Chicago Bears Q&A: What’s a 1st-round scenario that’s under the radar? Is there a competition for QB2?

If it’s April, it must be time for football. The Chicago Bears are back on the practice field this week, and the NFL draft is two weeks away.

With four picks in the top 72, including No. 10, the possibilities for the Bears appear almost limitless. The Tribune’s Brad Biggs hashes out some of them in this week’s Bears mailbag.

QUESTION: Is there a possibility for Ryan Poles and the Bears with the 10th pick that hasn’t been discussed over and over? — Tim S., Rolling Meadows

ANSWER: If you look hard enough, you probably can find every scenario — however plausible — dissected in every direction. As I’ve said before, a trade up seems unlikely. If you believe the strength of the draft is on Day 2 or in the middle rounds, you’d better feel unbelievably certain the price to move up is fair and the player you’re moving to get is elite. The trade-down scenario has been covered at length, but who knows if there would be a deal to be made? Remember, if most teams are like-minded, they might be reluctant to flip third- or fourth-round picks to move up?

One possibility I’ve wondered about is the Bears using the 10th pick on a cornerback. I’m not suggesting it’s likely, but if you’re going strictly with the best player available, is there a chance the second-best cornerback in this draft would be the most talented player when their turn comes around? Colorado’s Travis Hunter, the super-talented cornerback and wide receiver, will be long gone before the Bears pick, but Michigan’s Will Johnson and Texas’ Jahdae Barron could be available at No. 10. If the Bears really like them — and have them graded above options closer to the line of scrimmage — you could make a case for choosing a cornerback there.

If the Bears get a top cornerback in the draft, they would have someone to pair with Jaylon Johnson and instantly have one of the better tandems in the league. There’s no such thing as too much depth at cornerback, and that could allow Tyrique Stevenson to become a depth piece. Again, I’m not saying to expect this. You asked if there’s a scenario that hasn’t been discussed over and over.

Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell is also intriguing. He has a ton of athleticism, but if the Bears extend T.J. Edwards’ contract, would they have a real need there to justify the selection? It’s at least another possibility to bounce around.

QUESTION: What does success look like between now and entering training camp for Caleb Williams? What do we want to see when it is the first training camp in August that as a fan makes you say, “There’s a Year 2 jump”? — Steven, Falls Church, Va.

ANSWER: You’re looking for a variety of things, starting with a basic understanding of the offense and the presnap machinations. The Detroit Lions were fifth in the league last season in using presnap motion (the Bears ranked 19th), and assuming that’s a big part of what Ben Johnson wants to do, that puts considerable pressure on Williams and the rest of the offense to be detailed and locked in.

That takes time on task, and we’ll see what it looks like in early August. Can Williams get in and out of the huddle crisply, get to the line of scrimmage and execute the snap without repetitive delays? That, to me, is the first big hurdle to clear and something he and the team will work to nail down this spring.

Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams wants to be pushed. New coach Ben Johnson is eager to do so.

Second, I’d be looking for production in seven-on-seven drills. These are series heavily tilted in favor of the offense. There’s no pass rush. Throwing windows should be clear and defined. It doesn’t represent real football, but the Bears offense has been mostly terrible in seven-on-seven for I don’t know how many summers now. The ball has been on the ground too often with incomplete passes. There have been way, way too many check-downs. Rarely has the offense just sliced up the defense in seven-on-seven.

That’s why I’ve been tepid — at best — about the outlook for the offense by the time September rolls around each year. I’ve seen the offense struggle in seven-on-seven and it has been a precursor of things to come. Contrary to the opinion of some, it’s not always a sign that the defense will be awesome.

This isn’t to say that if the Bears offense all of a sudden is productive in seven-on-seven settings, the passing game would be cleared for takeoff. But it would be a good sign and very well could signal significant improvement. This isn’t all on Williams, but he’s the biggest piece to it. So pay attention to seven-on-seven and if there’s a real difference from what we’ve seen since Jay Cutler was playing quarterback for the Bears.

QUESTION: Do NFL scouts have specific positions that they specialize in while scouting college players? For example, is there a scout that specializes or focuses on linebackers or tight ends, etc.? — T.H., Chicago

ANSWER: That’s a good question. The short answer is no, they do not assign specific scouts to certain positions, not at the beginning of the process anyway. Every team does things a little bit differently, and I will use the Bears’ current structure as an example.

They have six area scouts to cover the country for college football. They’re responsible for generating reports on schools in their region, a process that involves multiple trips into most major programs. Above the area scouts are two national scouts — Brendan Rehor and John Syty — director of college scouting Breck Ackley, assistant director of college scouting Francis Saint Paul and Jeff Shiver, an executive scout who has been with the organization since 1987. With Rehor and Syty crisscrossing the country and Ackley, Saint Paul and Shiver making the rounds, the Bears wind up having two and often three sets of eyes make it to see major programs and even smaller schools with prospects of interest.

General manager Ryan Poles, assistant GM Ian Cunningham, senior director of player personnel Jeff King and director of player personnel Trey Koziol are also on the road. As the process unfolds, teams will have scouts crosscheck some prospects with tape, and that’s when they might ask a certain evaluator who is strong at a certain position to analyze a group of players. In the end, everyone sees the players on film, and a good handful of evaluators will see the players on campus or in games.

QUESTION: What does success look like between now and entering training camp for Caleb Williams? What do we want to see when it is the first training camp in August that as a fan makes you say, “There’s a Year 2 jump”? — Steven, Falls Church, Va.

ANSWER: You’re looking for a variety of things, starting with a basic understanding of the offense and the presnap machinations. The Detroit Lions were fifth in the league last season in using presnap motion (the Bears ranked 19th), and assuming that’s a big part of what Ben Johnson wants to do, that puts considerable pressure on Williams and the rest of the offense to be detailed and locked in.

That takes time on task, and we’ll see what it looks like in early August. Can Williams get in and out of the huddle crisply, get to the line of scrimmage and execute the snap without repetitive delays? That, to me, is the first big hurdle to clear and something he and the team will work to nail down this spring.

Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams wants to be pushed. New coach Ben Johnson is eager to do so.

Second, I’d be looking for production in seven-on-seven drills. These are series heavily tilted in favor of the offense. There’s no pass rush. Throwing windows should be clear and defined. It doesn’t represent real football, but the Bears offense has been mostly terrible in seven-on-seven for I don’t know how many summers now. The ball has been on the ground too often with incomplete passes. There have been way, way too many check-downs. Rarely has the offense just sliced up the defense in seven-on-seven.

That’s why I’ve been tepid — at best — about the outlook for the offense by the time September rolls around each year. I’ve seen the offense struggle in seven-on-seven and it has been a precursor of things to come. Contrary to the opinion of some, it’s not always a sign that the defense will be awesome.

This isn’t to say that if the Bears offense all of a sudden is productive in seven-on-seven settings, the passing game would be cleared for takeoff. But it would be a good sign and very well could signal significant improvement. This isn’t all on Williams, but he’s the biggest piece to it. So pay attention to seven-on-seven and if there’s a real difference from what we’ve seen since Jay Cutler was playing quarterback for the Bears.

QUESTION: Do NFL scouts have specific positions that they specialize in while scouting college players? For example, is there a scout that specializes or focuses on linebackers or tight ends, etc.? — T.H., Chicago

ANSWER: That’s a good question. The short answer is no, they do not assign specific scouts to certain positions, not at the beginning of the process anyway. Every team does things a little bit differently, and I will use the Bears’ current structure as an example.

They have six area scouts to cover the country for college football. They’re responsible for generating reports on schools in their region, a process that involves multiple trips into most major programs. Above the area scouts are two national scouts — Brendan Rehor and John Syty — director of college scouting Breck Ackley, assistant director of college scouting Francis Saint Paul and Jeff Shiver, an executive scout who has been with the organization since 1987. With Rehor and Syty crisscrossing the country and Ackley, Saint Paul and Shiver making the rounds, the Bears wind up having two and often three sets of eyes make it to see major programs and even smaller schools with prospects of interest.

General manager Ryan Poles, assistant GM Ian Cunningham, senior director of player personnel Jeff King and director of player personnel Trey Koziol are also on the road. As the process unfolds, teams will have scouts crosscheck some prospects with tape, and that’s when they might ask a certain evaluator who is strong at a certain position to analyze a group of players. In the end, everyone sees the players on film, and a good handful of evaluators will see the players on campus or in games.

“Let’s say cornerback is a need and, at minimum, I need a draft pick to come in and be able to challenge a player we already have for a starting spot,” he said. “In a perfect world, he wins the job. And let’s say the cornerbacks on my board have lower grades than a handful of players at other positions where the perceived need — my perception as well as yours — isn’t as great.

“I go ahead and draft a cornerback that has a lower grade than I have on a linebacker, a wide receiver, a guard, whatever positions. I get credit right away and it’s a good draft pick because I filled the need — the perceived need — with that pick. But credit right after the draft has ended is meaningless. You know that and I know that. The cornerback comes in. He’s not good enough to challenge for the starting job and he turns into a depth piece that we try to get time on special teams. Two years later, I have the same need at cornerback. The player I drafted, the one with the lower grade, didn’t fill the need and I’m in the same position.

“Had I drafted a player with a higher grade, that perceived need for a cornerback might still be there in two years, or probably in that time I found another way to enhance the position. But the player with the higher grade is playing good football and helping us win, and two years later I made a good pick even though I bypassed a player at the position where there was need.”

QUESTION: Could safety be in play at No. 10? Jaquan Brisker has concussion issues and is in the final year of his contract. Kevin Byard’s age and contract is also a factor. Would the Bears take a chance at Nick Emmanwori or Malaki Starks there? It’s high for the position but clearly a need. Emmanwori is so big and fast, he could play nickel linebacker. — @themaxconnor1

ANSWER: There has been an awful lot of hand-wringing over the depth at safety, and while there’s no question it’s a position that warrants attention in the draft, some of the concern has been overblown. As impressive as South Carolina’s Emmanwori and Georgia’s Starks are, No. 10 seems too high for a safety in this class. If the Bears absolutely love one of them, I suppose they could make a case for it. But when you insert “need” into the equation, which you have done, you can make a stronger case the Bears have greater needs on the offensive and defensive lines if they’re going to continue fortifying the roster from the inside out.

Mike Brown is the highest-drafted safety by the Bears in the last 25 drafts, selected 39th in Round 2 in 2000. The Bears have taken two other safeties in the second round in that span: Danieal Manning 42nd in 2006 and Brisker 48th in 2022. I’m confident they’re taking a close look at the position, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they wind up with a safety on Day 2 of the draft. If they do that, they’ve added competition for a starting job and depth. A safety in Round 1 would be a surprise.


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