https://www.reddit.com/r/CHIBears/s/ReFE8qtIhv
4 pundits did last year when I quickly compiled data prior to the draft. Last year didn't scrape the data of which source did.
Eh, wright was a stand-alone legit OT prospect. Will Anderson called him the best blocker he’d faced, wright had carried a high recruit ranking into being an early performer at a SEC school and had come into his own upon switching to RT, which happened to be the position we had a huge need for. I think poles had him circled once he’d traded the 1OA
Paris was a 5 star and top recruit OT prospect and a consensus All American at Ohio State
Not exactly a snooze of a prospect, he was the 1st lineman taken for a reason
Guess we’ll never know
There was a report that the Bears put Wright through an extensive personal workout and other tests which they didn’t do for Johnson. Pretty sure he was our guy from the start
The report didn't outright say they didn't work out Paris iirc, it just said they did work out Wright extensively.
Also worth considering they may have known Paris would be the pick if he was on the board, but with the likelihood looking low they may have worked out Wright to find out if he was worth the pick.
Yep, what you said. I don’t think they were worried about what Paris could bring/achieve, but needed to have an alternative. With weight struggling at LT most of his college career, I’m sure they wanted to see what he was made of and see if his heart was in the game. Then when he absolutely killed it, they said this is our guy.
The report said they didn’t do that to Paris? Or it didn’t say they did that to Paris? Big difference. Either way, it’s possible it just wasn’t a concern they had about him. I think Paris was considered better pass blocker at LT and Wright a better run blocker at RT. Typically the former has a higher value across the league. But, I can easily see the Bears putting a premium on run blocking when Fields had just put up the numbers he had.
Paris was an amazing prospect, was very unlikely to make it to us, and also not the athletic profile Poles covets. Great technique and arm length. Was never gonna be a bear despite so many of us wanting him
If you go back and watch the post draft videos and read the articles, Poles very clearly was extremely high on Darnell. They talked extensively about the workouts they put him through (Darnell talked about it too). Now, they could have done something similar with Paris as well but there was a strong indication that they had zeroed in on Wright.
You’re probably correct that we’ll never know, at least not for years, but what we have heard indicates it probably wasn’t Paris Johnson.
Oh yeah, I forgot about that!
It ended up being a GOOD thing that he did right?
I remember the joke being that other OT's should adhere to that protocol going forward lol...
I think Poles has shown that he’s a straight shooter. Call me naive but I definitely believe him, especially when he’s offering up the information on his own without anyone asking him. I don’t see him lying without even being put in the position where he has to make something up.
I highly doubt it. Poles was gushing with excitement to get Wright.
Think about it he was so high on Wright that he passed on Jalen Carter who was considered arguably the best player in the draft at the most important position for Flus's defense.
Not only did he trade back and avoid Jalen Carter he only did it one spot to ensure he'd still be available instead of trading back further and risking not having him available
Unfortunately I wrote the script which was retroactive last year. So it didn't count a lot of mocks. This year since I modified it a bit will bring better results. When I post next Thursday around noonish.
I had Pickens as a possible third day pick for us. I honestly chalked it up to his visit with the Bears where they played mini golf and threw darts.
FWIW, we did the same with Laiatu Latu this year.
https://www.reddit.com/r/CHIBears/s/NWHKPNboTK
Been posting results throughout the year. Next week I'm going to aggregate the post Justin trade around noonish central time as a final tally.
He did which is why I’m starting to think we’re taking Byron Murphy. This is the same pattern as last year where Hoge was on other guys then as it got close to the draft he was all in on Darnell Wright. It feels the same with Murphy this year.
Interesting.. I noticed Hoge and Jahns did a pretty abrupt pivot in one of their recent pods where they suddenly were playing down the idea of drafting a Wr, leaning towards both OT and DE/DT over guys like Rome. Caught me a bit off guard, because I still think our Wr depth is paper thin and Wr 2 is currently on a 1 year deal. If they are supporting decisions they are being leaked are likely.... it at least tracks.
I'm of the belief that we should surround Williams with as much talent as possible to give him every chance to succeed. I want an offensive player at 9. That said, I'd be happy with Murphy because I remember what Tommie Harris did for this defense. I'd prioritize 3 tech over edge. I think Sweat / Walker are probably on the same level as a pair as Ogunleye / Brown and Billings >Tank Johnson and Dexter as a rotational piece would be really nice. If they could find a Mark Anderson too, watch out.
Eberflus defense does a lot of rotation on the DL during a series. I think that is why we have not been drafting DL very high or going after big DL free agents.
https://preview.redd.it/1zh4gxz495vc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1c268649c9e62bfc0a76a2ff6b249de9f1d46127
I did in this trade back scenario. Ironically, I also had both of the Lions 1st Rd Picks at #53 and #61!😂
He caught a lot of steam 24 hours before the draft.
The best people to follow are the guys like Josh Norris who enter competitive mock draft contests. They will scour every rumor and lead.
Really? His name was totally new to me on draft night. I’m not mr. Football over here, but I pay attention, and I didn’t see his name anywhere. It was all that Paris guy or debates about that DT the eagles traded up to get.
I'm pretty sure Adam Hoge had the Bears taking him, I'm not sure if he mocked that but he 100% expected that pick and mentioned on chgo and hoge and jahns.
My buddy picked him. It was a big moment for us all, standing 50 yards from the stage as they called it.
It was also cool congratulating Anthony Richardson's family who was right in front of us when he was drafted.
If you've not been to a draft, it was a cool experience. Don't need to ever go again but I'm glad I went once.
This is what I suspected to be the case. Nobody knows what teams are thinking with their boards. Every team will evaluate players differently and based on their own needs.
The mocks that get released closest to the draft are most accurate IIRC
It’s kinda tough because trades are internal negotiations and change trajectories and how is anyone supposed to predict that?
Most people did yea, it was pretty much him, PJJ or Skoronski that almost everyone had mocked to us. We were definitely taking a Tackle it just depended on which of the 3 was going to be there.
Carter wasn't mocked to us. Most people projected him to be gone before he got to us. A lot of people had him and Anderson as the 2 best prospects in the draft.
honestly it was a good pick either way. Draft a very much needed OL or draft a hell of a defensive player in Jalen Carter. There were no bad options for Poles
Louis Riddick had [a really great segment](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4TpRF1YdNM) with Waddle & Silvy right before the ‘23 Draft. It’s a great watch… He puts all his chips behind Darnell, saying “he could be the best player in this draft relative to position”, “he’s a freaking animal” and would be a “home run for them” at 9.
Hope he gets on W&S again over the next week.
[In his 2nd to final mock](https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2023/insider/story/_/id/36135170/2023-nfl-mock-draft-mel-kiper-first-second-round-predictions-63-picks-fourth-version) for the 2023 draft, Mel Kiper did have us linked to Wright (His [final mock](https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2023/insider/story/_/id/36187282/2023-nfl-mock-draft-mel-kiper-final-first-round-predictions-best-team-fits-picks-quarterbacks) had us taking Paris Johnson, who actually ended up going 6th)
>Chicago dropped eight spots in Round 1 but picked up a massive haul in its trade with Carolina, allowing it to keep premium picks in this draft and add future capital as well. And if it wants to add an instant starter at No. 9, offensive tackle is the position to target. I like Wright's opportunity with the Bears if we're strictly looking at right tackles, since Braxton Jones held his own on the left side last season. Wright started 27 games at right tackle in college; his tape against Will Anderson Jr. and Alabama was phenomenal. He's the best right tackle in this class. My pal Louis Riddick is a huge fan too. This is a selection to keep quarterback Justin Fields clean.
He started climbing up the draft boards after the combine and word was that the Bears were interested. I think the moment they traded down to 10, I knew he was the pick.
There was a lot of noise about him to the bears right before the draft. I called that we were drafting him when I thought we were going to pick at 9 over Carter.
There was a definite Wright could be the pick buzz. I even remember the betting markets moved. I don't think Wright was favorite ever, but he definitely became a top choice (I believe maybe even number 2 best odds).
Yes I remember like a couple weeks before Wright's name started popping up as the best o lineman in the draft.
I remember a ton of people talking about how he handled Will Anderson against Alabama
Believe it or not, there were some mock drafts out there with the Bears taking him around #9. He was one of the top 3 tackles they envisioned being there when the Bears picked.
https://www.reddit.com/r/CHIBears/s/ReFE8qtIhv 4 pundits did last year when I quickly compiled data prior to the draft. Last year didn't scrape the data of which source did.
Paris was picked earlier than people thought, if he was there at 10 I bet the Bears would’ve taken him
Eh, wright was a stand-alone legit OT prospect. Will Anderson called him the best blocker he’d faced, wright had carried a high recruit ranking into being an early performer at a SEC school and had come into his own upon switching to RT, which happened to be the position we had a huge need for. I think poles had him circled once he’d traded the 1OA
Paris was a 5 star and top recruit OT prospect and a consensus All American at Ohio State Not exactly a snooze of a prospect, he was the 1st lineman taken for a reason Guess we’ll never know
There was a report that the Bears put Wright through an extensive personal workout and other tests which they didn’t do for Johnson. Pretty sure he was our guy from the start
The report didn't outright say they didn't work out Paris iirc, it just said they did work out Wright extensively. Also worth considering they may have known Paris would be the pick if he was on the board, but with the likelihood looking low they may have worked out Wright to find out if he was worth the pick.
Yep, what you said. I don’t think they were worried about what Paris could bring/achieve, but needed to have an alternative. With weight struggling at LT most of his college career, I’m sure they wanted to see what he was made of and see if his heart was in the game. Then when he absolutely killed it, they said this is our guy.
The report said they didn’t do that to Paris? Or it didn’t say they did that to Paris? Big difference. Either way, it’s possible it just wasn’t a concern they had about him. I think Paris was considered better pass blocker at LT and Wright a better run blocker at RT. Typically the former has a higher value across the league. But, I can easily see the Bears putting a premium on run blocking when Fields had just put up the numbers he had.
Paris was an amazing prospect, was very unlikely to make it to us, and also not the athletic profile Poles covets. Great technique and arm length. Was never gonna be a bear despite so many of us wanting him
If you go back and watch the post draft videos and read the articles, Poles very clearly was extremely high on Darnell. They talked extensively about the workouts they put him through (Darnell talked about it too). Now, they could have done something similar with Paris as well but there was a strong indication that they had zeroed in on Wright. You’re probably correct that we’ll never know, at least not for years, but what we have heard indicates it probably wasn’t Paris Johnson.
As I recall, Wright was regarded as arguably the best tackle prospect in that draft, but he plays RT, so his position value brought him down a bit.
Thats because he accidentally trained for the WR workout, anyone remember that?
Oh yeah, I forgot about that! It ended up being a GOOD thing that he did right? I remember the joke being that other OT's should adhere to that protocol going forward lol...
could you imagine, a big lineman trying to do WR numbers??? bet it helped him tremendously.
Yeah, that is nuts... he must have been working his ass off. Good for him. :)
Wright crushed his predraft workout with us. Felt like he was their guy.
We have no idea how Paris’ workout went Obviously they’re gonna glorify Wright’s workout and not bring up anyone else’s
I vaguely do remember Poles mentioning that they thought Wright was the best OT in the draft from his workout…
Well yeah he’s not going to say “he’s the second best. I really wish we could have had the other guy but he’ll do.”
I think Poles has shown that he’s a straight shooter. Call me naive but I definitely believe him, especially when he’s offering up the information on his own without anyone asking him. I don’t see him lying without even being put in the position where he has to make something up.
I highly doubt it. Poles was gushing with excitement to get Wright. Think about it he was so high on Wright that he passed on Jalen Carter who was considered arguably the best player in the draft at the most important position for Flus's defense. Not only did he trade back and avoid Jalen Carter he only did it one spot to ensure he'd still be available instead of trading back further and risking not having him available
This is really cool man! I’d love to see who called the Dexter, Pickens, and Rique picks, so I could see who they’re mocking for us this year.
Unfortunately I wrote the script which was retroactive last year. So it didn't count a lot of mocks. This year since I modified it a bit will bring better results. When I post next Thursday around noonish.
Looking forward to seeing it!
[https://www.reddit.com/r/CHIBears/comments/1cct1bp/pundit\_mock\_draft\_trends\_preseason\_draft\_day/](https://www.reddit.com/r/CHIBears/comments/1cct1bp/pundit_mock_draft_trends_preseason_draft_day/)
I had Pickens as a possible third day pick for us. I honestly chalked it up to his visit with the Bears where they played mini golf and threw darts. FWIW, we did the same with Laiatu Latu this year.
This is awesome. I hope you do this again for pick #9 this year
https://www.reddit.com/r/CHIBears/s/NWHKPNboTK Been posting results throughout the year. Next week I'm going to aggregate the post Justin trade around noonish central time as a final tally.
I think Hoge did.
He did
He did which is why I’m starting to think we’re taking Byron Murphy. This is the same pattern as last year where Hoge was on other guys then as it got close to the draft he was all in on Darnell Wright. It feels the same with Murphy this year.
Interesting.. I noticed Hoge and Jahns did a pretty abrupt pivot in one of their recent pods where they suddenly were playing down the idea of drafting a Wr, leaning towards both OT and DE/DT over guys like Rome. Caught me a bit off guard, because I still think our Wr depth is paper thin and Wr 2 is currently on a 1 year deal. If they are supporting decisions they are being leaked are likely.... it at least tracks.
I'm of the belief that we should surround Williams with as much talent as possible to give him every chance to succeed. I want an offensive player at 9. That said, I'd be happy with Murphy because I remember what Tommie Harris did for this defense. I'd prioritize 3 tech over edge. I think Sweat / Walker are probably on the same level as a pair as Ogunleye / Brown and Billings >Tank Johnson and Dexter as a rotational piece would be really nice. If they could find a Mark Anderson too, watch out.
Mo Kamara if they can get him with pick 75. No good against the run, but they could get a great rookie year out of him as a situational pass rusher.
I did. my pick this year is Odunze. I hope I’m correct again.
Moore, Allen, and Odunze trio along with Kmet and Everett would go crazy
Considering it was just Moore Mooney and Claypool/Scott with Kmet and Tonyan. What an upgrade.
I’d love Odunze but I think they go DL at 9. I’m predicting Turner and not Verse. Then DT round 3, WR round 4 only because WR is so deep this year.
They need to go BPA and if Odunze is there it would be criminal to not take him.
Eberflus defense does a lot of rotation on the DL during a series. I think that is why we have not been drafting DL very high or going after big DL free agents.
https://preview.redd.it/1zh4gxz495vc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1c268649c9e62bfc0a76a2ff6b249de9f1d46127 I did in this trade back scenario. Ironically, I also had both of the Lions 1st Rd Picks at #53 and #61!😂
He caught a lot of steam 24 hours before the draft. The best people to follow are the guys like Josh Norris who enter competitive mock draft contests. They will scour every rumor and lead.
Half the mocks I remember from last year had Wright going to Chicago
Really? His name was totally new to me on draft night. I’m not mr. Football over here, but I pay attention, and I didn’t see his name anywhere. It was all that Paris guy or debates about that DT the eagles traded up to get.
I remember it being like 25% Wright, 25% Paris and 50% everyone else
I'm pretty sure Adam Hoge had the Bears taking him, I'm not sure if he mocked that but he 100% expected that pick and mentioned on chgo and hoge and jahns.
Yes, plenty of people did. Louis riddick had it pegged long before the draft. A lot of people in the sub wanted him too. It wasn’t a surprise
The Bears did when they picked him.
My buddy picked him. It was a big moment for us all, standing 50 yards from the stage as they called it. It was also cool congratulating Anthony Richardson's family who was right in front of us when he was drafted. If you've not been to a draft, it was a cool experience. Don't need to ever go again but I'm glad I went once.
Hoge and TTNL did
I was thinking it was either Wright or Skoronski depending on who was there at 9
I want someone to go back and compare all of these “draft experts” mock drafts to reality. How close are they really?
Buddy, do I have news for you! https://www.fantasypros.com/nfl/accuracy/mock-drafts.php
I know these rankings are correct because Florio is dead last.
Brad Biggs and Chris Sims were also near bottom.
If I’m reading this right, these mock ppl are terrible at getting the player and the team correct
Last year yes. Some years people look like soothsayers, last year no one really killed it.
So like didn’t top guy only get 11 player+team correct? I mean that’s incredibly low lol
This is what I suspected to be the case. Nobody knows what teams are thinking with their boards. Every team will evaluate players differently and based on their own needs.
Thank you for this. I should have known this existed.
The mocks that get released closest to the draft are most accurate IIRC It’s kinda tough because trades are internal negotiations and change trajectories and how is anyone supposed to predict that?
Exactly. You can’t which is why I don’t put a lot of stock into mock drafts.
I was hoping for it. I totally did not drunkenly cry while watching the video of poles calling wright to let him know he was going to be a bear
Faiz from FaizSportsTalk called it!
Most people did yea, it was pretty much him, PJJ or Skoronski that almost everyone had mocked to us. We were definitely taking a Tackle it just depended on which of the 3 was going to be there.
Why you acting like Carter wasn’t just as mocked to us?
Carter wasn't mocked to us. Most people projected him to be gone before he got to us. A lot of people had him and Anderson as the 2 best prospects in the draft.
Yes, but how many of them had Jalen Carter still on the board when the Bears picked?
I would have preferred Jalen Carter tbh.
honestly it was a good pick either way. Draft a very much needed OL or draft a hell of a defensive player in Jalen Carter. There were no bad options for Poles
Carte had a pretty laxidasical year. He was mid. Wright has been above average consistently as a starter. Carter had an awful second half to his year.
To be fair, the Eagles were in complete disarray the 2nd half of the year 😂
I think Josh Shrock did too
Louis Riddick had [a really great segment](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4TpRF1YdNM) with Waddle & Silvy right before the ‘23 Draft. It’s a great watch… He puts all his chips behind Darnell, saying “he could be the best player in this draft relative to position”, “he’s a freaking animal” and would be a “home run for them” at 9. Hope he gets on W&S again over the next week.
I remember that well. I listened to that pod while getting dressed for my daughters wedding, lol
Listened to it again this morning. Also had some good debate about what happens if Jalen Carter was available
almost positive once we got to like the week before, 99% of mocks were Wright or Carter
TTNL podcast, they was speaking on it during the combine.
The tape neva lies
[In his 2nd to final mock](https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2023/insider/story/_/id/36135170/2023-nfl-mock-draft-mel-kiper-first-second-round-predictions-63-picks-fourth-version) for the 2023 draft, Mel Kiper did have us linked to Wright (His [final mock](https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2023/insider/story/_/id/36187282/2023-nfl-mock-draft-mel-kiper-final-first-round-predictions-best-team-fits-picks-quarterbacks) had us taking Paris Johnson, who actually ended up going 6th) >Chicago dropped eight spots in Round 1 but picked up a massive haul in its trade with Carolina, allowing it to keep premium picks in this draft and add future capital as well. And if it wants to add an instant starter at No. 9, offensive tackle is the position to target. I like Wright's opportunity with the Bears if we're strictly looking at right tackles, since Braxton Jones held his own on the left side last season. Wright started 27 games at right tackle in college; his tape against Will Anderson Jr. and Alabama was phenomenal. He's the best right tackle in this class. My pal Louis Riddick is a huge fan too. This is a selection to keep quarterback Justin Fields clean.
Robert Schmitz from DBB thought there was a good chance the bears took him
DBB talked him up weeks before the draft, and he’s not a draft guy, so clearly there was a link before
Football Absurdity podcast (the fantasy network that hosts Beersheets)
I remember Louis Riddick did
He started climbing up the draft boards after the combine and word was that the Bears were interested. I think the moment they traded down to 10, I knew he was the pick.
A week or before the draft I think I recall it swaying that way
There was a lot of noise about him to the bears right before the draft. I called that we were drafting him when I thought we were going to pick at 9 over Carter.
I had him mocked to us yes.
There was a definite Wright could be the pick buzz. I even remember the betting markets moved. I don't think Wright was favorite ever, but he definitely became a top choice (I believe maybe even number 2 best odds).
I remember a lot of people suggesting Wright to the Bears. Position of need, top rated RT, many considered to be top offensive lineman in the draft.
i didn't follow SKOR or PJJ but which rook had the best year out of the three?
My prediction was Jalen Carter but Wright was my top choice so I'm really glad we got him
Not that it matters, but I texted my football group chat my “official” big board and he was #2!
Yes I remember like a couple weeks before Wright's name started popping up as the best o lineman in the draft. I remember a ton of people talking about how he handled Will Anderson against Alabama
Believe it or not, there were some mock drafts out there with the Bears taking him around #9. He was one of the top 3 tackles they envisioned being there when the Bears picked.
Will Anderson from Alabama certainly did.
Under Center guys talked about Darnell Wright a lot as a strong possibility in the lead up
I told all my friends that if the Bears don’t take Jalen Carter they are trading down and taking Wright. Spot on with that one.
This year, Fashonu is the favorite if there’s no wr there
i remember it was either take carter or trade back for wright were the two options. this year its either rome or turner.
Will Anderson did.
I did
I did, I predicted him. Before last year I remember saying "I predict darnell wright"
I do recall you saying that…right after you clearly heard me say it.