Bears draft receives critique by NFL execs

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CGI_Ram

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http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/h...aying-about-the-bears-draft-and-its-not-good/

The beauty of the draft is in the eye of the beholder. It will take years for these players to succeed or falter and the true outcome of which teams got it right and which ones struck out is impossible to know right now.

But that hasn't stopped evaluators and decision-makers around the NFL from whispering about what they liked and what they didn't like. And no team is being met with more scrutiny than the Bears. It's not a revelation that things are not great between young GM Ryan Pace and old-school head coach John Fox. I've been reporting and commenting on it since before last season. But it is reaching a nadir and the puzzling decision to give up a ransom to move up one spot and take QB Mitchell Trubisky, who would have been sitting there at pick No. 3 anyway, is just one of several decisions that has others questioning the longevity of this regime in Chicago.

"We don't know what the hell they were doing," said an executive from one team that is routinely in the postseason. "It's all anyone is talking about. It's really bad between Pace and Fox. Fox is fuming about being left in the dark on the trade (for Trubisky). I don't know anyone who likes their draft. From the first pick on, we can't figure out what they were doing. Go back and look at how many small-school kids they took. People around the league are shocked. It's really bad between Pace and Fox."

An executive from another team noted: "Either the Bears know something no one else in the league knows, or that draft just got a lot of people fired only they don't know it yet."

The Trubisky pick will tell the tale of this franchise moving forward. And it remains to be seen whether or not this old-school ownership group would blow everything up again in 2018 or not (front office and coaching staff), but few groups will go into this season under more scrutiny. The Bears had just five picks in total after trades, and selected players from Ashland University, North Carolina A&T and Kutztown to go with Trubisky and an injured safety from Alabama, despite having glaring holes all over the roster.

Oh, and don't forget they gave Mike Glennon $18.5M to play quarterback for them this season. Perhaps the Bears will prove the skeptics and critics wrong, but if they don't, there is almost certain to be a significant shakeup there come January. If Pace does get to hire another head coach next year, I expect you hear plenty about longtime Saints assistant Pete Carmichael, who he worked with in New Orleans, and highly-regarded Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald. Most assume Fitzgerald will never leave that program, but the Bears might well try to coerce him should they suffer another poor campaign -- as my man Brady Quinn astutely pointed out during our draft live show over the weekend.
 

shaunpinney

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That move up in the 1st was such a weird thing - and people questioned some of the trades done in the ROD Mock draft!

BUT, if Trubisky becomes a stud franchise QB - will anyone remember or question the trade - I think not...
 

CGI_Ram

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  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
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BUT, if Trubisky becomes a stud franchise QB - will anyone remember or question the trade - I think not...

That's it, right there.

It all hinges on Trubisky.
 

HeiseNBerg

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But it is reaching a nadir and the puzzling decision to give up a ransom to move up one spot and take QB Mitchell Trubisky, who would have been sitting there at pick No. 3 anyway, is just one of several decisions that has others questioning the longevity of this regime in Chicago.

That's quite an assumption by La Canfora that Trubisky still would have been there at #3. San Francisco was fielding calls to trade out of that #2 spot -- whichever team came with the best offer was going to take Trubisky. Maybe the interest level for that #2 pick wasn't as hot as the 9ers advertised, but the Bears committed (and over-compensated) to land that draft slot and get their guy.

Frankly, I thought the bigger draft blunder was the Chiefs trading up from the high 20's to the #10 spot to take Mahomes -- how come nobody's giving Andy Reid a raft of shit over that one?!?
 

LumberTubs

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That's quite an assumption by La Canfora that Trubisky still would have been there at #3. San Francisco was fielding calls to trade out of that #2 spot -- whichever team came with the best offer was going to take Trubisky.

Yep, Ian Rapaport has confirmed since the draft that the niners weren't making it up when they said there were offers on the table from other teams. We'll never know how the Bears offer looked in comparison to those other offers.

Lynch is getting a lot of love for that move down one spot but it was a no brainer and even I could have engineered the same outcome if I'd been in his position.
 

rdlkgliders

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I can think of another team that used a lot of draft stock on small college players as well. Generally you may find one but to find more than that is long oddds. The Bears draft seemed very disorganized.
 

Elmgrovegnome

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Lynch is a popular guy. All the media is rushing to suck his ... They love the- great player turned great GM- storyline. It is too early to be kissing his ass and bowing down.

If Trubiskey was the Bears guy, then Pace did well landing him. He may have given up what he had to give up to get him. Criticizing the small school picks is just dumb. Khalil Mack, Andre Reed, Jahri Evans, are just a few small school guys that starred in the league. Jimmy Johnson built a Super Bowl team full of small school talent. The pick from Ashland was Adam Shaheen. He was highly regarded and some pundits claim that a few NFL people think he could be the best TE in the league, eventually.

LaClownfora does it once again. He proves that is one of the worst in the business. He and other clowns like Prisco should pile into a clown car and drive off for good.
 

Memphis Ram

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I don't know. San Francisco may have been fielding some calls, but I find it hard to believe that anyone else wanted to jump ahead of the Bears up to #2 for Trubisky. Doubtful anyone thought the Bears would go QB after signing Glennon. Those call were probably for other players.
 

Elmgrovegnome

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I don't know. San Francisco may have been fielding some calls, but I find it hard to believe that anyone else wanted to jump ahead of the Bears up to #2 for Trubisky. Doubtful anyone thought the Bears would go QB after signing Glennon. Those call were probably for other players.

All it takes is one team to compete for that spot. Never undervalue the power of the QB in the draft. If three teams thought Trubiskey was the top QB then they all wanted that spot.
 

HeiseNBerg

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I don't know. San Francisco may have been fielding some calls, but I find it hard to believe that anyone else wanted to jump ahead of the Bears up to #2 for Trubisky. Doubtful anyone thought the Bears would go QB after signing Glennon. Those call were probably for other players.

I thought I heard that the Jets, who definitely could use an upgrade at QB, were one of those other teams trying to make a deal with the 9ers. And that's all it takes, really -- a perceived threat of another team poaching the guy you want.

(damn you, Gnome -- you beat me by a minute)
 

DaveFan'51

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"Either the Bears know something no one else in the league knows, or that draft just got a lot of people fired only they don't know it yet."
Personally, I would bet This^ is the case!!(y);):snicker: I would "Fire" the GM to start with!!:cheers:
 

Merlin

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What's funny in all this is I don't think moving up one spot to get the QB you want is the problem. The problem is the front office and the head coach are not on the same page, and whenever that happens the end result is not going to be good.
 

LACHAMP46

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Seems strange....only 12 college starts. I like Mitch...but I wouldn't trade up for his type of production.
I thought the bigger draft blunder was the Chiefs trading up from the high 20's to the #10 spot to take Mahomes -- how come nobody's giving Andy Reid a raft of crap over that one?!?
Andy Reid did the same with Donovan McNabb...aka QB whisperer...so he's given the benefit of the doubt....And he has a QB in place that isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
 

DaveFan'51

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I personally wouldn't have traded up for either Mahomes or Mitch for any reason. Both need to sit on the Bench for a bit, so why waste the Draft capital!!?!
 

RamDino

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With the draft "success" rate at around 50%, why the hell would anyone give up all those picks to move up one spot. Sometimes it's best to wait and see what falls to you and stop trying to be the smartest guy in the room. It rarely works out. See Tavon Austin, Bobby Wagner, Aaron Donald (fell to them), Lamarcus Joyner (I like him but I wouldn't have traded up), etc, etc. I just wish that Bears GM would have taken the San Francisco job!
 

Memphis Ram

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I get that all it takes is one team, but the kid has only had 12 college starts. And teams selecting lower would have had to have given up FAR MORE compensation to move up the #2 for such an inexperienced player. If we think the Bears are getting roasted, imagine what would have happen if someone like the Jets or Browns moved all the way up to #2 for this kid.
:fuelfire:
 

FaulkSF

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Frankly, I thought the bigger draft blunder was the Chiefs trading up from the high 20's to the #10 spot to take Mahomes -- how come nobody's giving Andy Reid a raft of crap over that one?!?
Agreed WW. Why would you make that trade for Ryan Mallett v2.0? Dude has incredible arm strength good mobility, but his accuracy and decision making needs improvement.
 

Merlin

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Trubitsky has some strengths. His film has encouraging signs like him progressing through reads and he can make the throws. Dude needs work but the talent is there and if he has to be thrown into the job he is the most likely of this bunch to be able to handle it. All four of the top QBs taken were reaches IMO, supply and demand it is what it is.

All that aside I remain glad that the Rams took Goff last year. Hopefully it's going to pay off real soon here too.