Windy City Gridiron
Greg Gabriel shares where the Bears likely are in their draft prep.
The NFL Draft is 11 days away, so what’s the next step for teams’ Personnel departments as they prepare for this year’s Draft?
I don’t know exactly how Ryan Poles and Company do their prep, but from my experience, their Draft Board will be just about set and will probably be completed by Wednesday. What’s different about this year is that the Chicago Bears currently have no picks after the fourth round. That does not mean their board will only be four rounds deep. The reason for that is following the Draft, all the grades on players get moved from the college scouting system over to the pro scouting system. There has to be a final grade on all players so that when/if they get cut or are available in a trade down the road, their college rating and reports are available to see. This is common practice with all clubs in the League. A player’s file begins with his college reports, and then pro reports are added for as long as he is in the League.
Once the Board is completed, the staff begins discussing strategy for Draft Weekend. With the Bears, it’s obvious what they are doing with the first overall pick, but it is very important to have a plan for the rest of the Draft.
I have always compared Draft prep with game prep. In game week, the coaches put together a game plan that will help them beat their next opponent. They practice that plan during the week and execute that plan on Sunday during the game. The same happens with the Draft. A plan is set up in the last week or so before the Draft, and then, come Draft Day, that plan is executed.
I have always had the firm belief that when preparing a draft plan, all possible scenarios have to be looked at. My thinking was we have to prepare for the worst-case scenario, and if that happens and we are OK with it, then we are in good shape for the Draft.
The Draft never goes as planned, as there are surprise trades made, and players get selected that you thought may be available for your pick. A team must be prepared for that. If the worst-case scenario happens, the team has to be prepared to trade down and that decision can’t be made on Draft Day but rather days before. Preparing for that means letting other clubs know that you may want to trade down. By doing so, it makes it much easier to get a trade done. When a club isn’t prepared, panic sets in, and that leads to mistakes.
With the Bears, they have to have a few plans set in stone for the #9 pick. Who are the few players they would select if they are still available? If these players are gone, do they trade down? How far do they want to trade...
