The Bear’s Den, April 30, 2019

BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS, BEAR DOWN!!!!

BEARRRSSSS / FREE AGENCY / DRAFT

Wood: Reflections on the 2019 Draft Weekend - Da Bears Blog - The draft is over, and a lot happened that could impact this roster both in 2019 and beyond. Let’s take a look at the major moves made and put them into perspective.

Gabriel: Analyzing Fit Of Bears’ Draft Class - 670 The Score - In their five-player draft class, the Bears added several players who should contribute soon.

David Montgomery’s Former Coach On New Bears Running Back: ‘Special’ - 670 The Score - ”They got a steal,” Louis Ayeni says of the Bears nabbing David Montgomery.

Bernstein: Bears Fans Should Enjoy The Moment - 670 The Score - Bears general manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy keep providing reasons for belief.

Gabriel: Which Of Bears’ Undrafted Free Agents Could Earn Roster Spot? - 670 The Score - With quality size and good route-running ability, Utah State tight end Dax Raymond could make a push to earn a spot on the Bears’ roster after going undrafted.

Mayer: NFL draft analyst gives Bears straight A’s - ChicagoBears.com - In assigning draft grades, NFL.com’s Chad Reuter gave the Bears straight A’s. He was especially impressed with the selection of receiver Riley Ridley in the fourth round, calling it “an absolute steal.”

Mayer: 5 things we learned from Ryan Pace - ChicagoBears.com - In a radio interview Monday, Bears GM Ryan Pace discussed trading up to draft running back David Montgomery, some tense moments during the draft and the latest on the kicking competition.

Medina: New Bears RB David Montgomery Has Drawn Comparisons to Kareem Hunt - Bleacher Nation - The David Montgomery-Kareem Hunt comparisons date back to his college days. Ken's Note: Except, of course, our guy Montgomery is man of outstanding character and Hunt is a douchebag who kicks women on the ground... so... there's that.

Price: NFL draft grades 2019: Bears' haul gets mixed reviews from experts - Sun Times - Not everyone was excited about the Bears' haul from the 2019 NFL Draft. Here's how prominent experts graded their picks.

Finley: Bears to bring in five kickers for rookie minicamp - Sun Times - General manager Ryan Pace vowed to continue casting a wide net in trying to replace Cody Parkey.

Campbell: 5 observations about the Bears' draft, including David Montgomery's impact on Tarik Cohen, Riley Ridley's fit and the expanded kicker competition - Chicago Tribune - Five observations on the Bears' 2019 draft class, including the importance of David Montgomery's upside as a receiver, his impact on Tarik Cohen, Riley Ridley's fit in the restocked receivers group, the kicker competition and remaining needs.

Haugh: Ryan Pace goes bold for the Bears in the draft — now Mitch Trubisky needs to raise his game, too - Chicago Tribune - No regrets for Ryan Pace in NFL draft means no excuses for Mitch Trubisky in 2019, David Haugh writes.

Bear Download Podcast: There's plenty for Matt Nagy to like about the new weapons - Chicago Tribune - Rich Campbell and Dan Wiederer waste no time in breaking down the Bears' draft haul, focusing the spotlight on running back David Montgomery and receiver Riley Ridley in particular. Also, winter in April stinks.

Vanzuiden: Bears Get a Steal with Montgomery - Chicago Audible Podcast - Running back David Montgomery is going to be a difference-maker from the moment he steps foot in Halas Hall.

Stankevitz: Bears keep kicking options open as Robbie Gould replaces Cody Parkey as the elephant in the room - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears have come to terms with Cody Parkey's double-doink. But Robbie Gould's trade demand will loom over every update from the team's kicking competition in the coming months.

Under Center Podcast: A closer look at the Bears' draft and Emanuel Hall - NBC Sports Chicago - JJ Stankevitz, Cam Ellis and Paul Aspan talk expectations for David Montgomery and interview Gabe DeArmond about undrafted free agent signing Emanuel Hall.

Bears Draft ’19 takeaways: Redefining 'best available' and 'mortgaging the future' - NBC Sports Chicago - The only meaningful takeaways from the 2019 draft weekend don’t even really start for at least another four months, when the regular season begins. Some believe that grading or evaluating a draft can take fully three years, others (this writer included) think it’s evident a whole lot sooner whether a, say Shea McClellin or Eddie Goldman, can or can’t play.

Mayer: Bears rise to No. 7 in NFL power rankings - ChicagoBears.com - Despite not having a pick in the first two rounds of the draft, the Bears moved up one spot to No. 7 in the NFL.com league power rankings that were updated Monday.

Morrissey: David Montgomery fills the hype vacuum for Bears’ draft - Sun Times - Iowa State RB has been recipient of an enormous amount of media coverage in Chicago. Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does the NFL hype machine.

POLISH SAUSAGE

FMIA: 2019 Draft Scenes—Agony In Jersey, Making [Stuff] Up In Arizona and High Drama In The Raiders Room – ProFootballTalk - The 2019 NFL Draft, as told through scenes from the Raiders draft room; draft pick explanations from Arizona, Denver, New York; and more.

Which rookies will make an instant impact? – ProFootballTalk - With the draft in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to look forward to the 2019 season. And this was the question for Monday’s PFT Live: Which rookies will make the biggest impact this year? It was the topic of a PFT Live draft, with Simms winning the rigged coin toss, taking the obvious first c...

Eagles pick up QB Carson Wentz’s fifth-year option - NFL.com - The Philadelphia Eagles made the inevitable official on Monday afternoon, exercising the fifth-year option on Carson Wentz’s rookie deal.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Detroit Lions exercise Taylor Decker’s fifth year option - Pride Of Detroit - The Lions have elected to hold on to the former first-round pick.

Grading the Detroit Lions post-draft 2019 roster: Offense - Pride Of Detroit - A look at the status of the Lions’ roster on offense.

What’s next for Detroit Lions TE Michael Roberts? - Pride Of Detroit - Is it the end of the road for the former fourth rounder?

Breaking Down Irv Smith Jr. - Daily Norseman - The Vikings selected 20 year-old tight-end Irv Smith Jr. out of Alabama with their 2nd round, 50th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. They had the opportunity to trade down with this pick, per...

Packers waive OL Nico Siragusa & S Jason Thompson - Acme Packing Company - With several offseason arrivals, there was little chance for Siragusa to make the team in 2019.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Infante: In Emanuel Hall and Dax Raymond, Bears snag two potential UDFA gems - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears drafted three skill players in this year’s draft, but those players might not be the only rookies to make a difference in Chicago’s offense.

Wiltfong: Ranking my top 3 Bears’ rookies in terms of excitement level - Windy City Gridiron - The Chicago Bears had five draft picks, and nearly twenty undrafted free agents as a part of their 2019 rookie class. Here the the three I’m most excited to see.

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