1st Round: Justin Fields, CHI

I’m not the most experienced scout in the world, But in my 3 years or so of studying prospects, Fields was the second-best QB I’ve evaluated only behind Trevor Lawrence. Obviously not every team shares that opinion which is why he fell to 11 but reportedly a quarter of the league had Fields as their #1 QB. Getting this kind of talent at the Quarterback position this late is absolutely unheard of and I doubt this type of talent will ever make it this far again, which is why I think the Bears hit a home run with this pick. Fields has an amazing combination of size, arm strength, accuracy, and athleticism that comes with a very high upside. Fields has the opportunity to come in and start early for the Bears, and make a lot of front offices look bad for passing on him.

2nd Round: Asante Samuel Jr, LAC

Darious Williams was one of the league’s biggest breakout stars in 2020 for the Rams opposite of Jalen Ramsey and making a ton of big plays for Brandon Staley’s defense. Asante Samuel who is 5’10” is comparable to the 5’9″ Williams and will play a similar role in the same defense. Samuel is an even better athlete than Williams and has excellent quickness and ability to change the direction which will help him convert zone to man which is critical in this scheme. Many teams likely saw him as a slot corner due to his size and passed on him for it but Staley is clearly not bothered by it. The value here is excellent and I expect Samuel to dominate in this scheme.

3rd Round: Ben Cleveland, BAL

Ben Cleveland’s blue-collar makeup makes him an instant fit for the Ravens and is probably one of the reasons they liked him. The Ravens’ interior offensive line was a huge issue last season after Marshall Yanda retired and they waited until the 3rd round to address it and landed a 2nd round player doing so. Not only was Cleveland great value, but he also fits perfectly into the Ravens diverse run game that features a lot of power and gap runs, where Cleveland’s mauling ability and athleticism to pull can be on full display. He should also help the Ravens establish their zone running game more that was a huge part of their 2019 success. Cleveland has concerns in pass pro but has a great anchor which will be aided with the amount of play-action the Ravens run in their passing game. Bozeman was fine at left guard last year, but he will now likely kick inside, with Cleveland starting at left guard.

4th Round: Amon-Ra St. Brown, DET

Wide receiver was a glaring need for the Detroit Lions and many thought they would go with one of the top receivers with their first-round pick, but Penei Sewell fell into their lap, and they were still able to steal St. Brown early in the 4th. A common theme for the new regime in Detroit led by Dan Campbell in the draft was bringing in physical cultural building pieces, most of which on the line of scrimmage, but Amon-Ra fits the profile despite being a skill position. St. Brown is primarily a slot receiver who played both inside and outside for the Trojans that plays with a lot of physicality as a run blocker and after the catch. St Brown slipped through the cracks in a good receiver class but was a top 10 receiver in my opinion with a 2nd round grade. The receiver room in Detroit is far from great, but being able to add St. Brown after adding other great players is a home run.

5th Round: Darrick Forest, WFT

After finding a late-round gem in last year’s draft with Kam Curl, Washington potentially got another steal at safety with Cincinnati’s Darrick Forest. Safety was a bit of an underrated need for Washington although they have some pieces there outside of Curl and Landon Collins who could play more of a big nickel and dime linebacker role. Forrest will provide competition at the free safety spot with Bobby Mccain, Troy Apke, and others and, in my opinion, has a good shot of seeing a lot of playing time his rookie season. Forest was one of the rangiest free safeties in a class where free safeties were difficult to come by and was great value for a need for Washington.

6th Round: Quincy Roche, PIT

Roche at this point was just too good of a player to pass up on in my opinion for Pittsburgh who did not have a burning need at edge rusher. Roche was the last of my top 50 players available, and unless had an issue I was unaware of, was the best value in the entire draft for me. Roche was an uber-productive edge rusher at both Temple and Miami who had solid athletic testing numbers and had his pass rush technique on full display on his tape. At the Senior Bowl, he looked like one of the best pass rushers there. Roche isn’t an athletic freak, but he is a very slippery rusher who won with his hands early and often in the ACC. Roche figures to be in a rotation at edge early but I think he’s a player who can become a highly productive starter for many years in the NFL.

7th Round: Kary Vincent Jr., Broncos

Vincent is a notably raw player who was a difficult projection going into the NFL which is likely why so many teams passed on him. This player however is a very good athlete and is one of the most versatile defensive backs in the draft. The Broncos have their starters well intact for this upcoming season and drafted a few other defensive backs ahead of Vincent, but if he can sit and learn for a few years behind a great defensive coach in Vic Fangio and develop into the type of versatile player they like so much with Kareem Jackson and Justin Simmons the Broncos may have just gotten the biggest late-round steal in the class.

1. Maintain Offensive Drives

First off, the Bears need to maintain drives and let their defense rest. As was too often the case in 2019, the Bears often went 3 and out frequently. This resulted in tiring out the defense by having them out on the field too much. Matt Nagy must rely on the rushing attack more to prolong the drives. Mitch also needs to execute when he’s called upon. If the defense isn’t on the field for the majority of the game they’ll be able to take advantage of the Giants struggling offensive line.

2. Contain Saquon Barkley

In their week 1 loss Saquon Barkley only managed to gain 6 rushing yards. This however isn’t only on him. The offensive line wasn’t doing their assignments efficiently, which lead to Saquon getting hit multiple times behind the line of scrimmage. It should be noted though that they were playing a Steelers defense that has many playmakers at every level of the defense: TJ Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Cam Heyward, etc. If the Bears can get their guys healthy, they should be able to produce a similar result.

3. Get Trubisky into a good rhythm early

As Lions fans have learned over the previous matchups, Mitchell Trubisky can be lethal if he gets into a rhythm. We saw this on Sunday when he threw 3TDs with less than a yard of separation in the 4th quarter to erase a 23-6 deficit. Bears fans also know that he can play completely terrible at other times as well. His inconsistencies are the reason his career with the Bears is in jeopardy if he doesn’t perform well this season. We saw his potential, now can he live up to it and deliver 4 good quarters?

Last season the Bears had a few breakout players. These players were DT Nick Williams and MLB Nick Kwiatkowski. They both ended up departing in the offseason. Now the Bears are looking for other depth players to step up incase of another key injury. 3rd year receiver Javon Wims seems destined to have a breakout year.

Mitchell Trubisky isn’t typically known for this, but he’s very clutch and calm in game winning drive situations. This is many times overshadowed by Chicago’s terrible recent history of kickers including Cody Parkey, Cairo Santos and Connor Barth. On multiple occasions Trubisky has led the Bears on potential game winning drives. Most notably vs the Eagles in the 2018 Wild Card round when he successfully led the Bears into field goal range. Parkey proceeded to ruin the season by missing a 41-yard kick. Anyways Trubisky is clutch when his back is against the wall and you shouldn’t expect less from him in this situation. Hopefully him being on a short leash when he’s out there will help motivate him to up his game. He knows what’s at stake and don’t be surprised when he earns his QB1 spot once again.

Tashaun Gipson came into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2012 with the Cleavland Browns. Gipson ended up playing in Cleveland for five seasons. He made the probowl once during that time. Gipson then spent a few seasons in Jacksonville before being released and signed by the Houston Texans. In Houston Gipson switched to strong safety and exceled. This past season Gipson allowed a 55.0 QBR which ranks 5th in the league for safeties. Eddie Jackson ranked 6th with a 57.6 QBR given up. They both ranked top six in one of the most important stats for a DB. Gipson also only gave up 54.1% completion rate which ranked 6th among safeties, while Eddie Jackson did slightly better by only allowing a 53.5% completion rate which ranked 5th among safeties. Once again they both ranked top six in one of the most important stats for a DB.

Pairing Gipson with Jackson will result in a deadly combination. Bears fans should be excited and be looking forward to watching this deadly duo. As for the rest of you, watch out.

As a reminder, all trades made on draft night within the top ten selections will still be included. The 2012 was loaded with quality quarterbacks, while also fielding some of today’s NFL defensive superstars.

This was extremely difficult, as the amount of defensive talent in this draft is incomparable to any other, so here are a few honorable mentions to this draft list just to show you how deep this draft went: Fletcher Cox, Josh Norman, Dont’a Hightower, Melvin Ingram, Whitney Mercilus, and Janoris Jenkins.

That is right, all those top-tier defensive players did not make the top ten. That just shows how stacked this class was.

The 2012 NFL Re-Draft is open, and the Colts are on the clock.

1: Indianapolis Colts: Russell Wilson, QB

Easily the top quarterback in this class. I like the original pick with Andrew Luck, but Luck’s retirement pushes Wilson to the top slot. Unlike in Seattle, Wilson will be able to have a strong run game, and have protection, thus making him more dominant than ever.

2: Washington Redskins: Luke Keuchly, LB

While they originally went with RGIII, I believe they should have gone elsewhere. While Luke Keuchly might have retired this offseason, he is still the best defensive player in this class. The Redskins defense has been lacking for many years now, but this all changes when they get Keuchly.

3: Cleveland Browns: Bobby Wagner, LB

Bobby Wagner might have the closest skillset to Keuchly not just in this class, but in the NFL as a whole. Wagner is a tackle machine, and this pick would be a complete reversal in impact on the team compared to Trent Richardson. Wagner would become a fan-favorite in Cleveland, and potentially even lead them to success.

4: Minnesota Vikings: David Decastro, OG

The Vikings went offensive line in the original draft, so I decided to stick with the same position despite there being better talent still left on the board. DeCastro is a great lineman who was rock-solid guarding Big Ben. Kirk Cousins will be lucky to have a strong line revolving around this guy.

5: Jacksonville Jaguars: T.Y. Hilton, WR

They went with J. Blackmon with the original pick. I like keeping the picks in the same position, so the Jaguars in this redraft will select the top wide receiver from this class T.Y. Hilton. If only he had a good quarterback to throw to him.

6: Dallas Cowboys: Stephon Gilmore, CB

Gilmore is easily the top cornerback in this class, and is potentially the best cornerback in the league. Gilmore solidifies the Cowboys’ secondary, which would be a better pick than Morris Claiborne.

7: Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Harrison Smith, SS

The hard hitting safety is just what the Buccaneers need. Smith has dominated the competition, and his power is no match to anyone else. Smith could have been the next Ronde Barber, but instead, he is dominating on the Vikings.

8: Miami Dolphins: Chandler Jones, DE

The Dolphins get a great pass rusher in Chandler Jones. In Arizona, he and Patrick Peterson were able to lead a very solid defensive unit. The Dolphins have many holes, but they cover a big one with Jones.

9: Carolina Panthers: Lavonte David, LB

With Keuchley off the board in this redraft, the Panthers need to take the next best available linebacker. David may not be Luke Keuchly, but David’s versatility and IQ make him worthy of being selected at the ninth slot.

10: Buffalo Bills: Casey Heyward, CB

The Bills originally went with Gilmore here, so they now need to find a different cornerback to select. While Josh Norman and Janoris Jenkins are great players, I believe that Casey Heyward would fit in well in Buffalo.

Round 1 Pick 2, Redskins: DE, Chase Young, Ohio State

Round 1 Pick 3, Lions: CB, Jeff Okudah, Ohio State

Round 1 Pick 4, Giants: LB, Isaiah Simmons, Clemson

Round 1 Pick 5, Dolphins: QB, Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

Round 1 Pick 6, Chargers: QB, Justin Herbert, Oregon

Round 1 Pick 7, Panthers: DT, Derick Brown, Auburn

Round 1 Pick 8, Cardinals: OL, Tristan Wirfs, Iowa

Round 1 Pick 9, Jaguars: CB, C.J Henderson, Florida

Round 1 Pick 10, Browns: OL, Andrew Thomas, Georgia

Round 1 Pick 11, Jets: WR, CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma

Round 1 Pick 12, Raiders: WR, Jerry Jeudy, Alabama

Round 1 Pick 13, 49ers: WR, Henry Ruggs III, Alabama

Round 1 Pick 14, Buccaneers: OL, Jedrick Willis, Alabama

Round 1 Pick 15 Broncos: DT, Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina

Round 1 Pick 16, Falcons: OL, Mekhi Becton, Louisville

Round 1 Pick 17, Cowboys: LB, K’lavon Chaisson, Louisiana

Round 1 Pick 18, Dolphins: Safety, Xavier McKinney, Alabama

Round 1 Pick 19, Raiders: LB, Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma

Round 1 Pick 20, Jaguars: Safety, Grant Delpit, Louisiana

Round 1 Pick 21, Eagles: WR, Justin Jefferson, Louisiana

Round 1 Pick 22, Vikings: WR, Denzel Mims, Baylor

Round 1 Pick 23, Patriots: DE, AJ Epenesa, Iowa

Round 1 Pick 24, Saints: QB, Jordan Love, Utah

Round 1 Pick 25, Vikings: CB, Kristian Fulton, Louisiana

Round 1 Pick 26, Dolphins: OL, Austin Jackson, Southern California

Round 1 Pick 27, Seahawks: LB, Zach Baun, Wisconsin

Round 1 Pick 28, Ravens: LB, Patrick Queen, Louisiana

Round 1 Pick 29, Titans: CB, Jeff Gladney, TCU

Round 1 Pick 30, Packers: WR, Tee Higgins, Clemson

Round 1 Pick 31, 49ers: OL, Cesar Ruiz, Michigan

Round 1 Pick 32, Chiefs: CB, Trevon Diggs, Alabama

The 2017 NFL Draft was loaded with superstars ranging in all positions. This draft class included offensive superstars such as Christian Mcafferey, George Kittle, and Chris Godwin; but, also includes defensive pro-bowlers in Jamal Adams, Myles Garrett, and Tre’Davious White.

This re-draft will include all draft day trades. Plus, not all selections were based on skill: it depends on replicability at the position. For example, if this re-draft was purely based on skill, then close to half of the top ten picks would have been a runningback.

Now that the perameters have been set, let us re-draft:

1: Cleveland Browns: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech

After being benched behind Alex Smith in his rookie season, Patrick Mahomes has played two star seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs. In this timespan, Mahomes has won the NFL’s MVP award, and most recently a Super Bowl victory, to name a few of Mahomes’ many achievements. The Chiefs made what will eventually be considered as the best move in their franchise’s history by trading to the 10th pick for Mahomes, nabbing the best player in the NFL. However, in this re-draft, the Browns decide to pick Mahomes instead of star defensive end Myles Garrett.

2: Chicago Bears: Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M

While Garrett’s season was cut short due to his incident involving Mason Rudolph in a regular season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, let that not undercut Garrett’s talent. Garrett was more than well-deserving of the first-overall pick, but having the generational talent in Mahomes forces Garrett to move down a spot. The only reason I do not have Deshaun Watson landing here is because I think the Bears stick with Mike Glennon after signing him to a ridiculously large deal that offseason.

3: San Fransisco 49ers: George Kittle, TE, Iowa

While we all like to think of the Niners defense as formidable, it was not thanks to the likes of Soloman Thomas. But, that does not mean the Niners did this draft wrong, as they selected George Kittle in the fifth round. In this redraft, the Niners decide to select Kittle with their first round pick, and wait until the later rounds before even considering Thomas. Kittle has been an unstoppable force ever since being drafted into the league. At this point in time, the Niners have many holes, including quarterback, but they wait to get a quarterback until trading for Jimmy Garropolo. Kittle provides their team a dynamic blocker as well as a receiving threat that will scare defenses for weeks to come.

4: Jacksonville Jaguars: Christian Mccaffrey, HB, Stanford

The Jaguars initially selected Leanard Fournette at this spot. While I think this was a great fit, I believe that the Jaguars could have gone with a better running back. With uncertainty with Blake Bortles at quarterback, Mccaffrey will be playing in a nearly identical situation to the one he is currently in with the Panthers. Overall, CMC is a much better fit with this squad then Fournette is.

5: Tennessee Titans: T.J. Watt, EDGE, Wisconsin

Watt has improved in every season he has played, and has become a Defensive Player of the Year candidate with the Steelers. The Titans went with Corey Davis with this pick, which proved to be bust-worthy, especially now that they have a run-dominated offense with Derrick Henry. The Titans in this redraft go with defense, deciding between Jamal Adams and Watt. They eventually go with Watt, showing that they are confident in their safety group that is lead by Kevin Byard.

6: New York Jets: Jamal Adams, S, LSU

It is not often that in a redraft, a team goes with the same guy they went with in the actual draft. Even though there is uncertainty in his future with the Jets this offseason, the smart move is to keep their pick with Adams going at 6.

7: Los Angeles Chargers: Chris Godwin, WR, Penn State

While this may seem as a surprise to many, I think that the Chargers picking Godwin would be perfect. They initially went with Mike Williams, who they had hoped would provide Philip Rivers with a solid WR2 option. This would have spread the field more, allowing their star WR Keenan Allen and TE Hunter Henry to have more open space, creating more big plays. Williams has been a good pick, posting solid numbers when healthy. But, in comparison to Godwin’s breakout season, Williams stands no match. Chargers stick with a wideout here.

8: Carolina Panthers: Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama

Ever since the departure of Josh Norman and the rest of the core 15-1 Panther squad, the defense has been lacking in overall talent in exception to newly retired LB Luke Kuechly. This class features many great cornerbacks, including Tre’Davious White, and Marshon Lattimore. But, I am going with Humphrey. Since 2017, Humphrey has been hawking every pass thrown to him down, breaking up 47 passes, ranking fourth since he was drafted into the league.

9: Cincinnati Bengals: Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU

Like I mentioned in the previous selection, this class is loaded with studs at cornerback. The Bengals in the actual draft went with John Ross, going for a speedy wideout to be opposite to AJ Green. Ross has been plagued with injuries, making him not worthy of this selection. The Bengals secondary has been abysmal at best, so they take Pro-Bowl cornerback White at this pick. However, this Bengals team is still far from where they have to be, and even with the selection of White, I would still see the Bengals winding up with the first pick in tomorrow’s draft.

10: Kansas City Chiefs: Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson

Those that are reading this, I know you are confused. The Chiefs trading to this pick for the fundamental purpose of drafting Patrick Mahomes. That is true. But, they still believe that they have their guy in Watson. While Watson might not be at the same level as Mahomes, Watson would play perfect to this speedy team. Andy Reid would style a playbook that would revolve lots of play-action, screens to both running backs and wide receivers, and QB runs, similar to the current Chiefs playbook. In my mind, this would be a no-brainer trade the Chiefs make to pick Watson.

Mitchell Trubisky now has worthy competition. The past years the only competition Trubisky has had is a 30+ year old Chase Daniel. Trubisky is now on a short leash and know that if he messes up there is a Super Bowl MVP waiting on the bench. The Bears hope that this lights a fire under Trubisky and helps him become the player they drafted him to be. This is the scenario that Pace and the rest of the organization wants to see happen.

If Trubisky doesn’t play up to standard Foles would fit in perfectly. Foles is very familiar with Nagy’s offense, they spent some time together in Kansas City. Foles doesn’t only have connections to Nagy, he’s also spent time with John DeFillipo in Jacksonville and Philly. With the COVID-19 affecting the sports world, training camp and other offseason activities will most likley be postponed or canceled. Foles wouldn’t have a problem because he already knows the offense. Foles may even be able to mentor Mitch.

The Foles trade isn’t as bad as it first seemed. Bears fans should give Foles a chance. Who knows he could bring a Super Bowl to Chicago,

Gabriel signed a four year contract with the Bears on March 14th 2018. He started the year as the number 2 receiver behind Allen Robinson who was also signed that offseason. Gabriel ended the 2018 season with a career high 688 yards and 2tds. He stayed as the number 2 receiver during the 2019 season. Although the season didn’t go as he hope it would he still had some amazing moments. One of those moments being his 3td day vs. the Washington Redskins. That game was also the one that derailed his season as he suffered a concussion late in the game. Gabriel ended up missing 7 games due to two different concussions. Taylor Gabriel thank you for your years as a Chicago Bear and I wish you the best of luck in the future.

Amukamara signed a one year prove it deal on March 10, 2017. He beat out Kyle Fuller and earned the starting cornerback role. His season didn’t start off good though. He suffered an anke injury in the 3rd preseason game and was out for the 1st two games of the regular season. He didn’t end the year with any interceptions, but he did have 7 PD and 1 FR. Amukamara 3 year extension with Chicago and was the 2nd string cornerback behind Kyle Fuller. 2018 would be Amukamara’s best season in his career, he recorded 3int including a game winning pick-6 vs the Seahawks. He also had 12 PD and 2FF. 2019 wasn’t his year though, I’ll leave it at that. Prince Amukamara thank you for your years as a Chicago Bear and I wish you the best of luck in the future.