Round 1, Pick 11: TE Gee Scott from The Ohio State University. 59 overall TE with 88 speed. No sugarcoating it this is not what the Bears had hoped for with this pick, but there are some silver linings to be found. The speed helps a ton, and Scott has a great chance at a dev. TE is one of those positions that overall doesn’t matter as much so Scott will be able to play from day 1. D+
Round 1, Pick 12: DT Damon Payne from Alabama. 76 overall that the Bears hope to provide a boost to a very weak DL from a year ago. A good player at a position of need. B+
Round 1, Pick 31: Smael Mondon from Georgia. 71 overall MLB with 89 speed. The Bears LBs from a season ago might be the worst position group in PML history. Mondon brings great speed to the middle of the defense, but his lack of change of direction fails to make him a top tier user. He will still be a day 1 starter with solid speed and coverage ability. B-
Round 2, Pick 9: RE Clayton Smith from Oklahoma. 75 overall with balanced power and speed rushing capabilities. Another piece added to the revamped Bears front 7, hoping to bring some pass rush across from Carl Lawson. Not a burner off the edge but will get up to speed quickly with 89 acceleration. Another day 1 starter for the Bears. A-
Round 2, Pick 12: QB Michael Penix from Washington. 71 Overall QB. The Bears moved on from Justin Fields so they took a shot here on Penix who has the slinger 1 throw animation. Unfortunately Penix has paranoid sense of pressure so it seems he will be a backup. B-
Round 2, Pick 23: HB Brandon Thomas from Memphis. 64 Overall HB. The Bears knew coming in to the draft that they needed a RB and they wanted a fast one. Thomas has 92 speed, but there were faster options on the board. Thomas is still expected to be the starter, but there may be some growing pains with his low carrying rating. C-
Round 2, Pick 31:LG Aki Ogunbiyi from Texas A&M. A solid Guard with low strength. He will need to work on run blocking to become a positive guard in Chicago, but fills a need and with 3/5 of the bears offensive line looking like they will not return next year he has a place to play in the future. B
Round 3, pick 12: DT Mike Hall Jr. from The Ohio State University. Not much of an impact player from the beginning, but he has a solid chance at a dev since he was an award winner and on the national champs. B
Overall class grade: B-. The Bears came out of the draft with 6 likely day 1 starters, but there was meat left on the bone in this class. I do think that this is a step in the right direction, but now its up to the coaching staff to make it work. p
