Lachavious Simmons Scouting Report

Lachavious Simmons was the Bears last pick in the draft, picked immediately after fellow offensive lineman, Arlington Hambright, and the debate immediately started. Which offensive lineman has the better name? I think Lachavious Simmons, but I do have to give the edge to Hambright, and I think that's how the Bears decided on who to draft first with their back-to-back picks.

I'll be honest, I didn't catch a ton of Tennessee State this season, so I wasn't sure what Simmons brought to the table. A Bears scout made the laziest comparison ever when he said he could be like fellow Tennessee State graduate, Richard Dent. I guess that means that his play will lead to a lot of sacks? I decided that I needed to do my own scouting and took a look at the tape.

Simmons moves very well and totally overwhelms defenders.

Here, he makes a strong move off the snap to get to the nose tackle and uses his angle to plant the defender into the ground.

He definitely has some pop in his blocking.

Not only does he give a good help block on the nose tackle, but he still has enough to get off that block and give a good pop to the linebacker without the benefit of building up any steam.

On the downside, I will never not laugh when I see a highlight video where the guy gets beaten badly.

He cannot play tackle as he simply does not have the physical tools to handle legitimate edge rushers. He gets blown by here and just barely gives him enough of a shove to keep him from getting to the quarterback. This is not a pancake, this is desperation, so he should probably stick to the interior if he wants to carve out a role in the NFL.

Overall, he's a seventh round pick out of a small school so there's a lot of rawness to his game. He definitely shows some intriguing physical tools, and if he can develop quickly in training camp he could make the roster and hopefully turn into a passable starter down the road. Offensive line depth is never a bad thing to have, so here's to hoping Lachavious can make an impact for the Bears.

Previous Chicago Bears 2020 Draft Profiles
2nd Round - Cole Kmet - Tight End - Notre Dame
Undrafted - Ahmad Wagner - Tight End / Power Forward - Kentucky / Iowa
2nd Round - Jaylon Johnson - Cornerback - Utah
5th Round - Trevis Gipson - Edge Rusher - Tulsa
5th Round - Kindle Vildor - Cornerback - Georgia Southern
5th Round - Darnell Mooney - Wide Receiver - Tulane
7th Round - Arlington Hambright - Offensive Guard - Colorado

Darnell Full Mooney Scouting Report

Darnell Mooney probably isn't the best prospect that the Bears acquired in the 2020 NFL Draft, but he might be the most exciting. During his junior season, he ended up with 993 yards on just 48 catches, averaging 20.7 yards per catch. For his career at Tulane, he was still at an incredibly impressive 16.7 yards per catch. That speed is for real as he showed at the combine.

That 4.38 time is very nice and he did very well in the vertical and broad jump as well. He's not a big guy at just 5'10" and 176 pounds, but he does have large hands to help him make catches in traffic. So let's see how that translated to the field by looking at his game against Florida International last season.

I love the footwork at the beginning of this play to immediately make the corner play catch up in his coverage.

The cornerback never has a chance to make any sort of play on the ball after getting turned around at the line of scrimmage. Mooney then makes a good adjustment on the ball and uses good technique to complete the catch.

Adjustments on the ball were not an area where I expected a small speedster to shine, but he does a great job of tracking the ball on this touchdown catch.

He has the defender beat deep, but the ball is underthrown, and he not only adjusts to the ball, but attacks the ball out of the air at the high point to make the catch. Even if the defender had better coverage, it is going to be very tough to stop a receiver who can do that down the field. I'm not saying he's Steve Smith, but the above catch is a very Steve Smith looking play.

He needs to do a bit of refinement on his route running, but he does have some fancy footwork off the line of scrimmage to help him with that. He also was at least a willing blocker, even if it wasn't a strength of his.

For a late fifth round pick, this is tremendous value. He's fast, and he can catch; that already makes him more appealing to me than KJ Hamler who was a second rounder. He can stretch defenses and can at least fill part of the role that Taylor Gabriel has had the last few years. I am very excited to see him in a Bears uniform this season.

Previous Chicago Bears 2020 Draft Profiles
2nd Round - Cole Kmet - Tight End - Notre Dame
Undrafted - Ahmad Wagner - Tight End / Power Forward - Kentucky / Iowa
2nd Round - Jaylon Johnson - Cornerback - Utah
5th Round - Trevis Gipson - Edge Rusher - Tulsa
5th Round - Kindle Vildor - Cornerback - Georgia Southern
5th Round - Darnell Mooney - Wide Receiver - Tulane

Can Kindle Vildor Read a Quarterback's Eyes?

Kindle Vildor was the Bears second of three fifth round draft picks. A 5'10" corner out of Georgia Southern, you may be shocked to learn that I knew very little about him before his selection. Still, he has a very intriguing athletic profile.

Only 5'10" but very long arms and big hands. He ran 4.44 40-yard dash and showed incredible strength and explosiveness with his bench press and vertical and broad jumps. Those are all very positive, but it also appears as if he does not have any ability to change directions as shown by his 3-cone and short shuttle.

Statistically, nothing stands out as he managed nine interceptions over his three years as a starter. Not bad, but nothing special. So it was time to check out his game against LSU to get a better idea of him as a prospect.

On the negative side, he gets beat fairly easily on this touchdown catch.

From his reaction, he may have thought he had help over the middle of the field, but it may have just been that his team was going down 42-3, and it wasn't yet halftime.

Um, and that was really about it. That's actually good news. LSU just didn't try to attack him. He did get a pass interference call against him when he got a tad overzealous near the end zone, but that wasn't too worrisome. When it came down to LSU attacking, they looked at other places rather than going at Vildor which is about as good of a compliment as a guy can get.

Overall, I think there are some interesting athletic traits that he showed at the combine, but for a shorter corner, his lack of agility in changing directions will likely be a major hindrance to his success and is probably the big reason that he was available in the fifth round.

Previous Chicago Bears 2020 Draft Profiles
2nd Round - Cole Kmet - Tight End - Notre Dame
Undrafted - Ahmad Wagner - Tight End / Power Forward - Kentucky / Iowa
2nd Round - Jaylon Johnson - Cornerback - Utah
5th Round - Trevis Gipson - Edge Rusher - Tulsa
5th Round - Kindle Vildor - Cornerback - Georgia Southern

XFAlpha Podcast Notes - NFL Draft - Deep Dive Into NFC North

The NFL Draft happened, and considering the XFL disbanded, this is where we might be making that cheddar for the near future. We are going to break it down division-by-division, and considering I am a Bears fan and Jonah stans for the Vikings, we started with the NFC North. There may not be a deeper dive out there.

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NFL Draft - things that stood out?

NFC North Breakdown

Vikings did great

Justin Jefferson was a good get.

A lot of buzz for Jeff Gladney leading up to things.

Ezra Cleveland fell to them when Trent Williams said he would rather have undiagnosed tumors than play in Minnesota.

Cameron Dantzler - Tall and slow.

Kenny Willekes can play. He’s a guy to really watch out for

Nate Stanley, the master of the quarterback sneak, is a strong-armed version of Kirk Cousins. Inconsistent, not mobile, and instead of not beating good teams, he just falls apart against anyone on the road.

But your undrafted free agents SUCKED.

Lions had a draft

Jeff Okudah is a stud. 

D’Andre Swift doesn’t move the needle for me a ton. I think he’s a slight improvement but probably bigger that he can hopefully stay healthier than Kerryon Johnson.

Julian Okwara is too small to hold up at defensive end and wasn’t all that speical in college.

I like Jonah Jackson as a guard prospect.

Great job getting Hunter Bryant as an undrafted free agent as he’ll make a nice #2 tight end. Not athletic enough to be anything more.

Packers were terrible

I was a huge fan of Jordan Love, but it’s a slap in the face to use a first round pick on quarterback with Rodgers there. This draft got them no closer to a Super Bowl.

AJ Dillon is a battering ram, but he’s not a threat at catching the ball, so it’s quite a price to pay for a short-yardage back.

Josiah Deguara was a huge reach and baffling they didn’t take Adam Trautman.

Jon Runyan has the genetics that Jonah loves.

Undrafted - Marc-Antoine Dequoy, out of Montreal, allegedly ran a 4.36 with a cold.

Bears are questionable

Cole Kmet and Jaylon Johnson were safe picks with limited upside. I’d have been more excited with Chase Claypool or Albert O way later.

Trevis Gipson has some good length and wasn’t used properly at Tulsa, could be a rotational pass rusher.

Watch out for Darnell Mooney out of Tulane, short and fast - 2018 he had nearly 1000 yards on only 48 catches.

Arlington Hambright and Lachavious Simmons

Ledarius Mack - Khalil Mack’s little brother

Ahmad Wagner - 11 pass interference calls on 43 targets. He still needs to grow into tight end but only one year of college football experience after being a bruiser power forward at 6’5” for Iowa.

Jonah States 6-10

Can Jaylon Johnson Shut Down NFL Opponents?

Jaylon Johnson was the Chicago Bears second of two second-round picks at #50 overall. A shutdown corner for Utah, he played through a torn labrum for all of last season which definitely gives credit to his toughness although it does add an injury concern. He had four interceptions his sophomore year, but that dropped to two this past season which is probably partly due to the labrum and partly due to teams targeting other areas of the field to avoid Johnson. I took a look at his game against Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship to see how he did against the sixth pick in the NFL Draft, Justin Herbert.

Before we get into the film, I took a look at how he tested a the combine, and he definitely didn't boost his stock at the combine, as he is extremely average athletically.

Nothing stands out. About the best you can hope for is the torn labrum made it difficult to train for the combine like he may have wanted. I wouldn't say any of this is a red flag, but there is a whole lot of yellow flags with unimpressive athletic numbers.

Here, he is in off-coverage but reads the play and closes quickly to break up the play.

Even with the torn labrum, physicality was not an issue for him from what I saw.

He has great physicality in coverage as he makes receivers work for separation.

Something that I couldn't see with my eyes directly but was evident is he covers towards the boundary very well. There were multiple times where Herbert was looking to go down the sideline to his receiver but had to check down as he clearly saw nothing going on towards Johnson's side of the field.

Johnson is a guy who belongs in a zone scheme as I do think the lack of athleticism will hurt him if he is forced to play straight-man coverage the majority of the time. This pick has me slightly more excited than Kmet, but I wasn't totally wowed. I totally understand that he might be able to shine more with two working shoulders, but that's no guarantee. What I do like is this is a guy who has a skill-set that will allow him to become an immediate competent starter. I don't see Pro Bowl potential, but I don't see much dropoff from Prince Amukamara which makes this a huge win for the Bears.

Previous Chicago Bears 2020 Draft Profiles
2nd Round - Cole Kmet - Tight End - Notre Dame
Undrafted - Ahmad Wagner - Tight End / Power Forward - Kentucky / Iowa
2nd Round - Jaylon Johnson - Cornerback - Utah

Cole Kmet Could Be The Chicago Bears Kyle Rudolph

Remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned the Bears have a fear of missing out? Cole Kmet is yet another talking point with this issue. For three out of four offseason of the current regime, the Bears simply couldn't wait to fill a need so they signed someone in free agency. They followed this up by immediately taking someone at that position with their very first pick. In 2017, the Bears just had to have Mike Glennon...before trading up to draft Mitchell Trubisky. Last year, they just had to have Mike Davis to shore up their running game...before trading up to draft David Montgomery. And this year, they just had to have Jimmy Graham, but at least they didn't trade up to draft Notre Dame tight end, Cole Kmet. This is not a knock on Kmet. It's just another knock on the Bears approach to free agency that has yielded Allen Robinson...and well, at least we got Allen Robinson.

Now about Kmet, he was the consensus top tight end in this draft class, and I was probably 80% sure the Bears were drafting him when he was still there with their 43rd pick. Despite the addition of Graham, along with eight others on the roster, tight end remained a need for the team. Considering he was also from Notre Dame, which the Bears absolutely LOVE, it was a no-brainer. I wanted to take a deeper dive into his game by looking at his performance against Georgia to see if he could handle SEC SPEED.

Before we get into the film, let's look at his combine. Looking at his athleticism, there is a lot to like with Kmet.

The Bears love big tight ends, and at 6'6" and 262 pounds, Kmet fits the bill. He also shows great explosiveness in both his broad and vertical jumps with a very good 40 time of 4.7 seconds. I know that the 3-cone and short shuttle may be a concern, but those concerns may be overblown as here is a second round tight end that overcame similar issues.

If Kmet ends up as the next Rob Gronkowski, I think most Bears fans would be okay with that.

As for the on-field play, his size shows up immediately as he is not easy to bring down.

Even after bouncing after the corner's tackle attempt, it takes multiple Georgia defenders to bring him down.

Despite his impressive size, he whiffed on a lot of blocks in the game I saw. He seemed hesitant on a lot of plays and would shuffle his feet instead of finding a defender to put a hit on.

He does have good hands, but you also have to question his selfish behavior.

He clearly steals this touchdown from the wide receiver behind him that this ball was intended for. Does he have an issue with short people? I don't know, but I would at least mark it down as a character concern. Still, this is an impressive catch and shows his strong hands and the ability to adjust to throws that are not ideal, a skill he'll have plenty of chances to utilize in Chicago.

One last issue I had was his lack of effort on plays. He'd just kind of go through the motions instead of really hustling and trying to make a play. It was especially evident when his quarterback scrambled to find time, but he'd just keep dragging along the field instead of making cuts back to his quaterback to try to give him an outlet.

Cole Kmet is not an desirable pick; he's a viable pick. He is a second round pick that can provide second round value. He is a high floor, low ceiling player. He's not an elite athlete like George Kittle or Travis Kelce, but he's an old school tight end who can take up space, use his body in the red zone, and give your quarterback a viable target. So the Bears have something between Scott Chandler (floor) and fellow Notre Dame alum, Kyle Rudolph (ceiling). That's not a game changer, but if he reaches that ceiling, Bears fans will still be ecstatic.

The Chicago Bears Have FOMO

After another disappointing beginning to the offseason, I was at my wit’s end with the Chicago Bears. I just didn’t know why they did the things they did as it is so frustratingly stupid that I should expect it by now, but yet it never ceases to amaze me. I finally realized that the Chicago Bears issue is that they have a serious case of FOMO (fear of missing out). That is the only way to explain how they run their front office.

They find a player they are interested in and instead of recognizing flaws and positional needs of other organizations, they go in thinking that 31 teams are thinking exactly the same thing they are. This causes panic, and it leads to absolutely awful decisions. When you think that everyone is thinking like you, there is no way to have patience, and this has led to so many issues. But they have one goal, get a guy now, by any means necessary, to avoid having to worry about getting a guy later. Now that guy could be worse at times, but patience could sometimes (often, in fact) lead to getting a better guy later on.

The most egregious example is trading up from #3 to #2 to draft Mitchell Trubisky. I have been on record that I did not mind taking Trubisky as I loved him coming out of college and still believe that he will bounce back this coming season. But trading multiple picks to move up one spot when Trubisky was not the consensus top quarterback was insane. Those two third round picks the Bears gave up turned into Alvin Kamara and Fred Warner.

To regain some draft capital, the Bears traded down in the second round, causing them to miss out on talent like Dalvin Cook and Curtis Samuel. Right before the Bears were set to select, the Rams took Gerald Everett. No telling whether this caused the Bears to panic and take Adam Shaheen with the next pick. It’s not like patience could have helped, oh, except for George Kittle going in the fifth round.

I will admit that looking back on a draft and judging things is unfair, especially one where the Bears snagged Eddie Jackson and Tarik Cohen in later rounds, but let’s remember that offseason. The Bears were going into 2017 with no clear quarterback so they signed Mike Glennon to a 3-year, $45 million deal with $18.5 million guaranteed. Why did they need to rush out and sign Mike Glennon? I don’t think anybody on Earth can explain that one, but they bid against themselves for the honor of bringing on Glennon. He was released after one year.

Oh, and don’t worry, the Bears definitely didn’t learn their lesson as they signed Mike Davis last offseason for two years and $6 million because they just had to have a running back to pair with Tarik Cohen. No offense to Mike Davis, but running backs grow from trees in the NFL. They later traded up to draft David Montgomery and Mike Davis didn’t even last an entire season before being released.

Finally, we get to this offseason. Let’s start with the mildly positives. I like Robert Quinn, and you probably think that his 11.5 sack performance last year is a reason to be excited. That’s nice and all, but Quinn was also a state champion wrestler in high school, and I will always support wrestlers, especially along the lines. Would I have rather had Vic Beasley on a one-year deal? Sure, but that’s nitpicking as pass rushers are something that I am fine paying for, because those guys pay off.

Now things go downhill. Jimmy Graham? Seriously? He’s had one productive year in the last five seasons and that was 2016. He did score 10 TDs in 2017, but considering he barely had 500 yards, it’s tough for me to get excited about that. Jimmy Graham used to be awesome, but unless the Bears can rewind time to 2014, this is asinine. He will compete with the other NINE tight ends on the roster.

And now, the main event. The Nick Foles trade. I mean, I shouldn’t be surprised by this, but there is no way to not be surprised by this. I understand that the Bears wanted to bring in competition for Mitch Trubisky, but there were plenty of reasonable options available. Also, the Jaguars were DESPERATE to get out from under Foles’s terrible contract. Everyone in the world would have assumed that the Jaguars would include a pick just to get Foles off the team, and yet the Bears, negotiating against themselves, managed to give the Jaguars a fourth round pick. It’s fucking insane. And it doesn’t help that Nick Foles sucks, if they really wanted to give up a pick, they could have probably had Cam Newton for a fourth rounder, or they could have gotten Jameis Winston on a one-year deal for the money they are paying Foles. There was just absolutely no reason to pull this dumbass shit, and yet the Bears NEEDED to get a quarterback as soon as possible. It’s so shockingly stupid, yet still right in line with what the Bears always do.

So now they head into the season with major issues at offensive line, tight end, inside linebacker, and half the secondary. The Bears have two second-round picks and then don’t pick again until the fifth round. An extra fourth round pick would be pretty damn valuable for a team in that situation. Unfortunately, Bears fans will never know what could have been.

The Bears let their fear of missing out hurt them yet again in the long run. I guess it’s good they don’t have to worry about missing out; instead they can worry about missing the playoffs.

What The Chicago Bears Need To Do In Free Agency

The Bears head into the 2020 offseason coming off a very disappointing year that saw them fall from playoff team to non-contender, and the guy they hoped would be their franchise quarterback took a massive step backwards and basically took a massive dump on the field as Mitch Trubisky was just terrible. I still love Mitch, and I have made that very clear on this website, so my free agent plans do not include a quarterback, not that the Bears have enough money to get one anyway.

In fact, the Bears have such little money that we first need to focus on finding more cap space. The easy one is Kyle Long retired, so his money is no longer tied up. After that, I feel like Trey Burton is a pretty obvious cut. I think the only obvious other cut would be Buster Skrine. According to Over The Cap, that puts them at just under $13 million which still ain’t much, but it’s something. They also released Prince Amukamara and Taylor Gabriel which definitely adds to the breathing room but also leaves two more holes on the roster. I think they have to go with somebody in free agency for the former but probably address the latter in the draft.

The good news for the Bears is they don’t have many holes to fill. They obviously need a guard, tight end, and slot corner, but outside of that, they are only losing Clinton-Dix at safety and Trevathan at middle linebacker where they can probably depend on Nick Kwitakoski to take that spot over.

With that limited cap space, they probably are going to have to look to the draft to fill some of those holes, but I do think they have enough wiggle room to strengthen the team in the free agent market. Here are the guys I would target for the Chicago Bears.

First off, they should bring Greg Olsen home. He was originally drafted by the Bears but then traded for nothing because he didn’t fit into Mike Martz’s scheme. That is probably more of an indictment of the scheme than of the player as Greg Olsen has been and still is awesome. (Note: I wrote this weeks ago but didn't find the right time to publish it, so not great by me)

Uh, I heard Jordan Reed might be available. If he's healthy, that could be just what the Bears need. Tyler Eifert would be in the same boat. Neither guy has much of a chance of being healthy the whole year, but IF they do manage to stay healthy, it could be a hell of a deal for the Bears.

The next guy to target is Austin Blythe, because unfortunately, Brandon Scherff ain’t gonna happen with this limited cap space, and the Bears still need as many Iowa boys as possible along the line. Put a Whitehair in the middle of two Hawkeyes and you’ve got yourself a nice little interior line.

For that corner hole that they have, the choice is obvious. I have an obsession with brothers, especially when they play with each other. If the Bears united Kyle and Kendall Fuller as their starting corners, they probably won't give up a passing touchdown all season long. It will be fantastic.

And that’s it. They can make some late moves with guys that fall through the cracks, but they just don’t have the resources to be aggressive in in free agency. The Bears have to draft well. They may not have a first rounder, but luckily for them, the positions they are looking to fill are not premium positions. The biggest necessity is help in the secondary. Geno Stone in the fifth round sounds mighty enticing to me. Their tackles are still below average, but all the Bears can do is pray somebody falls to them. Hopefully Tristan Wirfs gets caught with a gas mask bong before the draft?

I Still Believe in Mitch Trubisky

I was in love with Mitch Trubisky coming out of college. Like way, way, way too much. I had him as my top quarterback as Watson’s inaccuracy worried me, and I had just been burned by a quarterback who makes plays and shines brightest in big games, because that also describes Johnny Manziel. When it came to Mahomes, I saw the talent but like nearly everyone else, I didn’t know how it would translate to the NFL level. This revisionist history on Mahomes is a little insane, because nobody thought that guy was a slam dunk. There were things to love about him but also a ton of uncertainty. Anyway, it turns out Mahomes talent did translate to the NFL level. You may have heard about it.

So now Mitch is the butt of so many jokes, and it hurts me each and every time, because I’m an insane person who still believes in him. Even I have fallen out of love, but I don’t see why he can’t be as good as Kirk Cousins, who is, and will always be, the 16th best quarterback in the NFL. Trubisky should still at least be able to get to that level.

I forgot how good he was in college. I know he didn’t start until his junior year, but he saw time in his sophomore season and completed 85% of his passes. It was over 47 attempts, I get that, but that’s still pretty damn good. His senior year was 68%, and he did it without a lot of talent around him. Ryan Switzer is a nice little slot receiver, but it’s not like he had a big wide receiver or a top-notch running back while there. Also, they were 8-5 with Mitch and promptly went to 3-9, and then 2-9 after he left. Mitch Trubisky was an impressive prospect, and that can never be taken away.

Obviously, things have not gone as planned with the Bears. In 2017, he had to learn under John Fox, and that was a disaster, but he bounced back in 2018 and made the Pro Bowl. He was definitely streaky, but there were some really positive signs in 2018. The man was fourth in QBR in the NFL that season (Kirk Cousins was, unsurprisingly, 16th).

Mitch was a young quarterback who showed plenty of promise and enough production to think that 2019 would be another year of improvement, and instead, everything fell apart. Instead of having more confidence, he had less, way less, and he just wouldn’t pull the trigger on throws. It was so frustrating to watch. Part of this was probably due to Mitch taking way more sacks as the offensive line took a massive step backwards this season, and I also think Trubisky was hurt significantly by the Bears lack of a reliable tight end in the offense. He just didn’t have that safety valve to rely on, especially with Tarik Cohen really struggling early this season. I also think the Bears would have been helped by Jordan Howard who just bulldozes into things, and even if he’s not a great back, he is a reliable option that can churn out a few 100-yard games each season. Still, Mitch SUCKED this year. There’s no way to sugarcoat that. Even with some things working against him, he should have stepped up more than he did. He still showed flashes, but they were fewer and further in between this season.

The Bears need to get some help on the offensive line and they either need to have a healthy Trey Burton or add some help there as well. I think the receivers are good enough, especially since Allen Robinson is a true #1 wideout. I think David Montgomery will be better in year two, and will also benefit from a better offensive line. Also, if they give the damn ball to Cordarrelle Patterson on third or fourth and short, they owe me a brand new television, because I will break mine if I have to watch that plan fail yet again. 

But why can’t he bounce back? Mitch has the talent, and nobody can deny that he’s shown flashes of brilliance in the pros. He seemed to be at his best in the two-minute drill, because he stopped thinking and just fired the ball down the field. If he can get that mentality again, he will be plenty good enough to lead this team. They even brought in John DeFilippo as QB Coach when two years ago, he was being interviewed for the Bears head coaching position because of his strong work in Philadelphia. I think a shakeup for Mitch is good, and I think Mitch is going to shake things up in the NFC North next year. 

I can concede that Patrick Mahomes would have been a better selection than Trubisky, but I still think there’s a chance that he can get on Deshaun Watson’s level (I’m a tad delusional, I understand that), but either way, it’s too early to call Trubisky a bust, because he still has enough time where the next time you mention bust and Mitch Trubisky, you’re talking about his induction into the Hall of Fame. 

The Chicago Bears Go International With Stephen Denmark

With the Bears final pick of the 2019 draft, they went international, and took Danish superstar, Stephen Denmark. Over in Europe, all people take the last name of where they are from, kind of like Jesus of Nazareth. Denmark played at Valdosta State which I believe is one of the premiere European "Clubs" (they don't have teams over there). Since over there, they don't have games, they have "matches" I couldn't find any film against one specific opponent, but I did find a highlight reel that was published by the man himself.

Although he was not invited to the combine (international travel was likely too expensive), he did put up a 4.46 at his pro day, and the speed is evident on the field. That's the good news. The bad news is his 7.40 3-cone drill number would be the fifth worst that has been recorded at the combine in the last 20 years. That's a greater indication of his ability to change directions and definitely hinders his upside. Still, there are plenty of positives with his film.

This is a bold move, Stephen.

Sure, pushing a receiver out of bounds is something that is going to happen, but taking him directly into his own bench is the work of an absolute mad man. I'm guessing that his opponents are Swiss as they chose to stay neutral during the conflict. But physicality was the thing that showed up over and over in his highlight tape. When he is in press coverage, he looks to take his opponents out of the play, and he doesn't look to tackle, he looks to hit when somebody has the ball near him. I was very surprised by this since he was a receiver his first three years and just switched over to the defensive side of the ball for his senior season. You would assume good footwork but afraid to hit, but the latter is certainly not an issue for Denmark.

That physicality in press coverage pays off on this play.

He gives the quarterback nowhere to throw this ball, but the quarterback throws it anyway, and Denmark makes him pay by making the interception with those wide receiver skills and then using his speed to cross the field into the endzone.

He gets lucky here.

He misses on his press, and the receiver creates good separation. Denmark's speed helps somewhat, but the quarterback underthrowing the ball is what really saves him on this play.

Another thing I was impressed by is his ability to diagnose plays.

He is dropping into a zone here, and immediately recognizes that the quarterback is looking deep so instead of staying shallow, he sprints back to undercut the deeper route and breaks up the play.

I know with these foreign players, it's a little tough to evaluate with their level of competition. I would probably compare it to Division II football in Georgia. At 6'2" and well built, he is a big defensive back who can definitely make plays. He has the speed, but the quickness isn't quite there for me to really trust him as a consistent defensive back. I do think he has all the traits to be very good on special teams as that size, speed, and willingness to lay the hammer could get him a roster spot even without the potential to ever start at defensive back. Welcome aboard, Stephen, or as the Danish say, Velkommen ombord.

Chicago Bears Scouting Reports
3rd Round - David Montgomery, Running Back, Iowa State
4th Round - Riley Ridley, Wide Receiver, Georgia
6th Round - Duke Shelley, Cornerback, Kansas State
7th Round - Kerrith Whyte Jr., Running Back, Florida Atlantic

Bears Keep It Tight With Kerrith Whyte

Kerrith Whyte Jr. was selected as the Bears first of two seventh round picks and without knowing anything about him, I was a little disappointed that the team had now drafted two running backs when they had other more pressing needs to address. Since they have Tarik Cohen as a weapon, David Montgomery was drafted with their first pick in the draft (3rd round), they just signed Mike Davis, and Cordarrelle Patterson does dabble in the backfield, another running back was going to have a hard time seeing the field. But clearly the Bears saw something in Whyte, so I took a look at his game against UCF to see what qualities he possesses.

Let's start off with a touchdown catch from Whyte.

Usually on touchdowns, I will point out some positives, but it's about as unimpressive of a touchdown catch as you'll see. He does technically break a tackle, but the defensive back just throws his head at his leg and seems to completely forget that he possesses arms.

The other issue is the catch which he bobbles because he uses his chest to catch the ball instead of using his hands. I do not trust him to consistently catch the ball which makes him a non-factor in the passing game.

On the positives, he shows a nice move here.

He sees the safety coming in the box to fill the hole, but then cuts back inside without losing much momentum to speed forward for nine yards instead of getting stopped at the line of scrimmage.

Since I only watched one game, and they were down early in that game, I didn't get a lot of standout plays from Whyte. The issue is that I didn't see any one characteristic that stands out so I have a hard time seeing playing time for him in what is already a crowded Bears backfield. Maybe he can provide depth from the practice squad, but I don't foresee anything more than that. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

Chicago Bears Scouting Reports
3rd Round - David Montgomery, Running Back, Iowa State
4th Round - Riley Ridley, Wide Receiver, Georgia
6th Round - Duke Shelley, Cornerback, Kansas State

Is Duke Shelley the Chicago Bears Next Slot Cornerback?

Although I had a pretty good idea about the Bears first two picks, the last three picks were complete mysteries to me. This started with sixth round pick, Duke Shelley, a 5'9" cornerback out of Kansas State. Shelley was not invited to the combine, but did have an impressive pro day where he ran a 4.46 40 yard dash. I took a look at his game against Oklahoma State to get a better idea about his chances of making an impact as a slot cornerback for the Bears.

Shelley was a four-year starter at Kansas State, and that experience definitely showed up in his game against Oklahoma State.

On this play, he is an off coverage on the outside receiver at the top of the screen. Although it happens off screen unfortunately, Shelley reads the quarterback and nearly picks off the pass. He shows good instincts and quick decision making while breaking up this pass.

On this next play, he does a good job defending the fade.

He stays in constant contact with the wide receiver to make sure he stays close. Although he is unable to make contact with the ball after looking back, his arm goes straight up the middle of the receiver's chest so the only way that he can catch the ball is to make a one-handed circus catch.

Since Shelley's future will be in the slot, he will have to be a good tackler. He excels in this area despite his diminutive size.

This is an excellent wrap up and tackle in the open field, and he displayed this ability multiple times in the game that I watched.

He also showed he can be a playmaker.

Remember that second play where he played through the man's chest but made no contact with the ball. Well, here he uses the same technique and makes it nearly impossible for the receiver to make the catch. He then gets an added bonus when the ball pops up and lands into his hands before he goes out the back of the endzone. The interception involved a bit of luck, but the pass breakup is great technique, and he earned the positive outcome.

I came into this not knowing anything about Duke Shelley but left it coming away very impressed. He can tackle, does a good job of reading the quarterback and breaking on passes, and has good technique to break up passes down the field. I would say that I question the athleticism some, as the rule of thumb is usually to add 0.1 seconds to a 40 time if done at a pro day. But flat out speed is less important in the slot. I didn't see him go up against many hard-ins or outs in this game, but the quickness he shows in staying with those routes will be the biggest question to answer on whether he can be the future at slot cornerback from the Bears. Still, for a sixth round pick, I am pretty excited about his potential to fill that role.


Chicago Bears Scouting Reports
3rd Round - David Montgomery, Running Back, Iowa State
4th Round - Riley Ridley, Wide Receiver, Georgia

Riley Ridley Ain't Just Another Brother

With the Bears fourth round pick, they added another weapon to an offense that is overflowing with them when they drafted Georgia Wide Receiver, Riley Ridley. That last name should sound familiar as his brother Calvin was a top rookie last season, and his brother is no slouch. He was Georgia's lead receiver, and although his yardage was not impressive due to some other talented guys on the team and a run heavy offense, he did manage to pull down nine touchdowns. To get a better idea of the younger Ridley, I took a look at his games against Texas and Alabama.

So with Ridley, you're not going to see a lot of wow plays. Instead, you're going to see consistency and just an overall clean player. Here, he runs a nice curl route where he makes a hard stop to give himself two yards of separation to make the catch.


Here, he gets just enough separation to make the touchdown grab.

The quarterback throws a beautiful ball, but Ridley does a great job of running through the catch and even getting both feet down after extending with his hands to pull the ball in.

This was probably my favorite play from the two games I watched, because it shows incredibly strong hands and good concentration to pull this ball in.

Ridley also has good field awareness as he consistently would work towards the sideline and always had the presence of mind to get those feet down in bounds.

So this play is stupid, but after it has its stupid moment, he does make a nice move in the open field.

This play does show good awareness, but that juke he puts on 25 is what really stands out.

Let's finish off with the concerning part of Ridley and why he fell so far in the draft. His athleticism leaves a lot to be desired.

The only good news is that his brother, Calvin, didn't test all that well either outside of a much better 40 time. But it is concerning that somebody who isn't a great athlete has such a poor 3-cone drill as that is usually a pretty good indicator of how much separation a guy can get from a defender. I did see Ridley make some tough catches, but without separation, it's going to be very tough for him to have a big impact in the NFL.

I heard a lot of great things about Ridley leading up to the draft. Before the combine, some people were talking about him as a possible first round pick. There are some good traits there, but I just don't see how he has a big impact on the passing game for the Bears. He will provide solid depth but will have to really refine himself to be much more than that.

Chicago Bears Scouting Reports
3rd Round - David Montgomery, Running Back, Iowa State

David Montgomery Runs Like a Literal Cyclone

The Bears traded up to get the player they wanted out of a university in Iowa. It wasn't the guy or even the school I had pegged, but I do believe they got a talented player as I was pretty terrified of this player the last two years when my favorite team played against him. David Montgomery of the Iowa State Cyclones is exactly what the Bears needed at running back as he's a big back who can also catch the ball out of the backfield. I took another look at his game against Iowa and also a game against Texas from this past season.

Before we get started, let's take a look at how his combine went.
Unless you're scouting him for the UFC and really want a great wingspan, the athletic traits are not going to wow you. The poor 40 yard dash was not all that surprising and didn't hurt him as much, because he is a bigger back. The vertical jump was hilariously bad as I might be able to jump 28.5 inches (okay, I can't, but maybe ten years ago I could), but I don't know a single person who gives a crap about vertical jump for running backs. The broad jump is excellent, especially when you factor in his size. And the 3-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle would have been the most interesting to see him perform, because I do think that would have highlighted his quickness and agility.

The first thing that stood out to me was his balance. This is where the title of this piece came from, as he can take hits, make cuts, and spin off defenders while still staying upright.

Texas has nine guys in the box. All they want to do is stop David Montgomery, and with the safety darting in, they have the play dead to rights. The safety spears his right shin, and somehow Montgomery just bounces back a yard and darts outside. He shows good acceleration to beat the edge defender around to the outside before finally getting pushed out after gaining seven yards on what should have been a two-yard loss.

Here, he sees a single hole that quickly gets filled by the Texas linebacker, but that isn't going to stop Montgomery on 2nd and 3.

Despite the linebacker covering the only available area along the line of scrimmage, Montgomery is able to spin inside and drag the linebacker for three yards to get the first down. He just has an innate ability to find any crease that may exist.

Here he has a play that is designed to go inside, Montgomery analyzes the situation and bounces it outside. After that, what he does is simply not fair.

After bouncing outside, he puts a stupid juke on Amani Hooker (coincidentally, the player I wanted the Bears to take in the third round) before finally being drug down by an ankle tackle by an Iowa linebacker after gaining 13 yards. This is a play where so many backs never see that hole to their left, and even after making that cut, most guys are getting about three yards with a pretty reliable tackler in Hooker filling the hole. Montgomery is not most running backs.

I don't know if there is 5% of professional running backs who could do this.

Any other player is running into that linebacker as it's damn near impossible to stop your momentum at that point after the catch. Montgomery slips while making the cut (because it's damn near impossible), but it helps him pick up an additional six yards while the Iowa linebacker is busy hugging air. An underrated part of this play but maybe even more appealing for the Bears coaching staff is the way that he catches the ball by framing his hands away from his body as opposed to body catching it. It's that technique that will make him a reliable pass catcher out of the backfield.

Speaking of the passing game, he is at least a willing pass blocker.

He does let the defender get under his pads which initially pushes him back, but he shows good balance by staying upright, resetting his feet and stopping the defender after that. The big thing that I liked to see is he kept his head up while blocking, because many running backs do not seem to think it's a good idea to see the guy they are trying to block.

His ability to stop and start is top notch.

There are two Texas defenders in the only hole available to him, and what he does here is purposeful hesitation. He freezes BOTH defenders before juking to his right and using a stiff arm to keep distance from the first defender.

If you're looking to nitpick the guy, the 40 yard dash is indicative of his lack of breakaway speed, but other than that, everything else you'd want to see is there. Vision, quickness, power, patience, and ability as a receiver, I'm a BIG, BIG fan. The craziest thing about the clips that I showed for Montgomery is that these were from his two worst games of the season. He had a combined 77 yards in those two games, yet I'm not sure if you could find five running backs who could put up his sort of highlights in their two best games.

Please sit down before I make this comparison, because it may sound extreme, but there was only one name that popped into my head while watching Montgomery: Le'Veon Bell. Bell was this exact player in college. Now I will say that Bell got even better when he got to the pros when he shed weight which benefitted his speed and quickness, but Montgomery is right there with the traits that he possesses. David Montgomery is the type of player that a team is justified in trading up for, and I think Bears fans are going to be very happy with this pick as he has the traits to be the best running back in the class.

The Chicago Bears Perfect 2019 NFL Draft

Projecting a team's draft picks is a fool's errand. It's impossible to know who a team will take, because I have no idea who will even be there when it is their chance to draft. Although I am trying to be realistic in who will be available for the Bears in this process, there is a chance that some of these guys are gone two, possibly even three rounds earlier than where I am projecting. And this is especially tough when projecting Bears draft picks as they do not have a first or second round pick, so I am only looking at the deepest, darkest parts of the NFL draft. And since the Bears do not have many picks, I'll also point out some guys I would like them to sign as undrafted free agents as well.

Round 3, 87th Overall: Amani Hooker, Safety, Iowa
I limited myself to one Iowa Hawkeye, but man, this is one that I feel very passionate about. I'm not sure if Hooker lasts this long, but if the Bears traded all of their picks to ensure they got Hooker, I would call this draft a massive victory. I have already waxed poetically about the Hawkeye safety, but in short, he's a versatile defender that could play safety or as your nickel back, can defend pass and run, and just always seems to be in the right spot at the right time to make a big play. The one concern about him (and nearly all Iowa players in general) is what kind of athlete he is, but he put those concerns to rest with a very impressive combine performance.
Outside of having T-Rex arms, everything else was incredibly impressive. He was named the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year, and it's crazy that he could fall this far, but judging by where he is ranked by most "experts" this is a reasonable range for him to get drafted. I might cry tears of joy if the Bears end up with him.

Round 4, 126th Overall: Austin Bryant, Defensive End, Clemson
Little known fact, Clemson actually started four defensive linemen this season. I know Clelin Ferrell, Dexter Lawrence, and Christian Wilkins get all of the love since they are likely first round picks, but Austin Bryant was no slouch. The guy had 17 sacks with 30.5 tackles for loss in his last two years with the Tigers, and he might have had more if he didn't need to constantly race his teammates to the quarterback. You can make the argument that he benefitted from not facing double teams, but he'll have the same luxury with the Bears as Akiem Hicks and Khalil Mack will be getting most of the offense's attention. If he slips this far, it would be a great addition to the Bears depth at defensive line. Also, I totally wanted to put Anthony Nelson here, but I promised myself I could only pick one Hawkeye.

Round 5, 162nd Overall: Ross Pierschbacher, Center, Alabama
Since Pierschbacher is a native Iowan, I did a deeper dive on him here. He started all four years at Alabama, starting at left guard and taking over at center for his senior year. To start at Alabama for four years with how proficient their offenses were would make me think that he'd be a day two pick, but I have seen a lot of mocks with him more falling in the 4th-5th round range, and if that's the case, the Bears would be stupid not to pounce on him to give them a strong backup for the interior offensive line, especially with Kyle Long's injury history. i will say that I saw more impressive play from him as a guard than after he transitioned to the center position, so I see him as a good guard but maybe just an average center prospect. Common sense says he shouldn't be here for the Bears, but common sense isn't exactly what NFL teams are known for.

Round 7, 222nd Overall: Jalin Moore, Running Back, Appalachian State
Not sure if you have heard, but you can find a decent running back later on in the draft. I feel like this year, it's Josh Jacobs, and everybody else. What order guys will fall is a complete mystery. Because of an injury, I would say Moore has a better chance to fall than most, but even I can admit that this seems like a fairly aggressive drop for his talent. Plus, even with his injury, he put up 27 bench press reps at the combine. Does benching help running backs? Not at all, but it impresses other dudes in the gym, and isn't that what's most important? In real talk, he was always productive when he was on the field, but his senior year was cut short after fracturing and dislocating his ankle on a touchdown run. I will say that I'm not sure if it's the ideal fit for Nagy's offense as the most catches he had in a year was 12, but that may have been by the Appalachian State design, or he may have trouble with his hands. Worst case is he can bench press like 1000 footballs.

Round 7, 238th Overall: Terry Godwin, Wide Receiver, Georgia
I have an affinity for five-star recruits out of high school. Godwin didn't light it up in college, but he still had a productive college career with a Georgia offense that would far prefer to run than pass. Also, with his smaller stature, he was never going to be the number one guy. I think he projects as a great option in the slot as he has great quickness and has the hands to catch balls in traffic. He is great for receiver depth and could also be an option as a return man.

Undrafted Free Agent Targets
Mathieu Betts, Edge, Laval
Oh, you don't know about the football powerhouse that is Laval? Apparently, you're just not that into the pigskin, because they are ten time Vanier Cup Champions, including a perfect season this past year, led by their defensive ace, Mathieu Betts. This guy is hands down the best Canadian prospect in the draft, and although his most likely destination is practice squad, there is enough raw talent to at least invite him to camp.

Jordan Brailford, Edge, Oklahoma State
Probably the least likely guy to be available, but he definitely has the talent to be a situational pass rusher where he could help out the Bears. I've seen him projected in the 5-7th round range, but considering that he ran a 4.65 and broad jumped 10.5 feet, I could see somebody taking a chance on that athleticism early.

Taylor Cornelius, Quarterback, Oklahoma State
Out of the six quarterbacks I saw when I worked with the East-West Shrine Game, I was most impressed with Cornelius. I don't think he's going to set the world on fire, but he could be a serviceable backup in the right offense.

Keelan Doss, Wide Receiver, UC Davis
Doss played at a small school and put up big numbers. Unfortunately, he got hurt at the combine, so that will knock his draft stock down a bit. I think it's likely somebody takes him in a late round, but if he's available, it'd be a great addition for the Bears.

Matt Gay, Kicker, Utah
He's a kicker; that makes him a great addition for the Bears. He's also 232 pounds, so that's pretty cool too.

Jimmy Moreland, Cornerback, James Madison
Moreland showed flashes at the Shrine Game, but what really stood out to me is how much the coaches (and even special guest Aeneas Williams) were trying to coach him up and getting on him for mistakes. It was clear that they saw a lot of potential in him, and I don't think it's a high ceiling, but he could be a serviceable player in the slot.

Matt Nelson, Defensive Lineman, Iowa
Hey, I could only project one player to be drafted by the Bears, but I might as well have them sign one as a free agent. Nelson played out of position as a defensive tackle at Iowa, but at 6'8", 295 pounds, he's perfectly built to be a stout defender as a 3-4 defensive end. I think he can set the edge, bat down passes, and occasionally get to the quarterback, but he was not put in the best position to succeed due to team need at Iowa. He'd be a great addition to provide additional depth along the defensive line.