Alliance... » Who will the Chicago Bears have available to them in

Round 3 Gale Sayers Jersey , and should they draft for need, for value, or simply for overall talent?" />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteWindy City GridironWindy City Gridiron - Being who you thought we were since 2005!Log In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsBearsOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Latest NewsThe Bears DenNotesXs and OsSuperfansFiled under:From The Desk Of...NFL DraftChicago Bears Draft 2019WCG Confidence Board 2.0New,10commentsWho will the Chicago Bears have available to them in Round 3, and should they draft for need, for value, or simply for overall talent?CDTShareTweetShareShareWCG Confidence Board 2.0Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty ImagesThis is a modest update to my confidence board, adding OurLads’ April position rankings and Windy City Gridiron’s own Jacob Infante’s Top 100 board. Most of the other boards available seem to have moved behind a paywall or do not have the desired depth for the scale of the board. To be honest, “mock drafts” are dominating coverage more and more, and as someone who prefers to look at prospects on their own, instead of trying to pretend to read the minds of 32 GMs, I find that trend a little disappointing.A note about how to read the board, which is linked here. The score indicates how close the character gets to a perfect score across all boards (a player who is the #1 prospect on all big boards and the #1 player at his position would have a 100%, and this year that player is Nick Bosa). In the past, a score around 70% has suggested pretty heavily that the player will be drafted in the first two days and/or that the player will make it at least a couple of seasons in the NFL, with at least one of those seasons being played as a starter. Around 50% seems to suggest that the player will be drafted and will probably make it onto a roster at some point. Anything under 30% is basically a roll of the dice.The board can be viewed here [LINK].Drafting for Need?Overall, the consensus seems to be that the Bears will target a running back, and that’s an interesting assumption because it both assumes that the Bears feel that they have a hole at running back and that Pace will build the roster based on holes, instead of what he sees as the best available player. Still, Pace typically drafts a running back somewhere in each draft, so it is likely that he will get to the position eventually. So who will be available?Forty-five running backs have been drafted in the top two rounds over the last ten years, and besides 2016 (when only two were drafted in the first two rounds), at least four running backs go off the boards before Round 3 even starts. That would suggest that if the Bears get a running back http://www.thebearslockerroom.com/authentic-mike-singletary-jersey , it will be only after the top three or four prospects have gone. This new confidence board suggests that Josh Jacobs, Damien Harris, and David Montgomery will have gotten phone calls before Pace makes a pick. Miles Sanders, Darrell Henderson, and Devin Singletary are the only other backs above 20% on the board. I guess I’d be fine with any of them, but I think one of the later rounds is probably a better place to find the next utility piece than at #87.Drafting for Value?I count myself in the group that thinks the Bears need a safety more than they need a running back, and while the two safeties per year are drafted in the first two rounds (on average), that doesn’t count the total number of “defensive backs” taken per Pro Football Reference. Still, the fact remains that corners are more valued than safeties, and so it’s possible that the #3 or #4 safety in the draft will still be around when Pace can make a move. That means Adderly (71%) and Rapp (69%) are almost certainly gone, but Thornhill, Gardner-Johnson, and Thompson might be around. That feels overly optimistic, because even though these players are out of the top three in their position, they are still in the top fifty or so on the overall board. The depth of the safety position in this draft, however, means that Abram, Savage, or Hooker might all still be options, even after Round 3. Those players might represent the best value, as they are well-liked by scouts even if other positions like tackle, quarterback, and receiver are attracting more attention. This year Womens Dick Butkus Jersey , there seem to be a lot of quality tight ends and the Bears are probably set at that position. This means that they might be able to get a higher-quality player at another deep position by taking advantage of a run on other groups.Needing to Reach?The best five EDGE rushers are almost certainly going to be gone by the time the Bears draft. They carry scores above 80%, and they play at a premium position. If Bosa, Burns, Allen, Ferrell, or Sweat fall in reach, I hope Pace can snag one of them. However, there is a dramatic fall-off after that point. Winovich, Ximines, and Ferguson all seem like interesting prospects here. The “pivot” if you will is Jachai Polite, who checks the boxes physically but who has some questions surrounding his mental readiness. He has almost 45% of a perfect score, which in years past would suggest that he will probably be drafted, and that he will probably make it at least a season or two in the NFL on talent alone, so long as he doesn’t wash out mentally.Last ThoughtsRyan Pace is going to draft his way. If on Friday he gives up 2020 picks to move up into the second round to draft a tackle, I will not be surprised. However, third-rounders end up as starters a little less than half of the time. They end up as multi-year starters even less. From a purely mechanical basis, this will not probably not hold up for the Bears. Because football teams always need new talent and because the Bears will not have higher picks to take open spots, then players will be forced into starting roles even if they normally would not qualify. However, the available talent in this draft suggests that Pace will have to be creative. That’s okay, because whomever is drafted will be playing on the same team as Khalil Mack, and that’s a heck of an advantage for a new player to enter the league with. It has become a familiar refrain for Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy.Nagy has often repeated the words "nothing new" over the past 3陆 weeks regarding contract talks with first-round draft pick Roquan Smith, and the situation remains status quo.Nagy's first training camp with the Bears concluded Sunday, and it remains uncertain when defensive coordinator Vic Fangio can plug the former Georgia linebacker into the lineup.And that's not the Bears' only problem as they head into a week of practices in Denver before playing the Broncos on Saturday in their third preseason game.Asked Sunday if missing all of camp would limit Smith's ability to be defensive field general on opening day William Perry Jersey , Nagy did not mince words."I think it does," Nagy said. "You're playing at that position and there are a lot of calls that go on, very similar to a quarterback, there's a lot going on. But I have full confidence in Vic and his staff that when he does get here, they'll get him up to speed and whenever that is, we'll see."But again, that's why we all get paid as coaches is to try to help our players out as much as possible and that's kind of where we're at."Neither the Bears nor Smith's agents have openly discussed the reason for the standoff.The Chicago Tribune reported that the sticking point in talks is the Bears' refusal to give up the right to reclaim some of Smith's guaranteed bonus if he is suspended for an on-field rules violation outside the parameters of a football play.Smith is the only unsigned player in the 2018 NFL draft class. The Bears haven't had Smith around since their June minicamp."I think he knows that he's to be in shape," Nagy said. "I think he knows that."The Bears have two veteran inside linebackers on the field in Danny Trevathan and Nick Kwiatkoski, so they're not short on experience.Players say they've avoided turning the holdout into a distraction."It's pretty easy," defensive end Akiem Hicks said. "I mean, we can't make him appear out of nowhere. You play with what you got and go forward."Their other big problem revolves around the offense.Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky struggled in the new offense with interceptions in practice, then went 2 for 4 for 4 yards in his first effort against Cincinnati in a 30-27 loss Thursday night."It's not rocket science to know that we need to be better in that," Nagy said. "It's my job to make sure am I calling the right plays. It's their job to make sure they execute when they get those plays to come in."Wide receiver Allen Robinson and wide receiver Taylor Gabriel did not play Thursday or in the Hall of Fame game against the Ravens that kicked off the NFL's preseason. Also absent was starting running back Jordan Howard.Robinson called camp a successful indoctrination to a complicated attack."I think it was really big for us, for us to stay around close to each other, to have those conversations not only in the film room, but outside, just talking about different looks and seeing different things," Robinson said. "I think it was very beneficial for us, as well as going against the defense."We have a top-10 defense in this league and they give us a lot of different looks and they challenge us each and every day, presnap and post-snap."The other issue the Bears are facing coming out of camp is that injuries have begun piling up.Cornerback Prince Amukamara is out with a groin injury and tight end Dion Sims is out with a concussion. Gabriel has a foot injury and has been out a week.Outside linebacker Aaron Lynch was counted on to be a starter after leaving San Francisco in free agency but hasn't participated in a single practice due to a hamstring injury."We're not concerned," Nagy said. "He's OK with where he's at. It has drawn out a little bit. There were a few setbacks there a little bit ago, but he's back on track and he'll be ready to go."