I don't have any questions about Braxton Jones. He had a neck injury that he fought through last year. The eye test told me he looked fine. The analytics had him as a top 5 to 10 run and pass blocker. That was surprising.

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I'm more in your camp. I guess we'll find out, but there continues to be some speculation on him from the local "football experts'. He does grade out well analytically to my knowledge and has been dependable (the neck injury was the only time he's missed).

Let’s see how you feel the 1st time he gets C-Will killed. Then the 2nd, and 3rd…

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That would be more than the number of sacks he gave up last year for a quarterback who couldn't pass.

Get 3 dogs!

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I'm not in your camp. I wanted them to draft a LT in the 1st round(#9) Jones had DE's with speed go through him pretty easily on a lot of plays and Williams doesn't have the evasiveness that Field has. Too bad they'll just have to wait to see how he does and hope like hell he doesn't get Williams hurt.

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People will always look at him as a 5th round pick, despite outplaying most picked in front of him

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Do the advanced metrics on Braxton Jones back that up? Can anyone share how Jones stacks up at LT?

Do you disagree with those numbers that has Jones as a top 10 pass blocker? I'd like to see more of those metrics on Jones, but if that's accurate, is it fair to argue that Jones is not one of the better pass blockers in the league?

Braxton Jones is 5th against the pass and 6th against the run. The metrics say he's a top 5 tackle.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/383 ... yers-teams

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It depends on whose metrics you trust. Nas likes ESPN. PFF is less favorable. https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/braxton-jones/60092I don’t subscribe so I can’t provide the details but the overall grade is meh.
I also found this from somebody that presumably does subscribe.
PFF grades are not everything by any means, but Jones finished the season ranked 11th amongst left tackles with enough qualified snaps in PFF grade. That came with a 21st-best grade in pass blocking and the fourth-best run blocking grade. Overall, that appears to match the tape.

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11th on a rookie deal is good. He was pass blocking with one arm last year.

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I would be surprised if the Bears selected a defender with the 9th pick. I wouldn't be surprised if the Bears didn't draft a defensive player with any of their picks. Ryan Poles has invested heavily on defense since he arrived. In Poles' first two drafts, four of the five players Poles selected in the first 2 rounds have been defenders. He's essentially used late draft picks and trades for the offense. This should be an entirely offensive draft. He can plug the edge rushing hole in free agency or wait mid season to deal a pick for one.

Edit: If the choice is between Odunze and Bowers, I want Bowers if his medicals are fine. Bowers has some dog in him that you can't coach. I also think Tyler Scott will be good this year.

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I think they will go offense if they stay at #9, but wouldn't be surprised if they went defense. I don't think they can really go wrong unless they don't get value (meaning they take a player at #9 who was likely to be available in the middle of the round).

As much as a WR is exciting and an OL is boring, it's not a bad idea to add another high level talent to the line. It may not even be a OT given the questions on the interior still.

They need both another receiver AND help on the defensive line--either on the edge or at 3T.

Is a trade back coming?

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It's possible, but I'd prefer they draft their top rated player at #9. They will leave the draft with holes on the DL, WR or OL, even if they draft in the 3rd/4th round on these spots. I have a hard time passing on higher end talent.

Seems like a lot of talk lately about the Bears trading up for Harrison Jr.

I don't see it happening. but that would be crazy to come out of this draft with both of those guys. I am rarely in favor of trading up in the 1st round, but I think that would be the exception.

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It seems like there will be high-end talent available at WR and 3T in the middle or late first round.

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I think they have to go with receiver or TE in that spot. Joe Alt is the most technically sound tackle in this draft, but he is probably a couple of inches too tall, and he's a gentleman. My favorite tackles in this draft are probably Taliese Fuaga and Christian Jones because both have some dog in them. I don't think you can teach that. Unfortunately, both are RTs. Fuaga is probably a guard because of his short arms. IMO, the strength of this draft, when it comes to linemen, is on the interior. I'm not sure you can draft one at 9.

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These quotes lead me to believe it's virtually a lock that Poles will draft a receiver or TE if he stays in this spot. I seriously think he could also trade up for a MHJ. Besides, he has already invested a lot of draft capital and salary cap space on defense. He also hired a great DL coach as the new defensive coordinator. He should be able to coach up one of these young guys.

Take a closer look at Dallas Turner. His highlights are against guys who won't be playing on Sundays. Against a team like Michigan, he looked like someone's 8 year old son trying to push their father. Verse turning 24 in November of this year may push him to the end of round 1.


“When you look at the history of the last two quarterbacks here, usually it’s about the supporting cast and it’s about putting guys in a position to be successful,” Poles said. “I think Caleb knows, both verbally and by action, that I really value that and understand that part of it.”

Poles also is aware this is the first time in Williams’ football life he has had to make such a high-stakes leap of faith.

“From high school to college, you can dictate where you’re going,” Poles said. “So now there has to be some trust (from him) that you are going to do everything you say you are going to do. For me, this is actually really nice. Because there’s action prior to when he walks in where he can say, ‘OK, he means it.’”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/04/ ... l-draft-3/

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I think they have to go dline if they pick. They still need depth & talent up front and I don’t think it’d be smart to put all of their eggs in the Sweat basket.

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I think think there are about 5 or 6 WRs that have a chance to be great. I think there are ZERO 3T's projected to go in the first round that have a chance to be great. I keep watching the Byron Murphy highlights, and all I see is a guy who has great representation pushing him up the media's draft boards. He looks quick, but he doesn't look like a monster, and he wasn't playing 3T last year. Newton looks like a guy.

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They've selected 1 player on offense in the first 2 rounds since Poles has been here. Dexter and Pickens taking another step can help. I don't think Turner or Murphy will be anything but guys. Verse is probably a late first round pick, and Chop Robinson's short arms should push him to Day 2. Not getting Caleb a toy would be malpractice.

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I don't care if it's a pick at 9 or a trade or a free agent but I wanna see out of that first round somehow another WR. If we're gonna invest in a qb we have to invest in wr. We can buy defense at this point.

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They got him Keenan Allen and there will be good talent later in the draft. I don’t know that a guy like Odunze is a slam dunk to have a better career than the Georgia Irishman.

I’ve convinced myself that Williams/Bowers could be Mahomes/Kelce, but I just don’t have that much faith in the defense to hold up over the course of a season when it seems like it hinges on one guy.

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Keenan Allen is old. Last year, there was only one receiver, 32 or older, that had 500 yards. I don't think Allen's game will decline that fast, but I don't want to bank on him being productive for 3 more years.

I share your skepticism about Odunze. Honestly, it's just a gut feeling. Looking at the measurements and tape, I should be excited about him. Listening to him on Pivot talk about his on field "memory" wasn't encouraging. He's not talented enough to get by purely on skill.

If the Bears can't trade up for MHJ or have gun toting Nabers fall in their lap, I think you have to go Bowers. I think the kid has the mentality and skill to be special. I would still like to come back up in the 2nd round for a Coleman if Bowers is the pick.

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But - and I agree that Bowers is the better weapon - what’s the point of Kmet if you’re taking Bowers?

In a vacuum, you pick the better talent. In this case, you’ve just paid a guy who’s solidly above average, signed another guy to supplement that skill set and now you’re going to use a top 10 draft pick on a show pony?

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A smarter guy can explain the letters of the TE, but I think Bowers is more of the receiving TE. While he's a solid blocker, it isn't the primary responsibility of his type of TE. Either way, I think you take the best player no matter what.

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Bowers will be a bust, mark it!

Your predictions are only slightly worse than 312’s and don’t take that as a compliment.

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Your guy, Drunk Josh from Lake Forest, absolutely LOVES Murphy.

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