April has finally arrived, the NFL Draft is just more than three weeks away, and I’ve got some more questions to answer for another CHGO Bears offseason mailbag.
With the first few waves of free agency in the rearview mirror and with the offseason course charted through Green Bay for the draft on April 24-26, I thought I’d take a crack at answering whatever questions you guys had regarding the offseason to this point and whose name we might hear called on the first night at Lambeau Field.
The good news for the Bears? They’re already undefeated in Green Bay in 2025.
Let’s dive in:
Diehard Discord user MrFerrier wants to know: Is there any demonstrable correlation between a general manager and head coach working in their first draft together and how the players drafted in that year measure up to expectations?
Short answer? No.
I’m sure you could find a correlation to back up whatever argument you’d like to make on the subject, but the reality is that every situation is different. No two executives, coaches and draft prospects are alike. Sometimes, you hire Matt Eberflus, and sometimes, you hire Ben Johnson.
Yes, Johnson hasn’t actually proven anything as an NFL head coach, but I still think the comparison is applicable.
Just for fun, let’s run through the exercise.
In 2018, Chicago paired first-time head coach Matt Nagy with fourth-year general manager Ryan Pace, who had traded up to draft quarterback Mitchell Trubisky with the No. 2 overall pick a year earlier.
With Nagy, Pace selected Roquan Smith in the first round, James Daniels and Anthony Miller with a pair of second-rounders, and LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe, DT Bilal Nichols, DE Kylie Fitts, and WR Javon Wims on the third day of the draft.
Smith developed into a three-time All-Pro, Daniels has put together a formidable career, and Miller and Nichols are still around the NFL. Overall, Nagy’s first draft could’ve been worse.
Now, let’s look at 2022 when the Bears paired first-time head coach Matt Eberflus with first-time general manager Ryan Poles:
Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker in the second round, Velus Jones Jr. in the third, and Braxton Jones, Dominique Robinson, Zachary Thomas, Trestan Ebner, Doug Kramer, Ja’Tyre Carter, Elijah Hicks, and Trenton Gill on day three.
Not too shabby but with room for improvement.
My point is that without weighing the staff, the front office, and the talent in a given year, it’s tough to draw a meaningful correlation.
Or maybe the correlation is that “just okay” draft classes give a pretty decent indication as to how the coach’s tenure might go.
Gary asked: Why is Mason Graham overrated, and why will he only be a solid contributor and not some superstar?
Seems like you’ve got a narrative, Gary. I respect it.
I’ll say this: I don’t think Graham is as overrated as some seem to think. He was dominant at times with Michigan at college, and he was a massive difference-maker on the Wolverines’ national championship defensive front two seasons ago.
Last year was a down year pretty much across the board for Michigan prospects after Jim Harbaugh bolted for the pros and Sherrone Moore took over in Ann Arbor.
His size has raised concerns among some scouts — particularly his hand size and arm length — but if you happened to hear Adam Hoge’s exclusive one-on-one interview with head coach Ben Johnson from Monday’s CHGO Bears show, Johnson had an interesting answer on striking a balance between watching tape and studying pre-draft measurables:
“I love watching the tape without knowing anything. To me, that’s the most important indicator of whether the guy can play football or not.
“As you’re watching tape, if concerns arise about getting long-armed on the perimeter because it shows up more for tackles that you have these long-armed edge rushers sticking out, and if you can’t anchor and it becomes a consistent problem, then yeah, I’ll look at arm length and see if it fact-checks or not.
“But the tape, to me, is more important than the measurables.”
Going back to the first question, this answer alone should give anybody hope that this draft class will be something more than “just okay”.
Miller wants to know how badly I want a playmaker with the No. 10 pick. He added, “And why is it Tyler Warren?”
I’m a sucker for a skill position player in the early stages of the draft. Whether that’s Ashton Jeanty or Tyler Warren, I’m on board.
That’s the surprising luxury that Chicago has somehow afforded, thanks to Poles’ offseason plan of attack. “Best player available” truly is on the table, and that could be Tyler Warren.
Warren isn’t garnering the same pre-draft hype as Brock Bowers last offseason, but that shouldn’t matter to anybody watching the tape. Versatile, not just at his native position but spread around the field, Warren should be on every big board.
As for playmakers like Jeanty, I’ve been of the mindset that while your average draftable running back is also extremely replaceable at the expiration of a rookie deal, that rule doesn’t apply to elite running backs. Jeanty, to the untrained eye, fits the criteria of an elite back.
Look around the NFL: Saquon Barkley’s presence propelled Philadelphia to a Super Bowl victory, and Jahmyr Gibbs helped get Ben Johnson a head coaching gig two months ago. Guys like Jeremy Langford proved serviceable for a time but weren’t changing coaching trajectories, either.
The big worry is that Jeanty won’t be around by the time the Bears are on the clock. In that case, we’ll just have to wait to see how the rest of the board shakes out before I throw my full support behind Warren.
Then again, maybe listen to Johnson talk about Warren with Hoge and disregard anything I’ve said.
“He’s the definition of a football player.”
Johnson added, “Dennis Allen [spoke] up about how much of a headache it would be to go against a player like that. Not only is he a tenacious football player, [but] he blocks [and] runs hard.
“The fact that you could put him in the backfield and do some wildcat with him, he felt like that was unique and would give him issues as a defensive coordinator.”
Ryan asked, “Do you think the Bears draft a left tackle at No. 10 and make Braxton Jones a swing tackle?
If the left tackle is Will Campbell, then I think there’s definitely a possibility. The tackle depth in the draft is there, but it’s not riddled with day-one-starting talent, either. Jones is most likely your guy covering Caleb Williams’ blindside in 2025, barring a setback in the left tackle’s recovery process from an ankle fracture suffered in December.
He’s out of the walking boot, and keeping Jones in the starter’s role doesn’t prohibit the Bears from selecting tackle help early in the draft.
That said, if Jones is called upon to operate as a swing tackle, I’m sure he’d attack that challenge and demotion well. There are few players putting the team ahead of themselves like Jones has since coming to Chicago as a fifth-round pick in 2022.
Ryan asked another: What are the chances Kaleb Johnson will last on the board until the second round?
I’d say pretty high. Johnson just isn’t getting the same buzz as a few other running back prospects in the draft. Omarion Hampton leapfrogged Johnson a while back, but again, the tape doesn’t lie.
If Kaleb Johnson is available when the Bears are back on the clock in the second round, and assuming they haven’t already drafted Ashton Jeanty, I wouldn’t be shocked (or opposed) if he were Poles’ pick.
That also leads into the next question…
Another smart, handsome Patrick asked: What’s the likelihood that the Bears would trade D’Andre Swift and draft two running backs? I would personally love to see Cam Skattebo plus a speed back in Ben Johnson’s offense.
I think Swift is here to stay at this point, Pat.
Trading Swift with a post-June 1st designation could theoretically clear up some dough, but I think Ben Johnson is genuinely interested in working with Swift with a revamped offensive line. I’m sure Swift shares a similar sentiment, too.
But the idea behind the idea is an interesting one to explore, especially if Jeanty is the guy, after all. I have a hard time seeing Skattebo in Chicago because I don’t know if the two-back draft class works with a couple of fliers and mid-round question marks.
If Ryan Poles is drafting a second running back, I think it’s a complementary guy to pair with an early-round splash. Then again, for as strong as this year’s running back draft class has been heralded, there are also a few potential game-changers coming out of college next season, like Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love.
Maybe Jeanty + Devin Neal, Donovan Edwards, or Jaydon Blue intrigues Poles, but I just don’t see it happening this offseason.
Miller had another just before the buzzer: Who was a draft crush of yours that ended up drafted by the Bears, and why were you crushing so hard?
Austin Booker. It might seem like recency bias, but it’s true. As a former Jayhawk, I’ve spent several hours watching lots of Kansas football, and Booker stood out against Big 12 offensive linemen every single week.
He’s a guy that draft experts predicted would’ve likely become an early day two pick had he elected to return to school. But Booker thought leaving for the pros was the right choice to make.
Alas, when Poles picked Tory Taylor in the fourth round of last year’s draft, I found myself a little bummed that Booker wouldn’t be a Bear. Then, just a few minutes later, Chicago traded into the fifth round and selected the former Jayhawk and Golden Gopher.
It hasn’t been all peaches and roses for Booker since joining the Bears, and this could be a make-or-break season for the second-year pass rusher, but I’m not giving up on the development of a developmental project just yet. Rock Chalk.
