was bleak, there was too little to be cheerful about but not everything was wrong, they had a pair of good drives but penalties and the freaking execution on screen plays killed any rhythm they could have created and showed all the wrong things about this team. The Oline struggled and that was no surprise against a very staked Packers Dline, rookie Darnell Wright played as many thought a rookie would play, on the other side Braxton Jones just made to many penalties which was one thing last years team limited very well. Cody Whitehair and Nate Davis (with all his personal baggage) played an OK game, Lucas Patrick struggled, he just isn't strong enough to hold the anchor spot against experienced/powerful NTs. Luke Getsy tried to replicate the small sample of success he got calling screen plays with the starters in the preseason, on this game it was a mess and it was because of bad blocking by many but especially by Chase Claypool who had an awful game as a blocker, his bad rep makes it look like he just didn't try. Running backs and receivers didn't have much to show with the Oline struggling and Justin Field under siege most of the game, he never had a clean pocket but when he did have time and some space he just didn't throw it, it was so frustrating to see, one cant help but to think he isn't ready, he looked untrained or coached poorly at least to play in this system with this team, its infuriating to watch him go backwards in development as a QB.

Upside players: D.J. Moore did great once he got the ball, 2 for 2 was just inexplicable. Roschon Johnson can be a spark for this team with his type of play.

Downside players: A bit unfair But Darnell Wright just had to live the NFL experience. Cole Kmet and Claypool really need to step up as blockers. I didn't like Robert Tonyan in the preseason and didn't like him this game. Call me exaggerated or inpatient but this team needs to find a solution to sit Patrick for someone else or shuffle the line, would prefer to see Whitehair at center. Don't have the courage to put Fields here, but need to mention he didn't play well be it in part because of team performance overall and play calling, still he need to find his way to make throws to a better receiving situation with Moore and Mooney.

Defense showed more promise and that is really saying something when they get scored 38 points, the offense was that miserable. The Bears DL was hot or could against the run, or they stuffed them or they would get runs for 5+ yards a carry, so I was convinced the Packers would carve this defense with their run game, it really didn't happen so that's a plus. Looks like what really killed this defense was something basic, they are not coached well, the game plan was not meant for this squads talent, they are not ready to be called a team when they are still not on the same page and they call plays that don't place them in a winning position, case in point, this team cant rush for their lives, so why in all that is holy they didn't call blitzes on 3rd and long situations? Pro football reference has them calling 5 blitzes which puts them tied for the second least team to call blitzes in week one, this coaching staff was convicted that they could rush with only four for I don't know what reason. Its still a wait and see for this defense if they can gel enough to play better than average and for the coaches to get with the program. Alan Williams going through personal stuff is not ideal, if time is what he need its good to see him take it.

Upside players: Andrew Billings must be protected at all cost. 

Downside players: I'm just naming Rasheem Green here because I just don't know what makes him so special to still be on the team, but any edge rusher could be here.

   Bottom line, this teams is a long ways form being ready and I blame the coaches for most of it. One more game is needed to tell us more of this story that is the 2023 Chicago Bears, its just begun, it just started with the protagonist bleeding out and unconscious. The Bucs are a good second chance for the Bears, they are very similar to the Packers with a very good defense and wide receivers although their running game isn't as strong which should benefit the Bears defense. The Bucs are dealing with injuries in the defense and will play without corner Carlton Davis and rookie DL Calijah Kancey, Bears will go without nickel corners Kyler Gordon (IR) and Josh Blackwell, this opens the game to be an aerial assault for both teams which is what we need to see from Fields, the Bears need to challenge rookie corner Zyon McCollum who is no slouch at 6-4 200lbs and ran a 4.33 40, but he hasn't played much, Fields needs to let the ball go and trust his receiver will win. I predicted a loss to the Bucs at the beginning of the season because I presumed this team wasn't ready to win and sadly I was right, its winnable yes but most importantly they need to show they are building something resembling a competitive NFL team.

Useless predictions: 2023 Week 1 picks

   The NFL betting world starts with a rough one with the Lions upsetting the Chiefs, even I felt a bit sad form Mahomes but Vegas had to love it. Let see what other surprises we get this week with all the team trying to find their footing and showing us who they really are.

Last years record: 26-101 (20%) (spread+O/U)

49ers at Pittsburgh (+2)    (O41.5)

   Both are coming into this season with as solid teams as top contenders, their biggest questions they need to answer is if Kenny Pickett has what it takes and if the niners Oline can keep up. 

Cardinals at Washington (-7)    (U38)

   I expect the Commanders to be decently good with a solid defense and having success as an offense with Sam Howell at the helm. The Cardinals I expect them to be hot garbage even when Kyler Murray returns.

Titans (+3) at New Orleans    (O41.5)

   Both solid teams, the Titans have a good running unit and the Saints a good air group, both with a veteran QB leading them and solid pieces at defense, I will side with the Titans as I expect them to control the game with the run.

   Bucs (+4.5) at Minnesota    (O45.5)

   The Bucs will be what Baker Mayfield makes them be, so really improbable but there are not a bad team. The Vikings still have an offense to go toe to toe with any defense, I don't trust their defense.

Jaguars (-4.5) at Indianapolis    (U46)

   Anthony Richardson will be a very good QB, its going to take time. The Jaguars are finally an NFL team that can compete.

Bengals at Cleveland (+1.5)    (U47)

   The AFC North is loaded, the Browns have a great defense in paper, Joe Burrow might not be healthy enough to go against them through the whole game.

Texans at Baltimore (-9.5)    (O43.5)

   C.J. Stroud has a good team to work with but will take time, the Ravens are still a very good coached team and have Lamar Jackson happy.

Panthers (+3.5) at Atlanta    (U39.5)

   Another good situation for a rookie QB, Bryce Young has enough tools to learn to be a good NFL QB, on the other side I don't expect much from Desmond Ridder even if he has some freakishly talented offensive playmakers.

Packers at Chicago (-1.5)    (O41)

   A new era for this rivalry, right now it looks even in comparison to the last 25+ years before, the Bears have built a better team but still need to answer a lot of questions, the Packers are all eyes on Jordan Love if he can lead them to wins.

Raiders at Denver (-3)       (O43)

   Everybody is down on the Raiders to be one of the bottom of the barrel teams, they don't look all that bad but its a possibility with the questions surrounding Jimmy Garoppolos health, the Broncos upgraded in the preseason but nothing of that matters if Russell Wilson has reached its peak as is now regressing.

Dolphins at LA Chargers (-3)    (O51)

   Everyone has the same opinion that if Tua Tagovailoa stays healthy the Dolphins will go very far, they have the team to do so, having your LT injured doesn't help. The Chargers are a underperforming team, they have all they need to be a good contending team but they just get too much in their own way.

Eagles (-3.5) at New England    (O44.5)

   I get that the Patriots have a solid team but I don't get where this confidence of them beating the Eagles comes from, the Eagles are a powerhouse, every team can stumble and lose but I just done see what the Patriots have to make people think its a sure bet, I believe Mack Jones still need to prove himself he isn't just a field general and can make highlight plays when needed.

Rams at Seattle (-5)    (U46)

   the Rams, even with a good limited draft and some elite players on their roster, are in rebuild more while the Seahawks are one year removed from it although they are still missing some pieces, I'm still expecting the Seahawks to continue where they left of last season.

Cowboys at Giants (+3)    (O45)

   If not that the Cowboys are banged up at theri Oline, I would bet on them to win, they have a decent defense that is ramped up just because of Micah Parsons and the offense is solid. The giants defense can get the job done against anyone, I don't like the offense, they are going to need some nifty play calling from Brian Daboll to make this QB and his average wideouts to make plays and not leave it all to Saquon Barkley.

Bills (-2.5) at NY Jets    (O45.5)

   The Bills are champions of the regular season and still have the team to continue being it, the Jets are scary in paper, its still a wait and see if Aaron Rodgers can still pull BS plays from his hat.

2023 Useless predictions: Bears season record

  Last season I was too optimistic with that teams possibilities, although they were close to winning many games still the team wasn't what I expected them to be talent wise especially in the DLine. This time I will try to be a bit more strict, already I have doubts about the performance both lines will show this coming season but lest see how they go head to head with the opponents in paper.

VS PACKERS

   So frustrated that this game isn't as easy to win as it could be, the Packers have a solid team, there are pieces that still need to click from them to be considered good though, that in part is what makes me believe the Bears have a shot if not for the injuries the dealt with the last month. The Packers offense still needs Jordan Love to be better in sync with his young receiving core which is very talented but still need Love to be good enough for them to do damage, its a wait and see, in time the Packers along with its solid OLine and running attack can be good as the season progresses. The defense has dudes on it, they might be better at rushing the passer than stopping the run as of right now, the Bears have the RB group to pound any DLine but the bodies upfront have many questions to answer still. I can see this being a sloppy quassi shootout as I believe neither team is ready to play good football, I can easily see this one be defined by turnovers, this might be an edge for the Bears that prioritize in knocking the ball out, if Fields can help his OLine enough with his legs to get out of trouble and get the home crowd pressure Love, it might be enough to start the season with the right foot.

Probable outcome: Bears WIN first Packer season opener.

@ TAMPA BAY

   Tampa is not an easy place to win, offensively the Bucs need to get Baker Mayfield in sync with his crew, his career has been a rollercoaster. The Bears have a chance to show some pass rushing in this game against an average OLine to pressure Mayfield to some possible mistakes, that's if the Bears have a pass rush. Bucs defense has one of the best secondary's in the league, the rest of the defense has good talent. It might be too soon for the Bears to get into their groove this early in the season.

Probable outcome: Bears LOSE because its too soon.

@ KANSAS CITY

   Watching the roster, I really don't see a power house of a team, I'm not saying its a bad team but there aren't a ton of star players to view it like a monster of a roster, it does thought, and its not debatable, a monster of a QB and that makes all of the difference. Playing Patrick Mahomes in Arrowhead is gonna be tough, he will trust his reliable weapons and elevate the new ones to make defenses pay. 

Probable outcome: Bears LOSE to the freak.

VS BRONCOS

  I don't know how the Broncos managed to be so bad the previous year, they spent a lot this offseason upgrading an already good team on paper. They should be good this year, I don't know how Russell Wilson or the coaching staff can screw this up. I see a trend of really placing all the chips on secondary and just patch up the best DLine possible with what's left, the Bears will need to run the ball effectively to control the clock and have a chance, with how uncertain I am with this OLine I just cant see it happening.

Probable outcome: Bears LOSE to a good roster.

@ WASHINGTON

   Speaking of uncertainty with the Oline and secondary trends, the Commander break the trend, this one can get ugly. The Commanders offense will be led by sophomore QB Sam Howell, he might have taken enough time to get in sync with his offense a bit better by this game but still its an offense the Bears should manage to stop more often than not. But what the Bears need to be focused on is the Commanders DLine which is stacked. still this might be a good matchup for the Bears if Fields can get rid of the ball quickly which sadly he isn't good at yet but if he can just connect it frequently with his playmakers I can see them doing ton of damage. 

Probable outcome: Bear pull out a WIN with a good game plan and execution. 

VS VIKINGS

   The Vikings are built to make points, the defense is a shell of what it once was, at this point of the season if the Bears haven't figured out how to score early and often, they will not be able to compete against this Vikings team, but in Fields I trust to find a way OLine be damned. The Bears defense was able to control them a year ago, the talent this year should get similar results.

Probable outcome: Bears snatch a WIN against rival.

VS RAIDERS

   Jimmy Garoppolo bores me, this means nothing to the chances of winning, his dink & dunk approach pisses me off because if done successfully it drains the defense and the Bears defense does not have the depth to keep up. Defensively though, the Raiders are very average, they have the pass rushers to make things interesting but other than that there are soft spots that can be targeted to punch the ball through and the Bears should have enough fire power to put points on the board as much as needed.

Probable outcome: Bears outscore for the WIN.

@ LA CHARGERS

   I would like to believe that there's a chance the Bears can outscore the Charges in this one, honestly there is, its just a matter of knowing if the Bears offense has improved to the point where Fields is conformable with the scheme and his receivers. Justin Herbert gets a new big weapon to play with in Quentin Johnston to go along with his other two big and fast receivers, behind a good OLine and Austin Ekeler to lead the run game, its going to be hard to go toe to toe with them.

Probable outcome: Bears LOSE to a big offense.

@ NEW ORLEANS

   Playing in the Superdome is though, the Saints aren't that though but they are still average at worst, its really even in talent with the Bears roster but the Saints OLine looks better, so depending on who each team can count on on gameday injury wise can tip the balance either way, for now I will give this one to the Saints, they play tough and the home advantage is felt heavy by opponents.

Probable outcome: Bears LOSE maybe.

VS PANTHERS

   Bryce Young really fell into a very good built team, he has a solid Oline and decent receivers to count on and improve his game, their defense isn't short on talent and has enough stars to control the scoreboard not go overboard for their offense. I do expect the Bears to be a better version of themselves at this point as well and be able to give Young some growing pains. This should be a great game and hopefully the Bears can improve their first round pick for next year. Problem is they play this game with 4 days of rest and coming off a game in New Orleans, so not much rest and little time to prepare if someone cant go, two away games back to back might be too much

Probable outcome: Bears LOSE by fatigue.

@ DETROIT

   The Lions have a good team, I believe that they would be good this year as well and have a shot at taking the division, watching the roster right now, I really thought they had more great players. I didn't give Jared Goff the respect he deserves now, Ill give him Kirk Cousins level of respect that should be enough. I wonder if he would be as good without the reliable wideouts he has? To be fair many would struggle, just not sure if he would be one of them. Regardless, if the offense is healthy they can control the game by air or land, they have the OLine to do it. The defense has pass rushers and once Brian Branch gets the hang of thing they will have a decent secondary. The Lions can Lion at any moment but this would only be wishful thinking.

Probable outcome: Bears LOSE by Lions not Lioning.

@ MINNESOTA

   I'm gonna go with the split decision just because I cant consider de Bears as a contender yet, the Vikings have the offense to go with the best of them even if their defense could struggle.

Probable outcome: Bears LOSE to Justin Jefferson.

BYE

We all lose a little.

VS LIONS

   I liked when the Bears had the Lions figured out because they were bad, I'm gonna miss those days, but its time that the Bears get as good and win because they are better.

Probable outcome: Bears LOSE by bit kneecaps.

@ CLEVELAND

   The Browns were another team that looked unstoppable on paper but didn't translate to the field last season, but as I'm really basing these predictions solely on how a roster looks and past events, I don't think the Bears have enough to go into Cleveland and beat this team.

Probable outcome: Bears LOSE by lack of dudes.

VS CARDINALS

   Tank team does not want to win.

Probable outcome: Bears WIN by default.

VS FALCONS

   I like the Falcons defense, but the offense with Desmond Ridder is a gamble, he really just needs to get rid of the ball to his playmakers which he has, but can he do it? He might have lost his spot to Taylor Heinicke by this date, who knows, I really don't see a difference.

Probable outcome: Bears WIN against lack of QB.

@ GREEN BAY

   Who made bigger strides as a team? which one found better chemistry with his receivers? which one is healthier? which one still has a chance at a playoff? As I'm predicting it the Bears are out of the playoffs and this is just another game.

Probable outcome: Bears LOSE but win better pick.

   As I said before, both lines worry me to death and it may be distracting me from how good Fields is going to be this year, because once more its all that matters, this team is not a finish product, its still young and it still in need of more bodies with high potential, just give me a good Justin Fields season, although that and a decent defense might just be enough to turn some of these loses into wins, which would be nice. 

My projected record is 6-11 but I cant imagine the Bears go lower than this without having major injuries to the roster, in the event of an improved team as the season progresses I could see them finishing 9-8 at best. Whatever let me have it, lets start the season already.

2023 Chicago Bears roster

    A week away from watching the Bears take the field to their first game of the new season, what did Ryan Poles and Co. manage to build for this years roster? With free agency signings all cooled down, preseason over, rosters cut down to 53 players, wavier claims made, practice squads filled and last minute trades done, I can say that this years Bears look, well pretty much average really, its better than last year but its still doesn't look made to compete in January, still there's plenty to look ahead for.

QB - Justin Fields, Tyler Bagent

   Bagent is a refreshing surprise to have as the rookie backup to Fields, an UDFA no less, he gave a very solid performance in this preseason and I agree he earned his spot on the roster to learn as much as he can from Fields and the coaching staff hopefully from the bench for the whole season, just having young promising talent at the QB positions is something the Bears have missed for decades along with a good starting QB which is what is expected form Fields form this season forward. Its finally time to see Fields develop to the elite QB many Bears fans believe he can be, Poles made the move of the offseason by acquiring D.J. Moore from the Panthers, giving Fields a true and much needed WR1 a la Stefon Diggs for Josh Allen in Buffalo, Moore is expected to continue showing how dangerous he is with the ball in his hands and not rely completely in his QB to throw him open, Moore shows good route running to separate from his defender, all Fields has to do it build a trust and place the ball in Moore's catch radius and let him do the rest. As a result I expect Fields to grow as a passer and get the confidence he needs to better his mental clock and understand what throws he can make by understanding what is open in the NFL.

RB - Khalil Herbert, D'Onta Forman, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer, Khari Blasingame

   The Bears build a very good running back by committee group, if Hebert gets better as a pass blocker he will manage to take more snaps from the other guys, but Forman and Johnson are eager to help in that area and can pound the ball very well, both are excellent bruising backs to soften Dlines and are decent as short range receivers. Homer is no slouch but will be more counted on in special teams. Blasingame I though he might not be on the team due to the good play Robert Burns showed in preseason games, I was glad he was retained via practice squad because if Blasingame starts to underperform I want Burns called up quick.

WR - D.J. Moore, Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, Equanimeous St. Brown, Velus Jones Jr., Tyler Scott, Trent Taylor

   Honestly, I felt a lot better about this group a few weeks ago than I do now, I have no problem with the starting trio of Moore, Mooney and Claypool which I believe are top 15 in the league, but the depth is not ideal, there isn't anyone that would make me feel at ease to keep the ship on course if either Moore or Mooney go down, not even Claypool. St. Brown and Velus are more valuable to special teams and as run blockers but are very average receivers, the verdict is still ongoing for Velus but has shown very little to have trust in him, Scott looks to be still learning the playbook which is reasonable, rookies rarely come out of the gate to really contribute on gameday in their first year. Poles gamble on Velus and Scott to be speedster WRs that can contribute as returners is not working as of now, there is still time but the lack of early contribution by both these guys is costing the Bears a roster spot given to newcomer Taylor just because of his experience as a return man, getting Taylor was important to have someone of trust for the job but needing him was not part of the plan. Hopefully either Velus or Scott can get things rolling making Taylor indispensable and have a roster spot for another skill group that needs the development. Right now, early as it may be for him to evaluate, Velus is in need to find his role on this team in a hurry.

TE - Cole Kmet, Robert Tonya, Marcedes Lewis

   Here's hoping Kmet can keep improving as he has done. I expect better play form Tonya than what I watched in the preseason which was not promising. Lewis I understand he was brought to be an extra blocker and decoy but hasn't performed on the field yet so its a wait and see if him on the field isn't a big tell for defenses. A bit light on the depth chart at this position and nothing on the practice squad to have in the loop so Im a bit concerned about this group.

OL - Braxton Jones, Cody Whitehair, Lucas Patrick, Nate Davis, Darnell Wright, Larry Borom, Ja'Tyre Carter, Dan Feeney

   One more year that I'm disappointed in Poles to not have this unit built to be at least a good group given his expertise by being himself a former Olineman and help build a good Oline in Kansas City. Injuries are not planed but teams try to prepare for them as best as possible, the Bears have this issue with Teven Jenkins, Doug Kramer, Patrick and Whitehair getting hurt in camp, all interior guys and three of them are the Center option for the team, this led to the trade for Feeney who I don't believe was brought to start but to get him ready with the playbook if ever he is needed at C/G if Jenkins cant return or someone else get injured. I expected Poles to go get one Center in this years draft and as of now the outcomes tell me he should have really considered picking one. This is not a unit that reflects confidence, Davis is believed to have some issues in camp either with coaches or health or both, add in the injuries that prevented the starting unit to even have one of the three preseason games to prep up, there's nothing that shows this group is ready to perform day one of the season, From want I have seen and heard that benefits Fields better when being pass protected is he can absorb Tackle mistakes or lost battles against EDGEs easier as long as the front three have control of the pocket, right now the Tackles are better set for success with Jones, Wright and Borom than the Guard an Center positions being banged up and have no continuity with the players getting to play one position, instead they have been forced to be shuffled around to make ends meet. Long story short, its going to take a while to know if the Oline will be good enough to protect Fields or succeed in the run game they want to play. Having Roy Mbaeteka stick around on the practice squad gives me a good feeling.

DL - DeMarcus Walker, Justin Jones, Andrew Billings, Yannick Ngakoue, Rasheem Green, Gervon Dexter, Zacch Pickens, Dominic Robinson, Khalid Kareem

   It pains me that the Bears have issues on both sides of the line of scrimmage, I am a believer that the team starts with the QB and then you build inside out starting with the players nearest the LOS. This team looks to be built the other way around, I might me wrong and Poles and Co. are just one year away to fixing this team but its probably going to show awfully clear that right now it still has major holes. The pass rush is a mystery as of right now, Ngakoue and even teammate Kareem can be said got singed because of it and he hasn't played enough to show if he is enough to be at least a band aid, the other players for the EDGE position are more run defenders than rushers and the group might need this trait because of the interior group. Jones and Billings can get the job done but they cant play the whole game, enter the rookies which in all fairness they are rookies and will have to deal with the growing pains, how much will it take? How much help they can get by the EDGES and the revamped linebacker group brought this year to stop the run? they have a chance to make some mistakes and not cost the team some wins but can they limit them enough? Guess we will find out, both had some flashes in the preseason but also showed how raw they are with what this coaching staff want them to do. Having back Travis Bell on the practice squad is big news, he showed some good power in the preseason as a NT, would like to see more play from him in time.

LB - T.J. Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, Jack Sanborn, Noah Sewell, Dylan Cole

   There's talent in this group no doubt, Edwards is a thumper and will help the run defense a lot. Edmunds can move and has the size to be a menace in pass coverage, he looked shaky in run support in the preseason but it might be rust by not playing enough, hoping this is the case because in Buffalo he showed he can bring the pain to RBs. Sanborn and Sewell are good depth pieces. I like this group to help the DL get better. Good choice in bringing Micah Baskerville to the practice squad.

CB - Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Jaylon Jones, Terrell Smith, Josh Blackwell

   I like what Stevenson brings to the field as a physical corner with good cover skills, he might be lacking top speed but he doesn't quit the play. I was impressed with Gordons willingness to throw his body to the ball carrier and being near the play to get the shots in, it will be awesome to see him do this consistently, clearly he could be the definition of the HITS principles Eberflus tries to install in his players. Jones, Blackwell and rookie Smith bring good depth to the group, luckily they will provide the line with an extra second or two to get to the QB though it would be even better If it was the other way around, some good pass rush that hurries bad throws I believe would result in more picks with these guys

S - Eddie Jackson, Jaquan Brisker, Elijah Hicks, Quindell Johnson

   I would feel a lot better if Brisker was on the practice field more, seems he will be counted on in the upcoming game so hopefully he is good enough to go and has better understanding of the game plan. My worries with Jackson are time, he is very important to this defense and he is reaching an age that might result in a decrease of skill, the window appears to be opening for the Bears to be one of the elite teams, but if Jackson starts to regress in the upcoming years its going to be hard and a need to find someone else with his skill set, its still in the air what Hicks and newcomer Johnson are able to do if they have to sub in but don't believe is near what Jackson  brings to the defense.

K - Cairo Santos, P - Trenton Gil, LS - Patrick Scales

   Santos and Gil keep showing consistency and that is all you want from your kickers. I like Scales, he makes me laugh.

   Poles is waiting to see if the pieces are falling in place to be sure he has enough good players before going nuts in free agency and trades to build the best team possible, I get it, what really bugs me is that I cant feel confident this team can beat Green Bay in week one, its all up in the air, there's too many questions with the OL and DL to be sure that they can be competitive at best, seems they will have to rely on Fields once more to make magic happen and have a shot, last season this wasn't enough because the defense would break and let the others teams offense just run through them, this time they are more upgraded in all areas, it will be easier for this defense to maintain a lead rather than to give the offense the ball back for them to pull off a comeback because of the possible lack of run defense. One hopes that nearing November there are flashes of improvement and consistency of players in their primary roles, still what fans will have their eyes glued to is how Fields does on each and every play.

Offseason rant: Post draft/UDFA

    Draft is done, UDFA are signed and now its a wait and see scenario where teams start to panic or enjoy their roster results for this upcoming season. I immersed myself more in this years draft by finishing my mini scouting list of players and watching all three days, its still a bit of a downer watching how other teams get the guys you coveted for your team, but it takes time to really adjust to the end result and get your head in synch to what teams are really watching or expecting of their players, although some results even with time to marinate the process still end up feeling disappointing.  I was neither here or there with what Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears did in this years draft, I already had a mindset that the team wasn't going to get this big sure fire boost with their picks, aside from their 1st rounder who should be the only pick with big expectations It took me some days and some other peoples opinions to get me a bit hyped about what they did, at the end I say it was an OK draft for the Bears where they did get talent, lets just hope some decisions don't come back hard to bite them in the ass.

   The first pick by the Bears was what I would like to call a no brainer, even with Jalen Carter staring them in the face I like that they didn't flinch and made it clear they weren't interested, even getting a pick in return for going down one spot, its a big risk skipping Carter's kind of potential but its understandable if they are not ready to take that type of locker room risk and putting to much on a rookie to be "the guy" that takes you to the next level, it does give the pick they made have even more expectations though. At the end of the day the thing that will matter and what the team will be criticizes on is if Darnell Wright plays at a pro bowl level at some point in his career or not, I do expect Wright to dominate at RT in time, I like the pick a lot.

   Some patience needed in the second round and when the pick came in I wasn't thrilled but should have expected it. Gervon Dexter is a solid pick that is a need and the Bears staff decided he was the one of the bunch that would help their team, I personally would have preferred Kobi Turner, but as I got time to watch some people starting to dissect the pick, I do see the potential that Dexter brings to the table which makes me accept the pick. I considered Dexter as a 3T when I watched his games and he can be a 3T but I do see his potential to be an Eddie Goldman type of NT in the future if he manages to bulk up, he needs a lot of coaching but the frame and skills are there.

   Next pick came faster than anticipated with the Bears trading up which I wasn't a fan of, giving away picks wasn't something I was looking forward to, the Bears need all the picks they can get even with the ones they already got from trading #1 this year. The other thing I didn't expect was for the Bears to draft a corner this high, what I did expect was for them to steal John Michael-Schmitz from the Giants, but it turned out to be Tyrique Stevenson who was a corner I coveted just not at this spot, Julius Brents was my guy but he was already gone and the other was Darius Rush, but again Stevenson is a good corner and the Bears preferred him and I have no problems with that, he can battle it out with Kindle Vildor for the other outside corner spot aside Jaylon Johnson. Stevenson has good size and doesn't shy away from contact, just needs to get better at diagnosing the play, he did a pretty good job at the senior bowl where he dominated and surely its where he punched his ticket to Chicago.

   Didn't have to wait much for the next pick to come in and this was my first shocker of an unexpected pick, this is where I first felt that Poles wasn't going to pick a center and for me that wasn't a good feeling, Ricky Stromberg was the only one left that would have made sense as a pick to me, not that there weren't more good prospects but he was the last one that I considered could be ready for the start of the season, but they wound up getting more help for the DL which I didn't have a problem with if it was a DE, they already passed on Tuli Tuipulotu, maybe Zach Harrison or even Keion White or Isaiah McGuire which all three are hit or miss, but so is the one the Bears picked in Zacch Pickens. I changed my mid a bit after watching and hearing some comments of his game, basically he has the size of a NT but could be a better 3T, he isn't precisely a plug against the run even with his big frame but does flash some good speed when rushing, still he is a project and will be molded and coached to fill a role with the defense, I don't expect he will get significant reps at the start of his career though. Still boggles my mind Poles passed on a high ranked center, its said that he didn't want to go into the season with too many young players forming the starting OL, I think this is half true because even if center isn't a clear need because they have Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick as veterans for the position, the problem is that they ONLY have Whitehair, Patrick as veterans for the position, maybe its unfair to say they don't have an answer at center and picking up an upside rookie is going to make the difference, its just the desire of having the best chance possible of getting at least a decent Oline for Justin Fields, I prefer to have new possibilities than old ones I guess, I wouldn't have even mind if they had taken a rookie and didn't play him all season, at least he gets time to adapt, now I feel if they go next year with a with the possibility of a clear need at C they will have to pick high for a really good one in the draft or throw a big contract to the best one in next years FA.

   Day three is to get good prospects for depth, in round four I do think the Bears did good. First of all they traded down to recover their 5th round pick they gave up to go up in the 2nd round so no harm there and got a good player with their first of two picks in the fourth in Roschon Johnson, a David Montgomery type of player with fresher legs, if he can run a bit faster than Monty did then he has a good chance to be considered RB1. With their second fourth rounder they wound out picking receiving depth, it sadly wasn't Charlie Jones who went two picks before but instead ended up picking speedster Tyler Scott, feels like insurance if Velus Jones Jr. doesn't pan out, I feel like they will basically play the same role although Scott looks more like a receiver than Jones does right now although Velus has better size with the same type of speed, it going to be a good camp competition between these two.

   I honestly didn't expect for the Bears to draft a LB in this draft but with their first fifth pick LB was their choice in Noah Sewell who I didn't like. Sewell is a thumper that could play probably SAM where he can help against the run but not great at coverage, not ideal to be a MLB due to lack of side to side speed and will most probably have to win starting snaps showing what he can do at special teams, I don't expect him to be in line to fill in for when Tremaine Edwards of T.J. Edwards don't get re-signed to a new contract, not when I think Jack Sanborn is better than him, I just cant see him more than a depth player for now. With their other fifth pick they recovered trading down, they double dipped at CB picking Terrell Smith, a rangy long armed corner with some eagerness for tackling, although Stevenson is the better prospect, him and Jaylon Johnson have some medical issues with arm injuries and surgery history so having a plan B in Smith is ideal.

   It got really slow since the Bears didn't have a pick in the sixth, with the first pick in the seventh the Bears started taking outside the box picks and got more help at the DL with Travis Bell who they will wish he can be an Aaron Donald diamond in the rough type of player. With the second to last pick in the draft they got a SS in Kendall Williamson, good size and can hit but most probably will have to win his chances to start by winning a spot at special teams.

   Conclusion: Aside from Darnell Wright, Poles didn't pick my guys but I like Dexter, Stevenson and Johnson, I can see them contributing early, nothing against Scott but I prefer him not to be needed much this season except maybe as a returner if he has that kind of skill, same goes for Terrell Smith who will have it tough to beat out the rest but I do like his skill set, I honestly am a bit worried about the NB position with only Kyler Gordon as a sure thing. As for the others, I wish them success but I have no big expectations for them. Poles focus on the DL is interesting but would have thought he would do the same for the OL, this team does look like it is what Matt Eberflus would like as a defensive guy, I just hope the OL doesn't bring down the whole thing like it has in the past. No DE picked is strange although there is talk in the interwebs that Poles might make a move. Its year two of a total rebuild, Poles is definitely taking the slow and steady approach of building this team the right way per his train of thought, its still a wait and see if there are enough players in this team that can be counted on and keep the rebuild focused around them.

2023 Draft prospects

 The 2023 draft is just a few days away and Ryan Poles has successfully made this day a very anticipated day for Bears fans. This year I was able to view a par of videos of 190 prospects for this year draft, I used drafttek.com ranking list to only view the prospect they considered the best, others I saw because they were teammates of high prospects and others because I heard form other media outlets that they where impressed when seeing their film, I only view youtube videos of offenses and defenses, would have liked to have known of Jake Burrow's excel sheet of links to players youtube videos sooner, it was very helpful. 

   I do believe this pool of prospects is lining up to be a good pool for the Bears to try and fill up some holes in their roster. As I do expect some thing to go a certain way, I also know to expect the unexpected and be totally wrong with my assumptions as players get picked way sooner or fall extremely far, strangely this is the fun part of it all, what will make you jump of joy or make you scratch your head in frustration and denial? Cant wait.

QBs

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
ANTHONY RICHARDSON	FLORIDA	1-2
C.J. STROUD	OHIO ST	1-2
BRYCE YOUNG	ALABAMA	1-2
HENDON HOOKER	TENNESSEE	2
JAREN HALL	BYU	2
WILL LEVIS	KENTUCKY	2
MAX DUGGAN	TCU	3
STETSON BENNETT	GEORGIA	3
DORIAN THOMSON-ROBINSON	UCLA	4
JAKE HAENER	FRESNO ST	4-5
AIDAN O´CONNELL	PURDUE	5-6
TANNER MCKEY	STANFORD	7

   I don't see a clear cut promising top ten QB this year, if I was the GM I would go with Richardson who is my favorite risk reward QB of the class, he has good size, a strong arm to make all the throws and is fast when deciding to run which is not his first thought when pressured, just need a bunch of coaching to get it all to work out on the field but if he gets it together he would be an explosive QB.

   Stroud and Levis are two favorites to go on round one, have no problem with Stroud who needs some cleaning up in the pocket to not lose his platform and improve his decision making but has all the tools to survive as a starter, while Levis has the arm talent to spare but I think he will need more than that to make it in the pros where he struggles a lot to get out of trouble when pressured.

   I do have a problem with Bryce Youngs size and playstyle, he doesn't come as a very accurate passer but he does do a good job of extending plays and throwing on the move, I don't believe he will have a Kyler Murray type of future by "running for his life" most of the time but I do believe he will struggle to make the kind of plays he managed to do in college with his feet, going to the Panthers as its predicted right now will be a good landing spot for him roster wise.

   

   The Bears are in no hurry to pick any of these QBs but if they consider someone for depth as a priority pick the one that intrigues me is Thompson-Robinson who has a great arm, can get chuck yards using his legs and can take a beating.

Unexpected pick: Any QB picked before the 6th round.

OK pick: Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the 7th round.

Expected pick: No pick.

RBs

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
BIJAN ROBINSON	TEXAS	1
JAHMYR GIBBS	ALABAMA	1-2
TYJAE SPEARS	TULANE	2
ZACH CARBONNET	UCLA	2
ERICK GRAY	OKLAHOMA	2-3
DEWAYNE MCBRIDE	UAB	3
ROSCHON JOHNSON	TEXAS	3
ISRAEL ABANIKANDA	PITT	3
DEVON ACHANE	TEXAS A&M	3
ZACH EVANS	OLE MISS	3
CHASE BROWN	ILLINOIS	4
MOHAMED IBRAHIM	MINNESOTA	4-5
KENNY MCINTOSH	GEORGIA	5
TANK BIGSBY	AUBURN	5-6
DEUCE VAUGHN	KANSAS ST	6
EVAN HULL	NORTHWESTERN	6
SEAN TUCKER	SYRACUSE	6

   For a running back to get picked in the first round he needs to show something the other backs cant do and do it well, this year Robinson is that back who has an insane stop and go ability that brakes defenders ankles, his cuts lose minimal speed and can absorb hits to keep on going.

   Gibbs has great burst,  Spears and Gray have great vision and juking ability but I have the same concern for these guys and its their size which may not matter but they are not as bulky like Robinson. Carbonnet is not as gifted as Robinson but he can do everything at a high level and has ideal size.

   The Bears could benefit of getting a top RB to help Khalil Herbert not carry the whole load although the recent signings of Travis Homer and D'Onta Foreman may make them decide to prioritize other positions of need, still if they go for a late pick they could try and get Chase Brown if he starts to fall, he has the shiftiness and cutting ability to attack the hole and quickly go north.

Unexpected pick: Bijan Robinson with the #9 pick.

OK pick: Zach Charbonnet in the 3rd round.

Expected pick: Chase Brown in the 5th round.

WRs

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA	OHIO STATE	1
JORDAN ADDISON	USC	1
ZAY FLOWERS	BOSTON COLLEGE	1-2
JAYDEN REED	MICHIGAN ST	1-2
QUENTIN JOHNSTON	TCU	1-2
JALIN HYATT	TENNESSEE	2
A.T. PERRY	WAKE FOREST	2
CEDRIC TILLMAN	TENNESSEE	2
XAVIER HUTCHINSON	IOWA STATE	2
JOSH DOWNS	NORTH CAROLINA	2-3
RASHEE RICE	SMU	2-3
MICHAEL WILSON	STANFORD	3
MARVIN MIMS	OKLAHOMA	3
TRAY PALMER	NEBRASKA	3
KAYSHON BOUTTE	LSU	3
JAKE BOBO	UCLA	4
CHARLIE JONES	PURDUE	4-5
NATHANIEL DELL	HOUSTON	4-5
PARKER WASHINGTON	PENN ST	4-5
JONATHAN MINGO	OLE MISS	5
TYLER SCOTT	CINCINNATI	5
DONTAVION WICKS	VIRGINIA	5
RAKIM JARRETT	MARYLAND	5-6

   There might not be a dominating X receiver this year but there are many roleplaying WR that can complete a teams receiving group nicely. Smith-Njigba and Addison are lean route running machines that should help their teams immediately. Flowers was cursed to be in a bad offense in college but showed he knows how to get open, so does Reed but with a different skill set. Johnston is somewhat disappointing in a way, he has good size but isn't rally a contested catcher and wins more using his speed to get separation which he did often in college. 

   The Bears could try and find insurance for Chase Claypool and Darnell Mooney if they don't want to extend them, drafting one of my top three would almost certainly need to be picked in the first round or high in the second where the Bears don't have picks. Drafting the Tennessee boys in day two in Cedric Tillman who is the better contested catcher on the list showing great leaping and catching ability or Jalin Hyatt that provides an extra shift in speed on the field could be an option but maybe its still to much to invest on. Going on day three I would like them to consider Jake Bobo or Charlie Jones, they are different in size but both are shifty receivers that know how to get separation and have decent hands.

Unexpected pick: Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the #9 pick.

OK pick: Receiver picked in the 2nd or 3rd round

Expected pick: Charlie Jones in the 5th round

TEs

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
MICHAEL MAYER	NOTRE DAME	1-2
DALTON KINCAID	UTAH	1-2
PAYEN DURHAM	PURDUE	2
CAMERON LATU	ALBAMA	2-3
WILL MALLORY	MIAMI	2-3
LUKE MUSGRAVE	OREGON STATE	3
DARNELL WASHIGTON	GEORGIA	3
SAM LAPORTA	IOWA	3-4
ZACK KUNTZ	OLD DOMINION	4
DAVIS ALLEN	CLEMSON	4-5
TUCKER KRAFT	SOUTH DAKOTA ST	4-5
BRENTON STRANGE	PENN ST	4-5
JOSH WHYLE	CINCINNATI	5
TRAVIS VOKOLEK	NEBRASKA	5-6
LUKE SCHOONMAKER	MICHIGAN	6

   There should be talent to go on every round regarding this TEs class but finding that perfect mix of receiver and blocker isn't going to be easy. Mayer, Kincaid, Musgrave and LaPorta are very good pass catchers with good size to be a miss match in the secondary but they are not the polished blockers one would want. Latu and Mallory are more balance and can help on both areas but are good and not great. Washington and Kuntz are the freaky big athletic TEs but are still look very raw. 

   The Bears could consider getting one of the big names to compliment Kmet or even try and get someone to replace him when his contract finalizes, if only to get bodies for depth in day three I would want them to consider Whyle or Schoonmaker because of their very good blocking capabilities although not used much as receivers does not mean they cant help in that department. 

Unexpected pick: TE picked in day 1 or 2.

OK pick: Zach Kuntz in the 4th round.

Expected pick: Josh Whyle or Luke Schoonmaker in the 7th round.

OTs

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
PARIS JOHNSON JR.	OHIO ST	1	LT
DARNELL WRIGHT	TENNESSEE	1	RT
ANTON HARRISON	OKLAHOMA	1-2	LT
PETER SKORONSKI	NORTHWESTERN	1-2	LT/LG
DAWAND JONES	OHIO ST	2-3	RT
BLAKE FREELAND	BYU	3	LT
TYLER STEEN	ALABAMA	3	LT
BRODERICK JONES	GEORGIA	3	LT
WARREN MCCLENDON	GEORGIA	3	RT
MATTHEW BERGERON	SYRACUSE	3-4	LT/LG
RYAN HAYES	MICHIGAN	3-4	LT
WANYA MORRIS	OKLAHOMA	4	RT
JAELYN DUNCAN	MARYLAND	4	LT

   Its a good tackle class this year, all these players listed could very well start day one for the team they get selected. I have a small problem with Broderick Jones and its his feet, I believe he need work to shift and stop speed rushers, other than that he is all right in size, strength and run blocks like a maniac. Morris and Duncan are the most raw on my list but have high upside. Skoronski and Bergeron are very capable tackles but might benefit more switching to guard.

   Even if there is a big pool of good tackles, the Bears need to do everything possible to solidify the T spot (be it RT or LT by moving Braxton Jones to the right) so I would prefer they get a high ranked tackle and I would be worried if, based on my list, they get to their second round pick and all tackles from McClendon and above are gone, I do think that this position is where they should use their most high pick, be it the current #9 or whichever pick they trade down to as long its inside the firs round.

Unexpected pick: No pick in the first round. 

OK pick: McClendon in the 2nd round.

Expected pick: Paris Johnson Jr., Darnell Wright or Anton Harrison in the first round.

OGs

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
JARRETT PATTERSON	NOTRE DAME	2	LG
O'CYRUS TORRENCE	FLORIDA	2	RG
STEVE AVILA	TCU	2	LG/C
CHANDLER ZAVALA	NORTH CAROLINA ST	2-3	LG
ATONIO MAFI	UCLA	2-3	LG
EMIL EKIYOR JR.	ALABAMA	2-3	RG
ANDREW VORHEES	USC	3	LG
CODY MAUCH	NORTH DAKOTA ST	3	LT/LG
NICK BROEKER	OLE MISS	4	LG
BRAEDEN DANIELS	UTAH	4	LT/LG
JON GAINES	UCLA	4	RG
JAXSON KIKLAND	WASHINGTON	5-6	LG
ANTHONY BRADFORD	LSU	5-6	RG
HENRY BAINVALU	WASHINGTON	6	RG

   There are some names to consider that could be easily considered an upgrade for some teams but all of these players are at least good depth pieces. I have Patterson in high regard compared to other rank lists, I like his size and anchor in pass pro and can manage to run block decently. Torrence, Avila and Mafi are big boys that just maul people.

   The Bears really don't need to address this position early on but they do need some depth or insurance for what they decide to do with Cody Whitehair and Teven Jenkins. Vorhees might fall enough to consider picking him up due to his injury.

Unexpected pick: Pick in first or second round.

OK pick: Chandler Zavala, Atonio Mafi or Cody Mauch in the 3rd round.

Expected pick: Adrew Vorhees in the 4th round.

Centers

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
JOHN MICHAEL-SCHMITZ	MINNESOTA	2
JOE TIPPMANN	WISCONSIN	2-3
LUKE WYPLER	OHIO STATE	2-3
RICKY STROMBERG	ARKANSA	3
OLUSEGUN OLUWATIMI	MICHIGAN	3
JUICE SCRUGGS	PENN ST	4-5

   Its a short list but I decided to not go too deep in the rabbit hole of this position group, still you cant go wrong with any of these players.

   The Bears have to be considering getting a C just in case Lucas Patrick or Whitehair struggle. Michael-Schmitz might be the more pro ready player but Tippmann might be the freakiest one of them all with hit power and arm length.

Unexpected pick: No pick at all.

OK pick: Ricky Stromberg in the 4th round.

Expected pick: John Michael-Schmitz or Joe Tippmann in the 3rd round.

DTs

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
JALEN CARTER	GEORGIA	1
MAZI SMITH	MICHIGAN	1-2
ADETOMIWA ADEBAWORE	NORTHWESTERN	1-2
BRYAN BRESEE	CLEMSON	2
KOBI TURNER	WAKE FOREST	2
CALIJAH KANCEY	PITTSBURGH	2-3
BYRON YOUNG	ALABAMA	2-3
GERVON DEXTER	FLORIDA	3
SIAKI IKA	BAYLOR	3
JALEN REDMON	OKLAHOMA	3-4
KEEANU BENTON	WISCONSIN	3-4
KARL BROOKS	BOWLING GREEN	4
JAQUELIN ROY	LSU	4-5
ZACH PICKENS	SOUTH CAROLINA	5
T'VONDRE SWEAT	TEXAS	5-6
COLBY WOODEN	AUBURN	5-6
P.J. MUSTIPHER	PENN ST	6
CAMERON YOUNG	MISSISSIPPI ST	7

   This group might be decently deep but it is scheme oriented, not all players will fit every teams positions group. Best 3Ts are Carter, Turner and Dexter and best NTs are Smith, Ika and Benton. I'm a tad worried if Kancey and Adebawore will make it as 3Ts but they sure do a lot of noise in the field. Bresee, Young and Redmon are a mix bag of inside and outside rushing Dlinemen that could be fun players to swap positions now and then.

   If Carter falls, its going to be hard to pass on by the Bears if he did good on his interviews, it doesn't help that there isn't another 3T on this list that plays near his level.

Unexpected pick: One of  Mazi Smith, Calijah Cancey or Gervon Dexter in the 2nd round.

OK pick: Jalen Carter with the #9 pick.

Expected pick: One of Byron Young, Jalen Redmon, Kobi Turner in the 4th round.

DEs

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
TYREE WILSON	TEXAS TECH	1
WILL ANDERSON	ALABAMA	1
TULI TUIPULOTU	USC	1-2
FELIX ANUDIKE-UZOMAH	KANSAS STATE	1-2
LUKAS VAN NESS	IOWA	1-2
MYLES MURPHY	CLEMSON	1-2
WILL MCDONALD IV	IOWA STATE	1-2
NOLAN SMITH JR.	GEORGIA	1-2
ISAIAH FOSKEY	NOTRE DAME	2
ISIAH MCGUIRE	MISSOURI	2-3
B.J. OJULARI	LSU	2-3
ZACH HARRISON	OHIO STATE	3
KEION WHITE	GEORGIA TECH	3-4
YASIR ABDULLAH	LOUISVILLE	3-4
YAYA DIABY	LOUISVILLE	4
ANDRE CARTER II	ARMY	4
DERICK HALL	AUBURN	4-5
BYRON YOUNG	TENNESSEE	5

   This position class is DEEP in talent but only Wilson and Anderson are the best bet top rushers this year has, while the later has the numbers to back up his case of best defender, Wilson has the size and potential to be better. 

   The Bears need better results from their pass rushing and can definitely get help this year, Travis Gipson might be in trouble to get resigned if they get a pair from this pool of players, they can even wait to day three and get some falling prospects like McGuire, White, Harrison or Diaby.

Unexpected pick: Tyree Wilson or Lukas Van Ness with the #9 pick.

OK pick: Isaiah McGuire, Zack Harrison, Keion White or Yaya Diaby in the 4th round.

Expected pick: Tuli Tuipulotu, Felix Anudike-Uzomah or Will McDonalds in the 2nd round.

OLBs

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
VENTRELL MILLER	FLORIDA	3-4
DEMARVION OVERSHOWN	TEXAS	4
DAIYAN HENLEY	WASHINGTON ST	4-5
TRENTON SIMPSON	CLEMSON	5
NICK HERBIG	WISCONSIN	5-6
IVAN PACE JR.	CINCINNATI	6

MLBs

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
JACK CAMPBELL	IOWA	2-3
HENRY TO'OTO'O	ALABAMA	3-4
MOHAMOUD DIABETE	UTAH	3-4
DORIAN WILLIAMS	TULANE	4
SIRVOCEA DENNIS	PITT	4
NOAH SEWELL	OREGON	4-5
OWEN PAPPOE	AUBURN	5
DREW SANDERS	ARKANSAS	6

   From a deep class to a really poor one, the LB pool this year is kind of abysmal, good thing the Bears went all in on LB in free agency. 

Unexpected pick: Picking any LB in day 1 or 2.

OK pick: Nick Herbig in the 7th round.

Expected pick: No pick.

CBs

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
CHRISTIAN GONZALEZ	OREGON	1
DEONTE BANKS	MARYLAND	1
JOEY PORTER	PENN ST	1-2
JULIUS BRENTS	KANSAS ST	1-2
DEVON WHITERSPOON	ILLINOIS	1-2
DARIUS RUSH	SOUTH CAROLINA	2
KELEE RINGO	GEORGIA	2
EMMANUEL FORBES	MISSISSIPPI ST	2
JAKORIAN BENNETT	MARYLAND	2-3
CAM SMITH	SOUTH CAROLINA	2-3
JARTAVIUS MARTIN	ILLINOIS	3
COREY TRICE	PURDUE	3
JARICK BERNARD-CONVERSE	LSU	3
GARRETT WILLIAMS	SYRACUSE	3
TYRIQUE STEVENSON	MIAMI	3
JAYLON JONES	TEXAS A&M	3
MEHKI GARNER	LSU	3-4
CLARK PHILLIPS III	UTAH	3-4
ELI RICKS	ALABAMA	4
TRE'VIUS HODGES-TOMLINSON	TCU	4
REILY MOSS	IOWA	4-5
KEI'TREL CLARK	LOUISVILLE	5
KYU BLU KELLY	STANFORD	6
D.J. TURNER	MICHIGAN	6

   And then back again to a talented and deep pool of corners, Gonzalez is possibly the best one in the class with "leave on an island" type of ability. While many think Witherspoon is the clear number two I just don't see the same talent as a cover corner as Gonzalez, not saying he isn't a good cover guy and on top of that he surely is physical so he has that in his favor. I went with Banks as another type of player that can shut down a receiver without much help. Martin is a very interesting prospect that played safety and I consider him the best nickle in this list.

   Some say that the Bears should draft Gonzalez with the #9 pick and I don't blame them of thinking its a good idea, it should be a very good value pick but the need at OL is much significant and this class has much more prospects to chose from than tackle does. I wouldn't mind though if the Bears went for Brents with their next pick in the second round. Maybe wait until day three and go with Trice. 

Unexpected pick: Christian Gonzalez with the #9 pick.

OK pick: Corey Trice or Tyrique Stevenson in the 4th round.

Expected pick: Julius Brents or Darius Rush in the 2nd round.

Safeties

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
BRYAN BRANCH	ALABAMA	1-2
CHRIS SMITH II	GEORGIA	2-3
ANTONIO JOHNSON	TEXAS A&M	2-3
JORDAN BATTLE	ALABAMA	2-3
JAMMIE ROBINSON	FLORIDA ST	3-4
JI'AYIR BROWN	PENN ST	4
SYDNEY BROWN	ILLINOIS	4-5
JAY WARD	LSU	5
BRANDON JOSEPH	NOTRE DAME	5
J.L. SKINNER	BOISE ST	5-6
RASHAD TORRENCE	FLORIDA	6
RONNIE HICKMAN	OHIO ST	6
DEMARCCO HELLAMS	ALABAMA	6
TRAY DEAN III	FLORIDA	6
DANIEL SCOTT	CALIFORNIA	7
JASON TAYLOR II	OKLAHOMA ST	7

   Not a really good safety pool but there is promise in some of this prospects to crack a depleted group in teams rosters for depth and development. Branch isn't really a very good safety as much as he is a great nickle but he can do both very well. Smith II on the other hand in my opinion is the best FS in this list while Battle is the best SS. Johnson is a do it al DB that isn't great but is good enough anywhere you play him.

   The Bears are set at the safety position but Eddie Jackson has missed significant games due to injury and might be a good idea to find insurance if by chance he gets injured again, they could consider Jay Ward in day 3 if they really don't want to break the bank for a safety.

Unexpected pick: Antonio Johnson in the 3rd round.

OK pick: Ji'Ayir Brown in the 5th round.

Expected pick: Jay Ward in the 7th round.

So my wish list is, 

Pick #9 to be OT

Pick #53 to be DE

Pick #61 to be CB

Pick #63 to be C

Pick #103 to be DT

Pick #133 to be G

Pick #136 to be RB

Pick #148 to be WR

Pick #218 to be TE

Pick #258 to be S

   Of course everything changes once teams start picking and how the value of players starts to shift to other positional groups to consider. Going best player available is always a good move but in the Bears case I would really prefer they do everything possible to solidify the OL even if it means to let the defensive side struggle one more year, this is easy to say of course but when push comes to shove and Jalen Carter is staring you in the face at pick #9 you really start thinking, yeah I think we can get a tackle later.