The sweet smell of Draft Day is in the air people. Can I get an amen!! Draft Day is probably the first day of the new calendar year that you convince yourself it’s football season again. Colleges have all wrapped up spring ball, and now the NFL gets to mold their locker room’s before we head in to the dog days of summer. In my opinion, I think Draft Day is probably one of the top 5 most emotional days of the 365 day calendar. Your heart is either getting filled up with joy, hope, and optimism or it’s getting filled up anger, sorrow, and sadness. The great thing about being a Bears fan is that we have mastered the whole anger, sorrow, and sadness thing. That’s a feeling we know all too well. That being said, it’s a new year and a new team, so let’s keep morale up as long as we can. I’m going to do my best to be your guide throughout draft day and draft weekend. Go in to this piece with an open mind, and trust in what I’ve got to say. This draft can go so many directions, so I’m going to try and prepare you for all of them. So, without further ado, on we go.

What Have I Missed During the Off season?

Ok, so a vast majority of you probably aren’t up to speed on the current state of the team, so let’s just do a little catching up.

Jay Cutler is not our Quarterback anymore . It’ll go down as the ultimate “What If” decade in franchise history. He will statistically go down as the best quarterback the Bears have ever had, but unfortunately the wins weren’t there. The coaching turonver, the player turnover, the bad management, that’s all to blame. Jay was the ultimate scapegoat for fans and national media. When in doubt, blame Cutler. That was everyone’s mentality. Right or wrong, what’s done is done, and we’ve moved on.

. It’ll go down as the ultimate “What If” decade in franchise history. He will statistically go down as the best quarterback the Bears have ever had, but unfortunately the wins weren’t there. The coaching turonver, the player turnover, the bad management, that’s all to blame. Jay was the ultimate scapegoat for fans and national media. When in doubt, blame Cutler. That was everyone’s mentality. Right or wrong, what’s done is done, and we’ve moved on. Alshon is gone . In the National Football League, the best ability is availability. We weren’t going to pay him a King’s ransom so that by week 4 he would be out with another hamstring injury. Our two best offensive plays the past decade have been “just give the ball to Matt Forte” and “Chuck it up somewhere near Alshon and pray he comes down with it.” It sucks he’s gone, but it was the right move.

. In the National Football League, the best ability is availability. We weren’t going to pay him a King’s ransom so that by week 4 he would be out with another hamstring injury. Our two best offensive plays the past decade have been “just give the ball to Matt Forte” and “Chuck it up somewhere near Alshon and pray he comes down with it.” It sucks he’s gone, but it was the right move. We paid this guy actual United States of America currency to play Quarterback for us this season.

We also paid this guy actual United State of America currency to play backup Quarterback for us this season.

I don’t want to talk about Mike Glennon and Mark Sanchez because I want to make it through this without breaking my computer. Moving on

The Bears Have The Number 3 Overall Pick

Let’s set the record straight, because I know what a lot of you are thinking. “Oh wow, we got the number 3 pick! That’s so lucky!” No, no, and no. I’m going to say this as bland and straightforward as I possibly can. The Bears are picking number 3 because we are a bad football team. We didn’t get unlucky, we just aren’t good. Last season was arguably the easiest schedule in the history of the franchise and we are sitting here with the number 3 pick. That’s not a coincidence people. The one plus side of Draft Day is that it’s the one day a year that rewards the teams that stink. We won 3 games last year, did not win one game on the road, and finished last place in the division. But, like I said earlier, new year new attitude. Super Bowl or bust in 2017, and it starts with the 3rd overall pick on Thursday night.

What Does This Team Need?

From all the data I’ve collected, I’ve concluded these are the major areas of need for this football team.

Quarterback

Wide Receiver

Tight End

Offensive Line

Defensive Line

Linebacker

Cornerback

Safety

Punter

Kicker

So we basically need help at every single position but one. And if Jordan Howard gets hurt, I’m on a fast track to a brutal state of depression. In all seriousness, this team needs help everywhere. In my opinion, when you are in a rebuild, you don’t even look at your team depth chart to make a top 5 draft pick. You simply just pick the best football player that you believe is available. Who cares what we have at certain positions, you want to make your team better than get better players. Just take the best football player available in every round of this draft.

If I had to guess I think Ryan Pace is going to prioritize defense in a big way. Maybe not at 3, but in the middle and later rounds I think he’ll lean towards rebuilding the defense, specifically up front and in the back end. Rebuild the Monsters, get your culture back, and go from there. Charles Tillman was a 2nd round pick, Lance Briggs was a 3rd round pick, and Nathan Vasher was a 4th round pick. Rebuild the defense in any round you can, they might just turn out to be Hall of Famers.

The Million Dollar Question: Who to Take at Number 3

Let’s not sugar coat this. Ryan Pace is making the biggest decision of his short tenure on Thursday night. Who does he take at 3? What direction does he want to go? Ryan Pace wasn’t even born the last time the Bears held a pick as high as 3, and now here he is calling the shots. I’m going to do my best to walk through what I believe to be his thought process. This would be my best guess as to what he’s thinking right now.

Corner back : 10% Chance

I think that in his mind he bought himself some time on getting a young, lock-down corner at 3 when he signed Prince Amukamara and Marcus Cooper this off-season. I think bringing two veteran guys in to help out at corner was simply him just buying himself some time. If somebody asks him why he didn’t go corner, he’s got those signings to fall back on.

Now, in the event he does go corner, you want to hear the name Marshon Lattimore out of Ohio State. Long, fast, physical. It’s amazing how much better a defense becomes when you have a guy who can lock down one side of the field. I don’t think this is the direction he goes, but if he does you want Lattimore.

(Also, got to consider the Midwest background. You don’t just roll out of bed and play in Bear Weather. You were born in it, molded by it. Love this aspect about Lattimore)

Safety: 25% Chance

I won’t be surprised if he drafts Jamal Adams because my man is a STUD. I’d say that Adams is probably the safest player in the draft quite honestly. Simple formula here people: You want a big-hitting, tone-setting, fast safety who plays downhill, we’re going to the SEC. Adams is an LSU product, and he’s an extremely smart football player to go along with all of the physical intangibles. This was the first play of the game against Alabama this year and he completely anticipates where Jalen Hurts is going with this ball as he picks it off.

The last franchise safety the Bears had? Mike Brown. I wouldn’t mind a franchise safety that can protect the middle of the field against Aaron Rodgers.

Defensive Line : 25% Chance

This would make a lot of sense. And if we’re going D-Line, we are going straight to the big fella down in Tuscaloosa. Meet Jonathan Allen

The prototype 3-4 defensive lineman. Can play inside, can play outside, can stop the run, can rush the passer. Jonathan Allen makes so much sense for Vic Fangio it almost makes too much sense. If Pace goes the D-Line route, I want Nick Saban’s finest.

Quarterback: 40% Chance

Here’s my pick. Ryan Pace is going quarterback at #3. More specifically, Ryan Pace is going with Deshaun Watson at 3. Deshaun Watson is going to be the future of the Chicago Bears, and I’m all in on it.

I’ve got this theory. And I’ve said it to so many people that they all probably want to punch me in the face by now, but for better or worse it’s the theory that I’ve come to. I truly believe the greatest measuring stick of judging somebody’s potential is how they did against Nick Saban. Yes, I love Nick Saban, so I may have a little bit of bias. Yes, I do think that we are just wasting Nick Saban’s overall human talents by making him coach college football. I think if we gave Nick Saban some big political role he would do better than anybody in that position right now. That’s what I think of Nick Saban, and I think he’s the greatest measuring stick of how great a player is.

Nick Saban has won 4 of the last 7 National Championships. Those three years that he didn’t win it he was stopped by Cam Newton, Ezekiel Elliott, and Deshaun Watson. Two years ago, Cam Newton was the MVP of the National Football League. This year, Ezekiel Elliott ran for over 1600 yards in his rookie season and led the NFL in rushing yards. You could say those two guys are doing just fine playing on Sunday’s and I think there is a direct correlation to how they played against Nick Saban.

Deshaun Watson was absolutely magnificent in that National Championship game. He checks all of Ryan Pace’s boxes and I think that he’s going to be a star one day in the NFL. I think Ryan Pace goes with Watson, and I support it 100%. Hit it Dabo.

Defcon 5

If the phrase “And with the 3rd pick, of the 2017 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears selct, Mitchell Trubisky, Quarterback, North Carolina” out of Roger’s mouth, then we are burning Halas Hall to ashes. The Mitchell Trubisky hype is the biggest joke in the world. I’m going to take a guy who started 13 college games, went 8-5, and lost the Sun Bowl to build my franchise around?! Get out of my face. I don’t care if the guy looks like Hercules, we burn Halas Hall to the ground if Pace goes with Trubisky.

So…

If we hear the names Jamal Adams, Marshon Lattimore, or Jonathan Allen, golf clap. We did the right thing, got a top notch defensive player, rebuild the defense. Nobody’s going to be mad about any of these three. Get the Monsters back, fine by me.

If we hear the name Deshaun Watson, give me your best Tiger fist pump in your living room.

Guy is the real deal. I’m all in on Deshaun Watson.

If we hear the name Mitchell Trubisky, grab the pitchforks and meet me at Halas Hall.

It’s going to either be a great night, or a brutal night. Knowing how the world works, the Bears usually don’t do the logical thing so it’s more than likely going to be all bad. Shea McCellin 2.0 coming in HOT at number 3 baby. Ughhhh I hate this team, there is a 100% chance they mess this up.

Just get the best player you think is available at 3, and then add depth throughout the draft. And if all shit hits the fan and Ryan Pace is scrambling to find an answer, just let Kevin Costner guide you home. Vontae Mack, lock of the century. Bear down