Latest / 2nd City Gridiron / Chicago Draft Room: Could the Bears take Kadyn Proctor at #25? Plus Draft Wish List, Caleb Williams vs. Troy Aikman, and more!

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Chicago Draft Room: Could the Bears take Kadyn Proctor at #25? Plus Draft Wish List, Caleb Williams vs. Troy Aikman, and more! · 2nd City Gridiron

0:02
[SPEAKER_00]: All right.
0:03
[SPEAKER_00]: We are back.
0:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Another addition, the sixth episode for Chicago draft room with 2026 on the clock along with Jacob and Fonte.
0:10
[SPEAKER_00]: I am Ari time.
0:12
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a great to have you with us tonight as we're streaming live on YouTube via the second city gridiron YouTube channel.
0:18
[SPEAKER_00]: And of course, if you're listening back to this podcast via the second city.
0:22
[SPEAKER_00]: podcast page make sure second city grid iron podcast page make sure to like and subscribe wherever your podcasts and of course on YouTube to follow along.
0:31
[SPEAKER_00]: We, Jacob, are just a few weeks away from the NFL draft.
0:34
[SPEAKER_00]: In fact, two weeks from tonight, first round, two weeks from tonight.
0:39
[SPEAKER_00]: We finally made it.
0:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Close.
0:41
[SPEAKER_01]: It's crazy to think about it.
0:43
[SPEAKER_01]: It's already, you know, it's already so close.
0:47
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I know it's felt like a long process with the offseason and everything, but the last, I feel like the offseason's kind of flown by, which is a weird thing to say.
0:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Like it's just, it's nuts to me.
1:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and especially because like there's so much more excitement for the bears this off season than there's been and such a long time, so you think it'd go slower.
1:08
[SPEAKER_00]: But I mean, and like it speeds up even more after the draft it feels like the draft is the one that's the longest weight.
1:16
[SPEAKER_00]: But when you think about just the timeline, like you get those rookie mini camps or they bring all the, you know, the undrafted free agents in and they bring their rookies in.
1:24
[SPEAKER_00]: And then you get into like organized, you know,
1:29
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you basically have between, you know, the end of April into May, June, all these mini-camps, basically with the entire team, and then the only month off is basically the time between June and July, and then training camp starts.
1:43
[SPEAKER_00]: So, I mean, it really like may and June are full of news in terms of like mini-camps and some of that jazz, so I like it, it's crazy how quick it's gone already and it's going to speed up even more.
1:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, no one hundred percent.
1:57
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I'm just excited for the draft to get here, but I feel like, you know, the least are just flying by at this point.
2:02
[SPEAKER_01]: So I don't know.
2:03
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know.
2:04
[SPEAKER_01]: We got a lot to talk about, but, you know, it's going to be, it's going to be, you know, an exciting couple weeks and then obviously two weeks from now is going to be a lot of fun too as well.
2:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, for sure.
2:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so to set the table for today's show, and again, we appreciate everybody joining us.
2:18
[SPEAKER_00]: Make sure if you're watching us live via the Second City Grid Iron YouTube channel to subscribe.
2:23
[SPEAKER_00]: And of course, to post your comments and we'll get to some of those comments throughout the show today.
2:27
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll be talking really about offensive tackle.
2:31
[SPEAKER_00]: As, you know, there's been a ton of talk around
2:35
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, the bears verse this week surrounding Caden Proctor, potentially at 25 based on peach triggers, mock draft that was just released.
2:43
[SPEAKER_00]: So we'll get into that.
2:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Plus we talked last week about day in Brugler releasing the beast.
2:48
[SPEAKER_00]: So we'll do a deep dive and both Jacob and I kind of independently came with our own top five of players.
2:53
[SPEAKER_00]: We'd like to see the bears take at 25 and we'll kind of give you our profiles on them and then cross reference that with what Brugler put in the beast.
3:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Plus, if we have time, we'll start to put together a seven-pick blueprint and how the bear should build out days two and three with all kinds of potential options available to them.
3:10
[SPEAKER_00]: And then the icing on the cake would be the comments of Troy Eggman this week that we've got to get to, which really, in many ways, show exactly why Caleb Williams probably avoided talking to Troy Eggman.
3:21
[SPEAKER_00]: And he had Troy Eggman very butt hurt, and it makes me happy.
3:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, no, I mean, we've got a lot to talk about in this one at the whole.
3:32
[SPEAKER_01]: It's funny, the whole Troy Eggman thing.
3:33
[SPEAKER_01]: You forget about it for a little while, but it, you know, it reers this whole head in this sort of situation.
3:38
[SPEAKER_01]: So we got a lot to, lots of dig into.
3:40
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm excited for this episode for sure.
3:43
[SPEAKER_00]: All right.
3:43
[SPEAKER_00]: So look, if you've joined us for our five previous episodes, you know, we've obviously spent the majority of the time talking about defensive tack or defensive end safety.
3:53
[SPEAKER_00]: you know have we touched on offensive tackle sure and we've talked about some of the options you know that exist right now with the injury to trip pillow for the bears even if they don't you know invest a premium pick in the offensive line at 25 but this week peach rager from ESPN who's pretty plugged in released his first mock draft and he had cadence proctor the left tackle absolute monster of a man at number 25 for the bears and i'll be honest i don't
4:23
[SPEAKER_00]: I do think at the end of the day as much we've talked about the importance of investing in the defense and I've got a stat that shows in a second I'll get to why it's even more important for the bears to focus on defense.
4:36
[SPEAKER_00]: But I'll say this about left tackle, like they can't afford to have missed on left tackle this year.
4:46
[SPEAKER_00]: So again, we've talked about this a ton, they've invested a lot.
4:51
[SPEAKER_00]: not money, but they've made some trade, like they've signed some players, like they brought back, like they've got, they've put some lottery tickets in there for the potential to survive without Tripillo.
5:03
[SPEAKER_00]: But to me, if Proctor is there, and I know we'll talk about left tackle, at some point two to go deeper on that position at 25, but I'll just say it straight up Jacob, like they can't afford to get into the season, be like, oh no, we don't have, we don't have a viable left tackle right now.
5:20
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and I think that's where it's it's like a difficult I
5:25
[SPEAKER_01]: dichotomy to where they are making these moves, you know, you bring in Braxton Jones signed him to one year in deal with, you know, the opportunity to make up to $10 million.
5:36
[SPEAKER_01]: If, you know, if he does bounce back to his 20, you know, 24 and before that level, then that's obviously a, you know, that's a really good value.
5:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Kendrick Willes was really good.
5:48
[SPEAKER_01]: And then, you know, he got her, he sat out of football for all of 2025 recovering.
5:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Those two, you know, there's upside there, but there are also a lot of question marks.
5:59
[SPEAKER_01]: The open it at, I mean, we'll see, I think he has the room to continue to grow, but I think with the lack of arm lengths, I think he's definitely a guard going forward.
6:09
[SPEAKER_01]: And then Lausy Trepillo, I mean, obviously, he looked great when he stepped into the starting lineup for rookie, you know, they continued improvement over the course of the year, but now he's hurt.
6:19
[SPEAKER_01]: So there's a lot of question marks that love tackle.
6:22
[SPEAKER_01]: So I agree with you.
6:23
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that it's a position where I think the the they're taking as many swings as possible on you know boomer bust or I guess you can say a low risk high reward type of guys, but it's not a low risk situation when you consider.
6:42
[SPEAKER_01]: the importance of the left tackle position.
6:44
[SPEAKER_01]: So, right, that's the one position.
6:46
[SPEAKER_01]: It's really tough for me to pinpoint in this draft like, hey, how are they going to approach this?
6:51
[SPEAKER_01]: Are they going to use a first round peg on a tackle?
6:53
[SPEAKER_01]: What do they think about tripello?
6:55
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, once he comes back, what's that all going to look like?
6:58
[SPEAKER_01]: And you factor in the other needs on the defensive side of the ball as well.
7:01
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, that's what that's a situation that at least in my shoes, I'm not glad that I'm not Ryan Polls because that's a really tough kind of situation maneuver.
7:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Caden Proctor to me is really interesting.
7:14
[SPEAKER_00]: So first, a little Caden Proctor story time and Jacob, you may know the story, you may not.
7:18
[SPEAKER_00]: But basically, Proctor was the number two overall recruit in the 2024 class.
7:22
[SPEAKER_00]: He was the number one offensive tackle.
7:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Caleb downs by the way in the 2024 class is the number one player in that class.
7:28
[SPEAKER_00]: So downs one, Proctor two.
7:30
[SPEAKER_00]: He went to Alabama out of high school in Des Moines, Iowa, top right online.
7:34
[SPEAKER_00]: He enters the portal after year one that's right after Sabin leaves.
7:38
[SPEAKER_00]: He takes money from Iowa.
7:40
[SPEAKER_00]: He transfers to Iowa.
7:42
[SPEAKER_00]: He stays there between January of 2024 and then March of 2024.
7:45
[SPEAKER_00]: It actually took some NIL money.
7:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Then transfers back to bad.
7:52
[SPEAKER_01]: It's it's nuts.
7:54
[SPEAKER_01]: I feel I swear anytime that I mentioned proctor like someone's in my mentions being like Oh, we hate them or whatever because you know there are a lot of I would there are a lot of bear's fans who are also I have with fans and you know I have a couple buddies or I have a fans and they all spies prox I could see why they would would would would
8:13
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, yet you're hopes up for something like that.
8:16
[SPEAKER_00]: That's, uh, well, and I mean, he's from Iowa and I, you know, it was, I believe if our members were crew make correctly, it was between Iowa and Bama.
8:23
[SPEAKER_00]: So he basically spurred them twice, um, but look, if you're an Iowa fan, apologies, if you're an Iowa Bears fan, apologies to you, the dude is, I mean, he's, he's, he's six, six, three hundred and fifty eight pounds.
8:36
[SPEAKER_00]: He has enormous, I mean,
8:38
[SPEAKER_00]: you know, to me, you know, individual recruiting rankings can can certainly be misleading at times, but like in the aggregate, the majority of the best players in league are were top recruits, five stars, like the majority.
8:51
[SPEAKER_00]: Now all of them end up as stars in league, but most of them do.
8:53
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, and so like he checks up a lot of boxes for me.
8:57
[SPEAKER_00]: I just, I think, you know, for his size and some of the, like, if he slips to 25, I think that some of the limitations would obviously be be front and center for a lot of people in terms of that, but like I'm willing to take a risk on the guy with that kind of size, that kind of pedigree, I know like some of the things I've read about him and just seen is.
9:17
[SPEAKER_00]: you know that that he is leveraged is not great that is technique is not great sometimes you might get a little bit too deep.
9:23
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like that's fixable.
9:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Like it's the non-fixable fixable stuff, the size that to me stands out about him.
9:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean, the ceiling with proctors, obviously, like you mentioned, the size, the length, the hand size, the physicality, uh, it is a very tough guy to move and to push back in the pocket.
9:43
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, like you mentioned, even with those kind of leverage concerns, he's just so big and so strong that it almost doesn't even matter.
9:51
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that the size adjusted athleticism, at least the short area burst, coming off the line of skirmish, especially as a run blocker is really good.
10:02
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think where some of those concerns that you do mention, he's a little bit taller, it's tougher to get that flexibility in his knees and get this weight underneath him.
10:11
[SPEAKER_01]: I think Mike concerns with him are the hand consistency and the lateral agility.
10:18
[SPEAKER_01]: And honestly, that's had me kind of considering, well, yeah, he has the height, he is the length and the power to play tackle, but if he's out there on an island, does he have the agility to change direction, can he redirect and, you know, take on these stunts, take on, you know, insights, speed rushes, stuff like that, I think that's, or sometimes, or he's a little hit or miss in college, as well as I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I think it was, I
10:42
[SPEAKER_01]: It was, it might have been Chad Router for Manifel network.
10:46
[SPEAKER_01]: It might have been Lance Irland, I don't remember exactly who it was.
10:50
[SPEAKER_01]: Someone said that Proctor is more of, like with his hands, he's more of a catcher than somebody who dishes out strikes.
10:58
[SPEAKER_01]: And I thought that was a really good analogy in that he waits for the often for the defenders to come to him and he's not so proactive and getting his hands on guys and winning with that initial leverage.
11:11
[SPEAKER_01]: If you do something like that, it helps if you're insanely big and insanely strong, and he'll still be bigger and stronger than most of the NFL guys that he goes up against, but those guys are going to have better technique and better athleticism.
11:26
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think there's certainly risk attached there.
11:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I think Proctor's got as high of a ceiling as any offensive linemen in this
11:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, uh, I'd say, e-honature probably has a lower floor, but Proctor probably has the second lowest out of those top top seven or so consensus tackles the guys who either going to go round one or they're going to flirt with round one.
11:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, there's risk with Proctor, but again, the upside is really, really high.
11:58
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I think both you and I really like another tackle, maybe in this spot, but
12:04
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, the thing that has just become so obvious is we've done the show now again six episodes we've kind of talked through ideas and strategies of 25 is it's like so up in the air.
12:15
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, there could be guys that we're talking about that could potentially be there at 25 that are gone on the top 15, like multiple guys and just the range that we're seeing for guys in terms of like first round picks, second round pick.
12:29
[SPEAKER_00]: it's wild and my guys that we might be talking about 25 or you know guys we might be talking about 25 I've heard others talk about for a secular pick and vice versa guys we've talked about in the second round that you've heard potentially 25 it's just crazy the different scenarios the if then type stuff that can be playing out here yeah and it's
12:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I think a lot of it is going to be dependent on, like you mentioned, there might be some tackles who end up going early that a lot of us expect, where you look at a guy like Monroe Freeling out of Georgia.
13:00
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, some mock drafts have him as hot going as high as number six to the Browns.
13:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe the Cardinals decided to take a tackle at number three overall.
13:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, you know, there are a couple other teams in those, you know, early teams that could go for a tackle as well, and then a little bit later you're looking at guys, you know, the lions might the eagles before the bears, you know, maybe they want to have a lane Johnson's successor in the next there.
13:22
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think it's a real possibility that there's a pretty big run on tackles early on, especially in a class like this.
13:32
[SPEAKER_01]: I guess we'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out.
13:35
[SPEAKER_01]: But the tackle position is one that I'm extremely interested in.
13:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Because there's a chance, I mean, you could get maybe a guy like Caleb low move out of Utah Falls or maybe if you like Blake Miller, you're not worried about the right tackle, the left tackle switch.
13:50
[SPEAKER_01]: He has the athleticism, the length and the size that you want at that position.
13:55
[SPEAKER_01]: So, but then again, all those guys might be off the board anyway.
13:58
[SPEAKER_01]: So, who knows?
14:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
14:03
[SPEAKER_00]: What I wanted to do tonight is kind of transitioning from talking about Kate and Proctor to get to like, what's our top five for the Bears at 25?
14:10
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I know both you and I have talked a lot about Peter Woods throughout the shows we've done, but I wanted both of us to kind of isolate five guys that we like at 25 and you know, you sent me your list, I've not sent you my list, but it's funny because we had one guy that was the same, so I actually kept the one guy the same.
14:29
[SPEAKER_00]: I wanted us to have different lists,
14:31
[SPEAKER_00]: I kept one guy the same because I think it's it's I'm surprised he was on your list quite frankly But I'm glad he was because it verified the way I feel allowed him to so what we're going to do here is kind of look at the beast Which was released this week.
14:44
[SPEAKER_00]: It's dangerous deep dive plus kind of cross-reference that with our thoughts in these guys and I guess let's just start off.
14:50
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll go one each
14:52
[SPEAKER_00]: As we go through our lists and just go through kind of our top five lists and no particular order of who you'd like to see the bear and maybe at some point we can order these out and maybe you have the mortar, I don't know, but go ahead start with your first one Jacob.
15:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so my top guy, I'm going to try and stick to realistic options.
15:11
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, there are some players where, you know, I'll have them a little bit higher, but I don't necessarily think there's a chance they've all just 25.
15:18
[SPEAKER_01]: So Peter Woods is my top guy, that Clemson defensive tackle.
15:22
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I've set on here, and I'll say it again, I think as far as the tackles go in this class, I think he is the best chance to be a 3 down defender, the quickest.
15:35
[SPEAKER_01]: raw power and the spatial awareness as a run defender, as well as the hand usage and quickness as a password shirt, I think makes him in my mind the most well-rounded detackle in this class.
15:47
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think that he's someone where if he's there, I'd have to take advantage of that.
15:52
[SPEAKER_00]: uh... number uh... no we we're going back and forth right i apologize i don't know where he said um... did anything i don't know if you had a chance to do a deep dive from brookler like some of his notes on him anything that stood out to you maybe from from him
16:08
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so I do have that up.
16:09
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that it was interesting to me.
16:12
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, they went through a broodler saying specifically, you know, having McDonald over Peter Woods.
16:18
[SPEAKER_01]: And I don't have the whole thing up right now, but I do have the, you know, top 10 position rankings at each specific position.
16:25
[SPEAKER_01]: So,
16:27
[SPEAKER_01]: I do have to agree.
16:28
[SPEAKER_01]: So the tagline that he had for Peter Woods was an explosive tackle who must improve his consistency at the next level.
16:35
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that's fair.
16:36
[SPEAKER_01]: I think you see a lot more consistency with him on tape in 2024 than he did in 2025.
16:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And
16:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Some of that might come down to you could really go in a lot of different directions maybe it's conditioning maybe he needs to improve his counter game a little bit more.
16:55
[SPEAKER_01]: You can you know really point to, you know, a handful of factors but I think the fact of the matter is the flashes in 2025 were still there.
17:05
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that, you know, with a guy like him where you don't have very long arms, I think you need to be, make sure that you are super refined in how you use your hands to obtain leverage in that regard.
17:17
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think that, you know, I think Brugler in that regard is accurate to where.
17:21
[SPEAKER_01]: The consistency isn't there, but I think the explosiveness is a lot better than how we tested at his pro-day.
17:27
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that I remember reading Bruce Feldman's free list and they had Peter Woods and I think it was the 4-8 to the 4-9s and he didn't run that fast in the 40-R-Dash.
17:37
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, and his 10 yards split listed over the, of course, the offseason was faster than what he ended up doing at his pro day.
17:45
[SPEAKER_01]: So if those numbers are to be believed, he can be faster and I think that he looks faster than what he ended up testing it on tape.
17:53
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, the one thing that set up to me about with Brugler on Peter Woods is he ranked him 35th overall, which was a lot, I guess, a lot further than I thought, one spot ahead of Malachi Lawrence and then Zion young at 37.
18:06
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know, I just, it's kind of surprised he was that far down the list, but that was the one thing that stood out.
18:12
[SPEAKER_00]: The guy that that I put in this spot is Caldric Folk.
18:15
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, we spent a ton of time talking about him last week, you know, the, the,
18:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Bears, if it's a flying coach, one of our listeners pointed out that Coach Tama is freshman year at Auburn.
18:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, six, five, two, seventy, six.
18:28
[SPEAKER_00]: He's, I mean, he's got the verse.
18:29
[SPEAKER_00]: He's got the power.
18:30
[SPEAKER_00]: He's got the size, you know, he's young.
18:34
[SPEAKER_00]: He's 21 years old.
18:35
[SPEAKER_00]: So still a lot of growth potential.
18:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Ruegler wrote about him.
18:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Falca has more almost plays and impact ones on his table, but you bet on developing 20-year-old player at this exciting
18:46
[SPEAKER_00]: The character on upside or promising, but how early a team drafts him is dependent upon its appetite for risk.
18:53
[SPEAKER_00]: And I like, I get the risk factors, but to me, just the measurables, more than anything, stand out about a guy that You know, just like he's going to make plays because his size, his speed, his, his athleticism to me is what you need at that position.
19:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think the as far as Adrocher's go like assuming that, you know,
19:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, you know, Arville Reese isn't going to be their David Bailey.
19:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Ruben Bay and those guys aren't going to be their measured or probably not.
19:21
[SPEAKER_01]: I think Falca's by far the highest ceiling out of those guys when you factor in the size, the length of the power of the speed for his size.
19:28
[SPEAKER_01]: I, the physical aspect of his game is tremendous.
19:33
[SPEAKER_01]: There's you see a relentless motor within you see high effort.
19:38
[SPEAKER_01]: I just think that you need to see.
19:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, you're kind of speaking to, you know, with woods.
19:43
[SPEAKER_01]: I think you need to you see a little more consistency.
19:46
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think some of that comes down to processing where, you know, he's a little me like a split second to late to figure out.
19:53
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, this is the move.
19:54
[SPEAKER_01]: I need to work against this tackle.
19:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, he showed me this look and now I need to counter and go off of that.
20:01
[SPEAKER_01]: He's shown he can do it.
20:02
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just, you know, the process and speed is in all the way there yet.
20:05
[SPEAKER_01]: And he's a young guy.
20:06
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, he's coming into this draft as a, you know, a true junior, I believe he's 21 years old at that rate.
20:15
[SPEAKER_01]: So a younger, especially when he factoring guys, like Mesodore, we were going to be 25 in the rookie year, I'd say, fall to the head of the curve.
20:23
[SPEAKER_01]: But you know, whereas measured was a more polished prospect right now.
20:28
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's the type of game, you know, you play when you're comparing those two guys.
20:32
[SPEAKER_01]: But folk, I think the ceiling is, I think it's very high.
20:36
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think at the very least, he's going to be a good run to Fender right out of the gate.
20:39
[SPEAKER_01]: While he, while he develops his past rushing instincts a little bit more.
20:42
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, well said.
20:43
[SPEAKER_00]: And followed by the way, the 15th overall player on Dame Brutler's board, fourth ed russia.
20:49
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, who's your next guy?
20:51
[SPEAKER_01]: So my next guy, I'm sticking off the edge, TJ Parker on a Clemson, I think he's another guy where the production maybe was better in 2024 than it was in 2025, but I think all the physical tools are there and I think that he really matches what Dennis Allen historically likes a defense event.
21:14
[SPEAKER_01]: You see, you know, listed at six with three to 165 pounds, he has, in my opinion, the, you know, the raw strength and the quickness that you like at the Eddrocher position.
21:25
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that even if he's not the most flexible or a type of guy, you're going to drop back and coverage very often.
21:31
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the short area quickness is there.
21:34
[SPEAKER_01]: I think he sets a nice edge in the run game and he's shown some promises
21:44
[SPEAKER_01]: again, you're talking about size, you're talking about power, you're talking about quickness, you're talking about effort, and you're talking about flashes.
21:51
[SPEAKER_01]: And yes, again, the consistency isn't there, that's going to be a key with a lot of these defensive linemen, and especially in a class like this where there's not a ton of high-end talent, you're not going to get a,
22:04
[SPEAKER_01]: You're never getting a flawless prospect.
22:06
[SPEAKER_01]: That's 25.
22:07
[SPEAKER_01]: So you're going to have to accept some of the drawbacks that come with these prospects because you've got to be more focused on the positives.
22:15
[SPEAKER_01]: And with a guy like TJ Parker, I think the positives are very strong.
22:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, well said.
22:20
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, like, I think when you look back on all the episodes we've done, like the one common is, yeah, like there, we could go through 10 different guys right now and, you know, like, 10 of them, some of all 10 of them could be on the board at 25 and all 10 of them could be gone at 25.
22:38
[SPEAKER_00]: By next ones, Dylan Theneman, a guy we talked a lot about the safety for Morgan, he played one year at Oregon, a transfer from Purdue.
22:45
[SPEAKER_00]: He's from the Indianapolis area.
22:47
[SPEAKER_00]: He's six foot, two hundred and one pounds.
22:50
[SPEAKER_00]: He's safety two on Dane Rougler's board.
22:52
[SPEAKER_00]: His 18th overall prospect.
22:55
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, look, the thing that I like about Thaneman is he feels like a modern, you know, safety that can play both, you know, at multiple levels.
23:05
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, we talk about a lot of guys that are versatile that can play and cover, but get downhill and be physical at the point of attack.
23:11
[SPEAKER_00]: To me, he's he's very much built in that mold.
23:13
[SPEAKER_00]: And so, I mean, just a very versatile type player that, you know, most GMs are looking for, which is probably the big reason I don't think he's going to be available at 25.
23:22
[SPEAKER_00]: But I certainly want him to be.
23:23
[SPEAKER_00]: And I've actually got two safety's on my list.
23:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Surprise, you didn't have either of them.
23:28
[SPEAKER_00]: But just a virtual athlete, you know, he can make a huge impact, you know, again, at the point of attack or the back end of your defense.
23:37
[SPEAKER_00]: I think he's got great instincts.
23:39
[SPEAKER_00]: He sees things quickly.
23:40
[SPEAKER_00]: He knows how to use his vision to make plays.
23:44
[SPEAKER_00]: He hasn't taken any false steps like he's,
23:47
[SPEAKER_00]: He's really good, Brugler wrote about him.
23:48
[SPEAKER_00]: He reminds him of Justin Reed, because he's scheme friendly in recognition skills.
23:53
[SPEAKER_00]: He projects a durable NFL starter and has the versatility that should appear to a variety of defensive structures.
23:57
[SPEAKER_00]: So we talked a lot about that versatility.
23:59
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, think it's a big reason.
24:01
[SPEAKER_00]: He'll get drafted before 25, but would love to see him fall into the bears.
24:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so I will say, you know, and it's true.
24:09
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't include a, you know, a safety in my top five.
24:13
[SPEAKER_01]: I will say that I didn't include, uh, Theonement specifically because I don't think he's going to be there at 25.
24:19
[SPEAKER_01]: If he's there, I'd be ecstatic with that pick.
24:22
[SPEAKER_01]: I think he's, you know, like you mentioned, the versatility is really strong.
24:27
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that speaks to his football IQ, the ability to,
24:30
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, cover is a deep safety cover, you know, single high, too high, cover underneath in the slot in the box.
24:36
[SPEAKER_01]: What have you and to understand your assignments everywhere.
24:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And to play with that quick processing speed in that high motor, I think is really impressive and you factor in the speed the ball skills he has.
24:50
[SPEAKER_01]: Form is a tackler, you know, it could be improved, but I think the physicality and the willingness is there and give me, you know, I'd say, give me in, you know, a decent tackling safety who just kind of does his job or I'm sorry, I could say, you know, you're going to get the floor is not too low.
25:15
[SPEAKER_01]: 100% like he know, you know, he's going to bring the effort, he's going to bring, you know, he's going to deliver hard hits and, you know, you're going to have to live with, you know, misackles from time to time, but I think that's, you know, speak about things that can be taught.
25:31
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the form is something that can't be taught with him.
25:33
[SPEAKER_01]: So I anticipate that's something that they're going to work on at the next level, but theme and I'd be very happy with it, 25.
25:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, kind of as I said, and as you said, you didn't include one of those because you don't think it's either twenty five.
25:44
[SPEAKER_00]: I was like, man, I really hope he is.
25:45
[SPEAKER_00]: That's why I have a clip of the list.
25:48
[SPEAKER_00]: But it's definitely, again, the versatility, the knowledge, like, you know, in this, in this day of age of football, it's just, yeah, it's, feels like he's not going to be there twenty five.
25:58
[SPEAKER_00]: But wishful thinking.
25:59
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, who's next guy?
26:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so my next guy, I'm sticking along the defensive line with Zion Young, the Edra Schraut of Missouri.
26:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I look at him and I see somebody who's improved, I think I've said it on here, I see somebody who's improved year over year, and especially, I mean, removing my Mizzou fan bias from this, you know, I mean, he's not my top choice, but he's one of them.
26:25
[SPEAKER_01]: I see somebody who's consistently gotten better a year over year in 2024 he had 26 pressures in 2025 he had 57 so I think that you know that shows in particular and then you know he started a good amount of Michigan state he had 25 pressures so.
26:42
[SPEAKER_01]: year-over-year, his pressures improved, his sacks improved every single year, his quarterback her reason improved every single year.
26:49
[SPEAKER_01]: I see, you know, the physicality, the size, his ability to set the edge and the run game, I think is pro-ready.
26:55
[SPEAKER_01]: I think now it's a matter of, okay, can he consistently threaten with speed off the edge?
27:02
[SPEAKER_01]: And look, he's not David Bailey, he's not
27:11
[SPEAKER_01]: it's short area quickness rather is better than people giving credit for.
27:15
[SPEAKER_01]: And when you have a guy who's that big a place with the violence that he does and
27:21
[SPEAKER_01]: the consistently evolving past rushing plan, I think that's a guy with a higher ceiling than many people given credit for.
27:29
[SPEAKER_01]: He's not a finished project by any means and I don't think he's ever going to be elite in the NFL.
27:34
[SPEAKER_01]: I just think, you know, there are some flexibility limitations there and like as you know, some of the long speed is just okay, but I think he's someone especially into defense like this where you need some of those bigger tone setters off the edge.
27:46
[SPEAKER_01]: I think young would be a really good fit.
27:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I mean, another guy where it feels like you kind of know what you're going to get and it just depends on whether or not, you know, you want what he had like what you're going to get in that, but yeah, you know, like there's going to be nobody unless the bears are able to trade up, but there should be nobody the bears are going to get at 25 that would be like, oh, this is a flaw.
28:09
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, we're just going to continue to say this like there's going to be nobody that could take a 25 that's flawless.
28:13
[SPEAKER_00]: So like people will complain about it regardless because there will be reasons to complain about whoever they pick.
28:19
[SPEAKER_00]: And like the reality is there probably are, you know, some landmines to avoid at 25.
28:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, you know, and that's where, like as the bears have said pretty consistently across the board, they're going BPA and it's hard to disagree when, like there's gonna be some misses and you're gonna look back on this draft from three, four years from now, be like, wow, look at all those all pros that were taken and look at those duds
28:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I can just see it and, you know, hopefully none of those guys of the guys were talking about right now, but I could just really see it.
28:51
[SPEAKER_00]: My next guy's another guy we've talked about to keep as a door, and then for Miami, six, three, turn and fifty nine pounds is the fifth and four day and brooger of the 28th overall prospect.
29:04
[SPEAKER_00]: And look, I mean, we already know, you know, we already know the drawbacks, the age.
29:09
[SPEAKER_00]: the injury history, but I just think the strength to me far outweigh the weaknesses.
29:15
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, he's a veteran past russia.
29:17
[SPEAKER_00]: He's got violent hands, lots of moves.
29:20
[SPEAKER_00]: He gets the quarterback and he's done that.
29:23
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, you could argue that while at his age, he's playing as much younger players as he is to get the quarterback of the dudes, but doing it since he was at West Virginia, like he all he does gets the quarterback.
29:32
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm not going to say like, oh, he's a 25 year old playing.
29:35
[SPEAKER_00]: It's 21 year olds or 20 year olds, like clearly he's going to be able to get out to the quarterback, like that hasn't always been the case.
29:41
[SPEAKER_00]: He's always racked up production.
29:43
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, the biggest drawback for me is not age.
29:47
[SPEAKER_00]: As we've talked about, whereas it's almost a strength for the bears, it's the foot injuries, you know, that that's obviously a concern when a guy's, you know, constantly had foot injuries, bad feet, forget his size.
29:58
[SPEAKER_00]: That's not good, 6, 3, 2, 60, but again, you're not, probably not drafting a key measure to be a 10 year all pro starter for you.
30:05
[SPEAKER_00]: If you get five out of them, I think they'd be huge at 25.
30:08
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's why I like the measure door.
30:11
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, measured or would be a dream pick for me and again, he's another guy that I, you know, I would include, but I again didn't expect him to be a 25, but like you mentioned the age, the injury concerns, there's a chance he's there.
30:23
[SPEAKER_01]: most certainly and you know you may be a guy like fault goes ahead of them maybe someone falls in love with you know like Malachi Lawrence's testing or they take a bet on TJ Parker resort you know reverberting back to 2024 form and measured or ends up falling there.
30:40
[SPEAKER_01]: But I'm with you I'm with you I think that
30:44
[SPEAKER_01]: a lot of people get so caught up in the age.
30:46
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think that's as much of a concern for me because I think he's going to contribute right away.
30:50
[SPEAKER_01]: And I also think that you take a look at those, especially late first round picks.
30:59
[SPEAKER_01]: A lot of those guys don't stick with the same team for like 12, 13 years.
31:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
31:03
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's, I mean, that's the dream, but let's say, Mesodoro say he plays with Chicago until like for six or seven
31:13
[SPEAKER_01]: that's a win right the 20 the 25th overall pick that's a win and maybe you can you can argue from there it's like oh it'll shoot higher but you know for you know more upside but with a guy whose floor is that high right I think you have to make an exception yeah totally agree well said all right who's your fourth guy all right so i'm gonna go
31:37
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm sticking out the defensive line.
31:40
[SPEAKER_01]: This one I'm going with Kristen Miller defensive tackle out of Georgia.
31:44
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that obviously with and we've touched on it before Georgia's defensive line they rotate in guys like crazy.
31:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Part of it's just because that's such a deep defensive line every single year.
31:57
[SPEAKER_01]: But
31:59
[SPEAKER_01]: I also think part of it is, you know, Miller is more pro-ready as a run defender than he is the past russia right now.
32:05
[SPEAKER_01]: But, you know, speaking to the run defense, I think he does a good job of, you know, keeping his pads low is way underneath them.
32:10
[SPEAKER_01]: He can really, you know, stand his ground.
32:13
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think as far as consistent leverage goes, he's near the top for sure.
32:17
[SPEAKER_01]: That's far as
32:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Anchor strength, the spatial awareness, it's to know when a guy's going up his gap and how to stack and shed locks and in disengage and make the tackle, I think is very valuable against the run, especially for a team like the bears where they struggled.
32:39
[SPEAKER_01]: to, you know, stack and shed and plug up gaps.
32:42
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, that's never been driven.
32:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Daxter's thing.
32:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Andrew Billings has been regressing as a run defender the last couple of years.
32:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Grady Jarrett was okay.
32:52
[SPEAKER_01]: And then, you know, Schmart Turner was hurt for most of the year.
32:55
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's, it's not a good recipe for success.
32:59
[SPEAKER_01]: No, I.
33:00
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you have a guy like Miller in there, I think he's someone who's going to contribute right away in the run game.
33:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh,
33:05
[SPEAKER_01]: It's on passing downs where I think yes, he's on proven.
33:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, the the volume isn't there as far as sacks, but I like what he brings in his quickness off the ball and I think that him being what like six
33:22
[SPEAKER_01]: three, six, four, maybe.
33:24
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, he's got good size, but he's not one of those, like, super tall, driven, extra, six, six, six, seven type of guys, where it's so much easier for them to pop up right, and it, you know, make it delays their momentum a little bit and they're explosiveness coming off the ball.
33:39
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think that's a problem for Miller.
33:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I think he has good quickness, and I think he's shown.
33:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Some of the, maybe he's going to be more of a pressure guy than a sacks producer, but I think that some of the handwork that you see as a run defender can shows up sometimes as a pass rusher.
33:57
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think it's improving the decisiveness and the comfort ability on passing downs with an offensive lineman who's, you know,
34:05
[SPEAKER_01]: shooting back as opposed to firing out directly at him.
34:09
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think the the upside's there.
34:11
[SPEAKER_01]: So Miller's a guy.
34:12
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't hear a lot of people talking about him at 25.
34:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
34:14
[SPEAKER_01]: I'd be perfectly content if he's the selection there.
34:17
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and you know, again, we've talked about this, but like you got to look at programs that develop really good defensive tackles that certainly one of them, maybe the premier one.
34:26
[SPEAKER_00]: He's six three three fourths and I just had him for him.
34:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, he's six three three fourths three out in twenty one pounds.
34:33
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what he measured it.
34:34
[SPEAKER_00]: He's caught the combine and he measured six three five eights three out in twenty eight pounds his pro day.
34:40
[SPEAKER_00]: So somewhere between he's about six three two out in twenty five pounds.
34:45
[SPEAKER_00]: My next guy is the second safety.
34:48
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's Emmanuel McNear, McNiel Warren, safety three, according to Dame Brugler.
34:53
[SPEAKER_00]: He's the 23rd overall prospect.
34:56
[SPEAKER_00]: Same weight as Dylan Thineman, but three inches taller at six, three, two hundred and one pounds.
35:02
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, look, he's a range, he's wiring.
35:04
[SPEAKER_00]: He very much feels
35:07
[SPEAKER_00]: like Dylan Thaneman, in terms of the versatility of the upside.
35:11
[SPEAKER_00]: And I also, in the modern college game, where guys are routinely transferring up, I mean, in college basketball right now, we're closing in on 3,000 players in the portal.
35:26
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, there's basically 5,000 players in division one.
35:30
[SPEAKER_00]: So more than 60% of the players basically are in the portal right now and I like football is no different.
35:38
[SPEAKER_00]: So to me, I respect the hell out of the guy that stayed at Toledo even though he could have gone elsewhere, you know, like a guy like AJ Halsey who I know we'll talk about is probably another guy that bears should be looking at maybe not at 25, but he was at Houston.
35:51
[SPEAKER_00]: He was a ball hawking safety at Houston and their best player on defense on a bad team
35:59
[SPEAKER_00]: to tell us you good for him.
36:00
[SPEAKER_00]: And you know, I'm not going to knock a guy for doing that for getting the bag and bring yourself a better position.
36:05
[SPEAKER_00]: But I just, I love the fact that McNeil Warren has stayed at Toledo.
36:08
[SPEAKER_00]: He's a three-year starter there.
36:09
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, they moved him around a ton.
36:12
[SPEAKER_00]: They just used him a lot in different ways.
36:14
[SPEAKER_00]: And I just, I really like that.
36:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, McNeil Warren is an interesting case for me because I kind of think the, you know, the small school situation is a blessing and a curse form where yes, I have a lot of, you know, respect for him staying put and being loyal to the program.
36:33
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that says a lot of that is character.
36:35
[SPEAKER_01]: I think as in evaluation, it does admittedly make it a little bit tougher to where, you know, it's like, okay, in the Mac, I mean, I love me some action, but respect, you know, respect for, right, the, you know, the level of physicalities and speed isn't quite what you see in the power for, especially like an SEC or big 10 big, you know, big 12 ACC, any of them.
37:05
[SPEAKER_01]: such a freak athlete at the Mac level.
37:08
[SPEAKER_01]: He can get away with it, but in the NFL, I don't know.
37:11
[SPEAKER_01]: So I do have him as my safety three as well.
37:15
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm a little bit lower.
37:16
[SPEAKER_01]: In that I don't have him on my in my top 30.
37:20
[SPEAKER_01]: I actually do never mind.
37:21
[SPEAKER_01]: I haven't 29th never mind.
37:23
[SPEAKER_01]: So a little bit lower.
37:25
[SPEAKER_01]: But you know, I think the versatility matches up incredibly well with what Dennis Allen wants.
37:31
[SPEAKER_01]: the physicality matches up there, the size, the wingspan, the playmaking ability.
37:37
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that the long speed is, it's okay.
37:41
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not the best that you'll see in the safety class who's near the bottom as far as 40 or dash performers go.
37:46
[SPEAKER_01]: But even then, this is a freakishly fast safety class.
37:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I can't put knock him too much.
37:52
[SPEAKER_01]: for what was it was still you know running in the like I think low mid four five's it's not bad it's just that you've got guys running in the four threes like it's nothing in the safety class this year and it makes it it knocks everything out of wax so I think Caleb downs would be another guy in that situation aware if he ran he wouldn't have had you know one of the fastest times of the 40 our dash and we see Caleb downs the consensus top guy in this class rightfully so
38:19
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think the tape weighs out over the 40 or dash with McNeil Warren.
38:24
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm maybe a tad bit lower than the consensus, but at the same time, I think he's a guy where you could argue we can go in the first round, I'd be completely okay with that.
38:33
[SPEAKER_00]: four, five, two, 40, he ran at the combine.
38:35
[SPEAKER_00]: So pretty close to what you said there.
38:37
[SPEAKER_00]: And I love that you pointed out, like the huge difference between a manual, McNeil Warren and Dylan Thineman is like Thineman, his eyes matches instincts whereas McNeil Warren was maybe getting away with some things because he's so athletic and a league that's not nearly as athletic.
38:53
[SPEAKER_00]: And so he might not have the same intelligence and reading plays the way that Thineman does.
39:00
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, who's number, I know we're number five is it's actually by saying number five.
39:03
[SPEAKER_00]: So go through another tackle, Guy, we haven't talked about, we talked about Kate and Proctor earlier in the show, what about Caleb low mood, left tackle for Utah?
39:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so I think out of my top five guys, this is probably the one that I'm a least confident is there are 25.
39:18
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, like I mentioned earlier in that, I just the nature of the position at offensive tackle and the way that this class is so top heavy and there's, you know, a little to no day to depth in this class, I think you could get a guy like low moon you're going in the top 20, but
39:35
[SPEAKER_01]: I think if he's there at 25, he's someone you have to consider.
39:38
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the he matches the athleticism aspect of what Ben Johnson typically likes and offensive linemen to a T. I mean, you're looking at a guy.
39:47
[SPEAKER_01]: He moves really well on tape the lateral quickness, the explosiveness, you know, climbing to the second level as a run blocker.
40:03
[SPEAKER_01]: uh that ten yards split is just under ninety second percentile for all offensive tackles according to the relative athletic score uh he's not the biggest guy in the world uh i don't he measured in at three thirteen of the combine he weighed six three thirteen six three thirteen sort of given
40:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it's nuts.
40:24
[SPEAKER_01]: And even then like I don't think he played at 313 at Utah this past year, I think part of it was he was trying to boost his numbers up a little bit.
40:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Agreed.
40:33
[SPEAKER_01]: So totally totally different type of player from Proctor from where I definitely think Proctor has the advantage in terms of the play strength and the nastiness, the ability to drive guys into the dirt.
40:44
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think Lowmoo, his hand placement is better.
40:48
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the agility is better.
40:49
[SPEAKER_01]: And the spatial awareness as well, I think in how he picks up blitzes and twists and stuff like that as a past protector and understanding his assignments as his own run block or I think would very, really well in Chicago.
41:04
[SPEAKER_01]: So really be there at 25, I have no idea.
41:06
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, like I said, I feel the least confident about him
41:09
[SPEAKER_01]: uh, being there out of my top five guys, uh, but I do think that he'd be if you're going to go deep offensive tackle, I think he's the best fit as far as like that tier two of prospects in this class at tackle.
41:24
[SPEAKER_00]: It's funny because I went super optimistic and I bet you for my list he's he's like the most likely to be there 25.
41:33
[SPEAKER_00]: the least likely at your list most likely at mine i went to proptivistic uh yeah i mean i i i had him on my list too because i was looking aside from proctor what other you know tackle prospects i like and lomo is a guy that i really like i mean
41:47
[SPEAKER_00]: Utah moved low mood of left tackle, we moved fanart of right tackle because of low mood at left tackle, six, six, three, and 15 pounds.
41:56
[SPEAKER_00]: I love his athleticism, and I think that's to your point where he's a huge differentiator from K to Proctor.
42:02
[SPEAKER_00]: When they got low mood out in space, I mean, he can move and move people.
42:07
[SPEAKER_00]: And when I look at what the bears do schematically,
42:10
[SPEAKER_00]: on offense.
42:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Like he fits that.
42:13
[SPEAKER_00]: A tackle that can really move and get out in space, you know, especially when you look at some of the things they were doing with their Lyme and that can move, you know, Darnell writes certainly one of them.
42:21
[SPEAKER_00]: And look, I think having too many good offensive Lyme is not a problem.
42:28
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, like ultimately, yes, I would love the bears to take a bunch of defensive players with all of their picks and they have not really invested a lot and their defense.
42:38
[SPEAKER_00]: In fact, one of the things that I wanted to mention on today's show was Warren Sharp, if you follow sharp football at all and if you don't, I encourage you to check them out.
42:48
[SPEAKER_00]: total draft capital spent on defensive players since 2020.
42:52
[SPEAKER_00]: And as you'd expect, the bears are next to last in the NFL, the Steelers, except actually shockingly, our lowest in terms of total draft capital spent on defensive players since 2020 bears are second.
43:07
[SPEAKER_00]: So the 31st league in that category.
43:26
[SPEAKER_00]: I think regardless of what they do at 25, if they go off ends or defense, this will still be a defense heavy draft.
43:33
[SPEAKER_00]: And wouldn't be surprised if when we do a deeper dive into, you know, the second and third day of this thing, you know, if Ryan polls does opt to trade down in a few spots in order to add more picks, especially, you know, picks the fifth and sixth rounds, you know, where the bears aren't selecting currently.
43:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean, I'd be a fan of that for sure.
43:55
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, we've talked about it to where I think the gap from what you'd get at 25 is very minimal to compare to what you'd get in the 30s or even the 40s in this class.
44:09
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you get and if you get a chance to really dig into the meat and potatoes, which is that day to range, get an extra third round pick or execute a pick swap move up from the fourth round into the third or you know, you can.
44:21
[SPEAKER_01]: we get real creative with it if you want to.
44:24
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think the more swings you have in that range, the better.
44:28
[SPEAKER_01]: And obviously, it's easier said than done to trade down in the NFL draft.
44:36
[SPEAKER_01]: But if Ty Simpson's there, you know, available at 25 and you see a team like, you know, the cardinals, the jets, I mean, probably not the dolphins, but I mean, hey, one of those teams that needs a
44:53
[SPEAKER_01]: who knows?
44:54
[SPEAKER_01]: I think anything can happen.
44:56
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a great point.
44:57
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, and remember, like teams, they'll get the extra year of control if he gets the first round.
45:03
[SPEAKER_00]: So there's incentive if teams want him to take him in the first round because they get that extra year of control, which is huge.
45:08
[SPEAKER_00]: That fifth year option is huge.
45:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, yeah.
45:11
[SPEAKER_00]: The last thing I'll say about Lomo is
45:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Like the damming part of it is the Texas Tech tape.
45:18
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, Lomu started a ton of games at Utah.
45:20
[SPEAKER_00]: He started 24 games at Laftac, what Utah.
45:23
[SPEAKER_00]: He faced some pretty good pass rosters, but against Texas Tech, who had NFL level ad rosters, David Bailey, certainly one of them, Ramello Heights, I mean, multiple players that could rush the pass or he struggled.
45:37
[SPEAKER_00]: That tape was not good.
45:38
[SPEAKER_00]: It was not very good.
45:40
[SPEAKER_00]: So.
45:41
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the one thing I'll learn when it's like, if you put on that Texas Tech tape, that's the closest you're ready to get to consistent NFL rushing, he's going to see and he didn't have them self that well.
45:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and, you know, unfortunately, I think that, you know, that's the case for a lot of the guys that David Bailey from Illinois went up against, but it was not so that defensive and you bring in Lee Hunter of the middle.
46:03
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, how do you block that true, but yeah, yeah, it's it's crazy.
46:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, still anytime I watch the Texas Tech defense, I'm like, she's, but anyway, I was that's your goal.
46:16
[SPEAKER_00]: It's Oregon and like, yeah, they got, they got.
46:18
[SPEAKER_00]: destroyed in that game, but like for a while, they're their defense was so dominant, even against Oregon's offensive line, like they're defensive lines specifically was keeping them in the game for a good stretch there, even though their quarterback was just miserable in that game.
46:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean, and that's saying a lot too, because you look at that offensive line.
46:35
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, a manual pregnant woman is probably going to go pretty early.
46:38
[SPEAKER_01]: I say a world get picked, Alex Harke is going to get picked.
46:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Like you're looking at multiple NFLers.
46:44
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's just guys for this year's draft, too.
46:46
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's to be able to, you know, put together the season that that defense of line had is just nuts and Ramello height.
46:55
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I can, I don't want to go too off tangent, but Ramello height.
46:58
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, he's small, he's undersized, but his tape is so much fun to watch.
47:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I mean, he's a past rushing specialist, but the dude got after it.
47:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I see the size, but like, I watched this dude get after the quarterback every week.
47:12
[SPEAKER_00]: So he figures out a way to get there, you know, but you're not drafting a guy that's legit, three down in Lyman.
47:18
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, he is not, he's not, Bailey to me is that, but height is not.
47:23
[SPEAKER_00]: But you're right, I mean, like Oregon, Texas Tech was like a legitimate offensive line, defensive line battle between two NFL offensive and defensive line.
47:31
[SPEAKER_00]: So it was a good gauge, I think if those players,
47:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Where do you have, where do you have him graded?
47:37
[SPEAKER_01]: So I have height right now as like a fringe, round three kind of guy.
47:42
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, because if you like you mentioned, I don't think he's a three-down guy in the NFL.
47:48
[SPEAKER_01]: I think he's going to have his struggles against power.
47:50
[SPEAKER_01]: It literally, maybe a little one-dimensional at the next level, but I think the speed is tremendous.
47:55
[SPEAKER_01]: The efforts tremendous.
47:56
[SPEAKER_01]: The finesse you've seen his hands is really
48:00
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think he's going to work as a traditional, you know, the set is hand at the dirt, set the edge type of defense.
48:06
[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, player, which, I mean, he's not going to be a great scheme fit for the bears for that reason, but I think there's going to be a team where, you know, maybe like a, you know, base three four sort of system where he just let him go after the passer.
48:20
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they can be really happy with their, with their investment in him for sure.
48:24
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to close out ripping on track in a moment, but for J2K designs and our chat here on YouTube and again, we're live streaming this on YouTube through the second city gridiron YouTube channel, make sure to subscribe and like the video, subscribe to the channel.
48:42
[SPEAKER_00]: J2K designs, I can read, how realistic is drafting cornerback Colton hood at 25?
48:51
[SPEAKER_01]: Colton hood is interesting.
48:52
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I wouldn't totally rule out a corner that early.
48:55
[SPEAKER_01]: I, I don't know.
48:56
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they have bigger needs than corner.
48:59
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, you know, defensive line defense event, safety.
49:02
[SPEAKER_01]: I think, you know, old tackle and offensive tackle and, you know, even center, even though you're not taking a center that early.
49:08
[SPEAKER_01]: But I don't hate the pure value with Colton Hood at all.
49:12
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I have them 38th on my board, but like I said, I don't think there's a massive drop off between guys who are getting 25 versus guys who are getting the 30s and 40s.
49:22
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a very, very narrow.
49:24
[SPEAKER_01]: gap, and that regard puts interesting to me because I see, you know, he's really good athlete and you see that, you know, he ran a four, four, four at, you know, in the 40 yard dash, and especially when he, you know, Jamad McCoy out this year, I think really put a spotlight on him and he really shined.
49:44
[SPEAKER_01]: The ball skills are there.
49:45
[SPEAKER_01]: I think he's got good speed.
49:46
[SPEAKER_01]: I think he's scrappy.
49:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Even if he's not the biggest corner in the world, I mean, he's, you know, a tad under six feet tall.
49:55
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the speed and the physicality are tailor-made for what the bears want for an outside corner back.
50:05
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's gonna be a position where I probably wouldn't take one super early.
50:11
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's gonna be more of a 2027 need.
50:14
[SPEAKER_01]: But if the values there,
50:17
[SPEAKER_01]: I wouldn't be totally shocked because Stevenson's entering the last year of his rookie deal as it stands right now.
50:23
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think you can sign him to be a long-term option in that starting line up.
50:28
[SPEAKER_01]: And you'll probably end up drafting a guy in 2027.
50:31
[SPEAKER_01]: But if you really do like hood, and I think he's a guy who's probably going to go on the first round, sure.
50:39
[SPEAKER_01]: Take a shot, you know?
50:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think I mentioned it earlier, not today, but in a previous episode here,
50:46
[SPEAKER_01]: When all the corners were healthy, especially outside corner, it was Jalen Johnson and Nishon Wright.
50:52
[SPEAKER_01]: And Tyreek Stevenson was on the bench.
50:55
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think that shows that Stevenson's not entrenched as a long-term starting guy by any means, where Nishon Wright wasn't even in the consideration when they signed him last off season.
51:05
[SPEAKER_00]: So, yeah.
51:06
[SPEAKER_00]: And he was very, even though it had a ton of interceptions, like, was limited and coverage.
51:11
[SPEAKER_00]: A big reason.
51:12
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna get back.
51:13
[SPEAKER_00]: So they went with him over Stevenson simply based on the turnover upside more than anything because, you know, right is limited.
51:22
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, there's a reason, you know, he was toiling on a, you know, a practice squad.
51:27
[SPEAKER_00]: I also think like there's an element of Al Harris that knows how to develop guys and I was how to create ball hockey corners.
51:33
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'd be curious to see who the nation right is on this year's team, because I think there will be another guy that fits a profile that Al Harris likes.
51:40
[SPEAKER_00]: He's got a history of it.
51:42
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm surprised he didn't get a bigger job, but happy for the bears that they were able to retain him.
51:47
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, speaking of former Dallas Cowboys, Troy Acme and was on with the longtime Cowboys Beer Porter and a friend of mine, Clarence Hill Jr. And basically his comment was,
52:03
[SPEAKER_00]: So he was talking about how the Cowboys never hired him.
52:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, and he does not like the Cowboys.
52:08
[SPEAKER_00]: When I used to do their pre-imposed game show, we used to love when tried to games because he would just constantly rip the Cowboys throughout the broadcast.
52:15
[SPEAKER_00]: And then we would play the clips after the game.
52:18
[SPEAKER_00]: It was always fun.
52:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Have it every time.
52:21
[SPEAKER_00]: So I mean, he's got a lot of drama with Jerry and it honestly like I'm not sure how you can make Jerry into a sympathetic figure, but Troy has managed to do it.
52:29
[SPEAKER_00]: He said so he works for the for the dolphins, which I think was news to most people.
52:36
[SPEAKER_00]: He said quote, I think the dolphins were wise and understanding my relationships around the league and knowing that I have information that they don't have or can't get.
52:44
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think they were smart and taking advantage of that, whether it was through me or through somebody else.
52:48
[SPEAKER_00]: The Cowboys have never elected to do that, at least with me, you know, maybe they have with others and quote.
52:53
[SPEAKER_00]: So I read this, and I'm curious if you do too, as Troy Ikbin, who's in meetings during the week for Monday Night Football, getting information from teams that are in the Monday Football game, and then going back to the Dolphins and sharing that information, is that like, is that how you're reading that?
53:14
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, maybe I don't know.
53:17
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know, eight men, like I think that's the best.
53:20
[SPEAKER_00]: He's trying to call it quarterback expertise, his knowledge of the league, it's,
53:25
[SPEAKER_00]: But to me, this point's back to the Caleb Williams Troy, Eggman drama from the season when Caleb wouldn't meet with Troy, and maybe he wouldn't meet with Troy, because he heard that Troy shares information.
53:38
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I mean, there's gotta be some sort of protocol against that, right?
53:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, yeah.
53:46
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
53:49
[SPEAKER_00]: You should not do that.
53:50
[SPEAKER_00]: You are as a broadcast, you're getting access to information that teams covet, of course they do.
53:58
[SPEAKER_00]: But they're sharing the information with you for the sake of the broadcast and not for the sake of using against them.
54:04
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the part to me that.
54:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and it's interesting too that, you know, he mentions the dolphins specifically.
54:12
[SPEAKER_01]: That's, you know, that's the team that got their first round pick taken away from them with the tampering.
54:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Great.
54:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, it was that two, three years ago now, something like that.
54:20
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it's before.
54:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
54:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
54:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Interesting.
54:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
54:24
[SPEAKER_01]: That's not.
54:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
54:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
54:27
[SPEAKER_00]: And I mean, you know, we've talked about this with Brady, you know, it's a similar dynamic, but clearly there was a relationship between Brady and Caleb that's different than the relationship between Brady and
54:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Troy and like it was fun at the end of the year when it felt like Brady was on all the bears broadcasts.
54:45
[SPEAKER_00]: I was in a huge fan of Tom Brady year one, but I thought he was much better this past year.
54:49
[SPEAKER_00]: And like he was very complimentary of Caleb in a way that Troy again was not.
54:54
[SPEAKER_00]: But you know, maybe that's because Caleb is trying information with Brady and not with Troy.
55:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I don't know.
55:03
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know.
55:03
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm just any time I hear Troy equipment in the news now.
55:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I
55:08
[SPEAKER_01]: automatically.
55:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I just dive into like dude.
55:13
[SPEAKER_01]: When I heard him just like for lack of a better word, clapping on Caleb Williams, for not meeting with him, I'm like, I don't know.
55:23
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know.
55:24
[SPEAKER_01]: It gives me a headache just thinking about that.
55:26
[SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, now my night is ruined.
55:31
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not blaming you.
55:32
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not blaming you.
55:32
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm blaming Troy.
55:33
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not this one.
55:34
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, no totally.
55:35
[SPEAKER_00]: All right.
55:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Before we get out hard.
55:37
[SPEAKER_00]: How we want you to answer his question.
55:38
[SPEAKER_00]: So how he's got a question here.
55:40
[SPEAKER_00]: You can see on screen our 25 and 5740 Miami's 30 and 43 or our
55:56
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm assuming he means 25 because the math wouldn't, the math wouldn't add up if it's the fifth round or for that, like that just, you know, that doesn't work.
56:07
[SPEAKER_01]: So let's see, so you're moving back, eight spots, but you're also you're moving up 16 in the second round and you're moving up 26 in the fourth,
56:26
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I take that one.
56:28
[SPEAKER_01]: I take that one from the jets, honestly.
56:29
[SPEAKER_01]: I moved to 33, go from 60 to 44, and then, you know, 1.29 to 103.
56:37
[SPEAKER_01]: If something like that were to come up, the jets do have two second round picks.
56:42
[SPEAKER_01]: And the bears have two second round picks.
56:44
[SPEAKER_01]: You can use that as an opportunity, not just to move up in the second round, but also in the fourth or the third or whatever, you know, to increase your draft capital.
56:54
[SPEAKER_01]: I know we were talking about potential Tyson's and trades.
56:58
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the jets are one of those teams where I could certainly see them moving up.
57:02
[SPEAKER_01]: The Cardinals too, like I've mentioned, but I think that they're kind of in a similar situation to where the giants were last year, at quarterback to where you have Jacobi Bersett, you have Gardner Menshu, two veterans, you know,
57:16
[SPEAKER_01]: good backups, but I don't necessarily, no one's, I don't think anyone's buying them as long-term options.
57:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Kind of similar to what the giants have with Russell Wilson and James Winston last year.
57:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Say if you trade up and you, you know, move to, you know, they want to move into the first round.
57:33
[SPEAKER_01]: I think 25 would be a great opportunity for the bears to do so because they have, you know, you can get an opportunity to, like, especially with that fourth round pick in, you know, how he's
57:46
[SPEAKER_01]: go from $129 to $103, like you're getting really close to that sweet spot of the draft and then from $60 to $44, there's a chance where in this scenario you could get two guys that you consider at $25.
58:04
[SPEAKER_01]: And thinking about it with what I was saying with the small gap between $25 and then the $30 and $40 of this class.
58:11
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'd take that for sure if they offered it.
58:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Awesome.
58:14
[SPEAKER_00]: How we asked down their question, but we're going to save it for next week because next week we're going to be doing a deep dive on days two and three because I think there's three there's three obvious options you can stay with your current picks you could trade up or trade down and you know so I think what we'll do next week is kind of talk through all those scenarios kind of a deep dive if you will on the seven pick blueprint.
58:36
[SPEAKER_00]: how the bear should build days two and day three.
58:38
[SPEAKER_00]: But thank you for joining us on today's show.
58:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, this is Chicago draft room, 2026 on the clock.
58:44
[SPEAKER_00]: We are two weeks away, two weeks from tonight.
58:47
[SPEAKER_00]: We have the 2026 first round of the NFL draft.
58:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, follow along here on the second city grid iron page, whether that's on YouTube, subscribe and like.
58:57
[SPEAKER_00]: And of course, in the podcast page, as well, make sure to check out all the great podcasts that you can find across the podcast feed
59:06
[SPEAKER_00]: And of course, make sure to follow Wendy City Gridiron.
59:08
[SPEAKER_00]: And check out other great work that Jacob and the great writers do at WendyCityGridiron.com.
59:13
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, we are back next week, a week away from the draft, but for now, we are out, peace.