NFL draft 2024!

The Game Room
21

Chicago Bears Draft Needs
The Bears come into this draft with just 4 picks.

  • Round 1: No. 1 (from CAR)
  • Round 1: No. 9
  • Round 3: No. 75
  • Round 4: No. 122 (from PHI)

I don’t love this. The wonks are all saying that this is a historically shallow draft class and I’ll take their word at that. If true, this makes the Bears crazy like a fox. They’ve been burning mid and late picks like a drunken sailor for a couple seasons now. Needless to say, they need to nail these 4 picks.

Need - QB:
Not much needs to be said here. We obviously need a QB and we’re getting the best one. One pick down. We also need a backup QB, but without a late rounder to burn it looks like it’s Bagent season.

Need - WR
We’ve got DJ Moore, added Keenan Allen as a 1-year rental, and drafted Tyler Scott last year. We lost Mooney to free agency. In spite of us having a nice tandem, we still need more weapons. Rome Odunze has been regularly mocked to us at 9. I floated the possibility of trading up for MHJ. Whatever the case, we really need to walk out of this draft with a quality pass catcher. WR is one of the deeper positions so waiting until the 3rd or 4th round might be the more strategic approach. I listed a number of guys I’d be excited about so I’m okay with that approach. Then again, they could do both, and maybe they should.

Need - Edge
We’ve got Sweat and basically nothing else. We have to get some pass rush on the other side. But this isn’t a great draft for that, there’s a few guys at the top who are interesting but in other drafts I think those guys would be 2nd/3rd round talents. With that 9th pick we could target a guy like Turner, Verse or Latu instead of a WR due to this inefficiency. Of the 3 Latu is the only one whose tape excites me at all but the medical on him is terrifying. Really tough situation and I haven’t found a single 3rd/4th round guy I’d be excited about.

Need - IOL
This should probably just say Center, but in the draft people always look for positional flexibility inside. There’s 2 IOLs with first round grades, Jackson Powers-Johnson and Graham Barton. Both would be an insane reach at 9, so unless Poles swings a trade back, I’d say they aren’t viable options for us. I haven’t looked hard at the mid-round guys, so I won’t bother with listing targets here. Poles has invested in this position group via trade and free agency, which probably signals that he’s not looking here in the draft.

Need - DT
Last year they drafted two, and one of them panned out. Dexter isn’t a star but in the second half of the year he became an effective starter. Billings was a nice find as a FA, but we have no depth, and we don’t get any really consistent pressure. Like IOL, there’s probably only a couple guys worth a 1st. Byron Murphy and Johnny Newton. Newton is incredible and I’d love to keep him home, but again, he’s only an option in a trade down scenario. There are a handful of guys with 2nd round grades who would be interesting but…we don’t have one of those. Maybe Ruke Orhorhoro will still be there at 75.

Need - TE
We don’t have a dire need here with Kmet and Everett, but we’re without a real dynamic downfield threat. Bowers has been a frequent mock selection for the Bears and if Odunze is gone at 9 it’s a possibility. Though to be frank I’d consider that a luxury pick that we can’t really afford. Now if we trade back into the mid-teens and Bowers is still on the board, then it’s a different conversation. Though I’ll have a tough time justifying Bowers over a guy like Thomas in that range. Outside of Bowers I don’t see anyone I’d want to spend our scarce resources on.

Need - OT
This is a fringe need, but we’re picking a QB and we need to protect him. We’re good at RT with Wright but there’s probably room for improvement at LT with Jones. I don’t see Poles going this route because it seems like he’s a Jones fan, but there are 3-4 prospects in the first round that look outstanding. Alt isn’t getting past 7, but if something wild happens and he’s there at 9 it’d be a steal. I’m a huge fan of Troy Fautanu but only in a trade back scenario.

Pulled out of my ass prediction.
#1. Caleb Williams
#9. Rome Odunze
#75. Ruke Orhorhoro
#122. Javon Baker

22

I’m not sure it will garner enough interest for its own thread, but I simply had to chuckle at the Bears’ big reveal about their new plans for a stadium. First, I loved that they did it just days before the NFL draft, pretty much the ONLY time Bears fans are full of hope, happiness, and optimism. Second, I love they their pricetag is $4.75 BILLION dollars. Third, I love that they want the city to subsidize almost 1 billion dollars of it. Fourth (and my favorite part), the city would subsidize it using the city hotel tax, while the city still owes about $590 million dollars of the $609 dollars it used for the last renovation of Soldiers field. Finally, all of that doesnt even include ancillary costs (roughly another $1.1 billion) to the city to surround the stadium with proper infrastructure.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled NFL draft talk.

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What could cost that much? Even the Los Angeles stadium was about half that price tag, and LA might be even pricier than Chicago. The Cowboys’ stadium was $1.2 billion.

And Caleb Williams has bust written all over him, just as much as JaMarcus Russell.

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One other draft tidbit: The NFL indicated that their investigation into the Falcons and Eagles for tampering (Kirk Cousins and Saquon Barkley) will likely not conclude before the draft, so any forfeiture of draft picks wont take place before the 2025 draft.

25

SoFi ended up at about $9B.

I have no doubt that the Bears lakefront stadium will land in the same ballpark once everything is done.

But ultimately the numbers are all completely made up. They maybe spend 25% of that and the rest is creative accounting to inflate the cost sharing ratios.

But real talk, this isn’t happening. It’s vaporware. Theater for the benefit of p politicians and season ticket holders. Until the wrecking ball swings and the shovels hit the dirt, it’s as real as my chances with Margot Robbie.

26

The first three picks were quarterbacks. The last time that happened was 2021 when it was
1.Trevor Laurence
2.Zach Wilson
3.Trey Lance

.

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Chalk picks so far. No one willing to pay the price to trade up for the 4th QB yet.

28

Oh Atlanta.

29

Fuck. Yes.

30

The Chargers fuck everything up by talking Alt. The Falcons absolutely panic and take Penix. What a turn of events. The Bears profit.

31

May work out just as good.

I think the closest to a sure thing is Marvin Harrison Jr. He’s going to be a star.

I don’t hate the Giants pick but having a good receiver won’t turn Daniel Jones into a great QB.

32

12 picks. 6 QBs.

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I’m not really surprised. It’s the best QB class I’ve seen and there are a lot of teams with the need.

34

14 picks without a single defensive player. Breaking the previous record of 8.

35

This is the ugly part of the draft. Everyone you take here is basically just as good as a guy you can get at pick 40.

Except Brian Thomas.

36

The short lived dream of Terrion Arnold falling to the Packers…

37

And then 6 of the next 8 are defensive players. 4 edge rushers, a DT, and a CB (the DT was the 2nd defensive player taken).

38

I’m amazed how little engagement the first round garnered. It was a wild ride and no one seems to be invested

39

To be truthful, I couldn’t sit in front of my TV and actually watch the draft. I think testosterone and beer are requirements. LOL However, I do follow things and, as expected, the Bears drafted their newest QB savior with their #1 pick. They drafted a wide receiver with their #9 pick, which kind of makes sense. I don’t know his name, but my brother is enthusiastic about the pick. I just hope we remember to put a good offensive line out there.

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So, my NFL pundits, what teams had the best draft? Any surprises? Any potential busts?