The Bear’s Den, May 1, 2019

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

BEARRRSSSS / FREE AGENCY / DRAFT

Chalk Talk: Did Bears consider drafting kicker? - ChicagoBears.com - Senior writer Larry Mayer discusses if the Bears considered drafting a kicker, the last 10 players chosen with the No. 73 pick and the last time the Bears spent their first two picks on offensive players.

Lunch with Larry: 4.30.19 - ChicagoBears.com - Bears Senior Writer Larry Mayer talks NFL Draft, UDFA options and what the Bears roster may look like in 2019 as the team looks to return to the playoffs.

Medina: Eat It, NFC North, Ryan Pace Just Dominated Another Draft - Bleacher Nation - Ryan Pace’s draft classes are passing with flying colors.

Medina: The Bears Are Projected to Have a Top-10 Pick in 2020 (In the Second Round, Of Course) - Bleacher Nation - The Raiders might have received some nifty analytics award for the Mack trade, but the Bears got Mack ... and could get more soon!

WIedman: NFC North - Teams Improved Both Sides of the Ball - Our Turf Football - Each team in the NFC North improved with this year’s draft. OTFB’s Wanda Wiedman takes a look at the draft picks from the conference.

5@5: What’s Bears’ Deepest Position Group? - 670 The Score - The Mully & Haugh crew debates a five-pack of questions every weekday.

Rosenthal: Bears Mike Davis, also Joe Flacco, Case Keenum among vets hurt by 2019 NFL Draft - NFL.com - Joe Flacco's new job in Denver became more complicated. Ryan Fitzpatrick's facing stiffer competition for snaps in Miami. Gregg Rosenthal lists veterans who suffered collateral damage during the 2019 NFL Draft.

Kane: 'I'm amazed by what they do' - Bears' Tarik Cohen and George McCaskey connect with Chicago men trying to rise above gun violence - Chicago Tribune - Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen and Chairman George McCaskey sat quietly in a group conversation circle for more than an hour last week Monday listening to leaders of a Chicago anti-violence program talk about how they strive to change lives in the city’s most vulnerable communities.

Campbell: Get to know Bears draft pick David Montgomery - A Q&A with Iowa State running backs coach Nate Scheelhaase - Chicago Tribune - David Montgomery's Iowa State position coach, Nate Scheelhaase describes what makes Montgomery such an elusive rusher, a promising receiver and golden teammate.

Wiederer: Bears' unorthodox kicker competition begins Friday with an emphasis on pressure: 'It’s as simple as that. Either you make it or you don’t.' - Chicago Tribune - The Bears are in a desperate search to find a reliable kicker who can help them win the Super Bowl. This weekend, as rookie camp begins in Lake Forest, Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy are inviting more than a half-dozen candidates to show whether they can perform under pressure.

Chicago Bears 2019 UDFA Recap & Analysis - Chicago Audible Podcast - In this episode, the guys at The Chicago Audible share their analysis on the Chicago Bears 2019 undrafted free agents.

Hoge and Jahns: Draft Grades, Draft Strategy, and Draft Analyst Dane Brugler - WGN Radio - In case the title wasn't clear enough, Adam Hoge and Adam Jahns take time to share their thoughts on what the Bears did in the 2019 NFL Draft. They discuss the strategy behind trading up for running back David Montgomery out of Iowa State and go over the rest of the selections the Bears made. Later on, The Athletics's NFL Draft Analyst, Dane Brugler, joins Hoge and Jahns to give even more insight on the draft.

Brooks: Montgomery one of ten best fits between team and draft pick - NFL.com - What makes Marquise Brown particularly well-suited for the Baltimore Ravens? Why will Jawaan Taylor thrive with the Jacksonville Jaguars? Bucky Brooks lists the 10 best team-pick fits from the 2019 NFL Draft.

Mayer: Montgomery rated as No. 2 fantasy rookie - ChicagoBears.com - NFL analyst Michael Fabiano ranks Bears third-round draft pick David Montgomery, a running back from Iowa State, as the No. 2 rookie in fantasy football.

POLISH SAUSAGE

49ers ink rookie punter, first 2019 draft pick signed – ProFootballTalk - We have our first signed contract from the 2019 NFL draft. The 49ers announced on Tuesday afternoon that they have signed punter Mitch Wishnowsky to the standard four-year rookie contract for a fourth-round pick.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Curtis Bolton, Greg Roberts, Javien Hamilton got signing bonuses from Packers as UDFAs - Acme Packing Company - Though there are probably more to come, we know of three new Packers who will receive bonuses for signing in Green Bay after the draft.

Grading the Detroit Lions 2019 post-draft roster: Defense - Pride Of Detroit - We hand out grades for each position on defense given Detroit’s current roster.

Bob Quinn: Drafting T.J. Hockenson was an ‘easy decision’ - Pride Of Detroit - Even if Josh Allen was on the board?

Report: Vikings considering moving Jayron Kearse to linebacker - Daily Norseman - It could be a way to get him on the field more

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Wiltfong: Bears undrafted free agent class receives an A+ - Windy City Gridiron - The NFL Draft isn’t the only way to add talent to your rookie pool, and the Chicago Bears maximized their 2019 class with several undrafted free agents with draftable grades.

Infante: Know your enemy - Recapping draft picks from Bears’ NFC North rivals - Windy City Gridiron - With the draft having officially wrapped up, let’s take a look at how each of the Bears’ divisional rivals did.

Duerrwaechter: Maximized impact; Duerrwaechter’s assessment of the Chicago Bears’ 2019 draft class - Windy City Gridiron - Our resident Optimist Prime reviews and critiques the small yet loaded class selected by Ryan Pace.

Wiltfong: Is eight enough for a Chicago Bears kicker death-match? - Windy City Gridiron - The Chicago Bears have eight kickers hanging around and the competition will get underway this weekend at their rookie mini-camp.

WCG CONTRIBUTORS BEARS PODCASTS & STREAMS

Windy City Gridiron Podcast Channel which includes Bear With Me from Robert Schmitz, Bears Over Beers featuring Jeff Berckes & EJ Snyder, and T Formation Conversation from Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.; Steven’s Streaming Twitch Channel from Steven Schweickert; and Robert Zeglinski’s The Blitz Network

THE RULES

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WCG Contributors: Jeff Berckes; Patti Curl; Eric Christopher Duerrwaechter; Kev H; Sam Householder; Jacob Infante; Aaron Lemming; Ken Mitchell; Steven Schweickert; Jack Silverstein; EJ Snyder; Lester Wiltfong, Jr.; Whiskey Ranger; Robert Schmitz; Robert Zeglinski; Like us on Facebook.