Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show
Ant Herron likes Bears' draft class but isn't sure the squad is better yet
27 Apr 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What are the initial reactions to the Bears' draft class?
Anthony Heron, score football analyst.
Logan Jones, a player who honestly followed in a very similar career trajectory to Tyler Linderbaum. With Tyler Linderbaum now the highest paid center in NFL history, his path as an Iowa Hawkeye began on the defensive side of the football. And then he became a multi-year starter and ended up winning the award for the best center in college football.
Former Big and Heron on 104.3 The Score.
Anthony Heron is never scared. He is our football analyst here at 104.3 The Score, Big Ten Network, also NBC Sports. And he is at Big Ant Heron on Twitter. And a special happy birthday to Ant's wife, Kelly. Kelly Heron, happy birthday. We celebrate it here on Rahimi Harrison Brody. Ant, how are you?
I appreciate it, my friends. Yeah, my wife always has to share her birthday with draft weekend. So sometimes I'm out of town, sometimes I'm in town, sometimes it's both like it was this past weekend. But she's been gracious over the years to deal with that, with the profession that I've chosen. But yeah, I appreciate it.
I will shout out the birthday wishes to her once we finish our segments here.
Okay, so you haven't given her her gift yet. That's my main question here.
Oh, gift singular. You think I get down like that? Oh, no, no, no. I was like. You are a gift, Big Ant. You are a gift in yourself, sir. There we go. There we go. She's got all of me. All of me. No, I'll save that for after. All of you.
I know Gertie gets upset with the singing.
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Chapter 2: How does Anthony Herron evaluate the impact of specific players?
I think they're going to be contributors. But the position of need aspect of it that we've been talking about for weeks here, it doesn't feel like it's suited that it feels like they've got guys like Logan Jones is going to play quality football. for the Chicago Bears at some point. I don't think it's going to be from the first game of the season.
And it feels like, you know, I went in thinking there were going to be more players who would need to fill roles for them on the defensive side of the football immediately. That's not what they came out of night two with. And so I was surprised by those picks, although all of them, there is a defined role that it looks like they're going to have.
Excuse me.
Love your curve and all your edges. Love your perfect imperfections. See, I will allow you to sing right now. Can I sing while you cough? Can I sing while your lung collapses all over the radio?
Yes, we have finally found a place for your singing. It's when I am dying on the radio. Do you want to talk about that cough button, Gertie? No, that was... Spontaneous cough. I had no warning for that cough.
I don't necessarily recommend giving your wife just that song and saying, your presence is me.
Not that Andy's doing that. Just wearing a big bow and nothing else.
That is not my area.
She just takes it too far. I do. No! No!
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Chapter 3: What are the concerns about the Bears' defensive line after the draft?
He can get after the quarterback. But if he were there, just a couple of more picks ā I feel like the Bears would have strongly considered drafting Gabe Ackes there in round number two. Zion Young, where some folks were mocking him as potential first round 25 to the Bears, didn't like that at all.
All the way down to 45, by the way, for Zion Young.
For him, if he's there in round number two in the Bears pick, it's okay. That's a more representative value of how I viewed him. So the board didn't fall that way. And Ryan Poles mentioned that just trading up was going to be too rich for their blood, essentially. So I think they did.
what logically you can make a strong case for in just getting players that will fill roles for them while it does feel like the side of the football that I think a lot of us are more excited for them to try and bolster was defense, and they didn't come away from night two getting any of that.
Well, and I think, Ant, that's what we're hitting on here. Like, it's interesting that they don't seem to ever want to trade up in the later rounds and to do something like this. Like, the Patriots were aggressive. They did get Ackes. And I feel like, I don't know if that was something where everybody saw it coming. He's the Illini guy.
Now, where he says the Bears, he didn't necessarily think were very high on him. The center position, I think, changes everything. You know, are they doing this? Are they picking Logan Jones? And I like Logan Jones as a pick. But are they picking Logan Jones if Drew Dallman doesn't retire? You know, that's part of it, too. But the scenario is...
They clearly were okay with spending high draft capital on one position they deemed valuable. I do not think they deemed the defensive line positions valuable to them, particularly Edge, in this draft or else they probably would have done it. They were content with trading out of the second round and that 60th pick and then turning it into more picks on later rounds.
And then that turns into Sam Rauch. You know, the pick at 69. So I think that's part of it. It's not necessarily the one individual decision. It's what they ended up using the capital on next that has a lot of people scratching their heads.
And I think it's more than fair to do that just for where the roster sits right now. The current Bears defensive line, because they've put so many resources into that, I believe part of this is just them saying, we've got to let this play out a little bit. See if we can get even more out of Grady Jarrett this season.
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Chapter 4: Did the Bears make the right decisions in the second round?
That's us. Big Ten Network, NBC Sports. It's also his wife's birthday, Kelly, so he's taking time away from her to spend with us to recap this draft. Now, I listened to you, as you know, all week during the draft talking about things. I am curious.
as to your thoughts about the way Ben Johnson has kind of put the screws to, I guess, himself ultimately and his coaching staff in saying they've got to do a better job. I mean, is there, in your opinion, that much room for this group to grow up front, that defensive line, since they didn't take an edge in the draft?
I mean, can they get to where they're talking about getting to with what they already have at home?
I'm certainly not ruling it out. Now, there are certain guys, as they're deeper into their careers, where I feel like we've got a pretty good sense for what Montez Sweat is as a player and a playmaker. For Grady Jarrett, last season would indicate ā after he did come back healthier from ā that knee procedure. He did look like a more sudden, more explosive, a better version of himself.
Still not like he was hitting the quarterback every other series either, though. So you got a guy who played good football, helped the team play winning football, but you didn't have the Grady Jarrett of earlier in his career. So there's some of the guys who are maybe a little longer in the tooth that it's harder to assume some sort of ascension or continued development.
Dio Dangbo was just talking about him a moment ago. But Austin Booker. There can be some hope about the promise that he's shown as a guy very early in his career, but Austin Booker isn't a guy who I'm just expecting a double-digit sack season from.
I think he's a nice complementary piece within the unit of the defensive front, but he's just got to continue getting better, but then Shamar Turner has to get better as well. There's not any... There's not any guys up front that I say who are amongst the younger portion of this D-line that I think there should be any real confidence that they become someone opponents have to game plan around.
That's where the total unit, the group of the defensive front of the Bears, they've all got to collectively get better. So that balance between the front end and the back end will have to come to fruition. The health of the secondary matters a lot. The playmaking. So Dylan Thienemann is a safety stepping into the back end with the experience of Kobe Bryant next to him, which I love.
The white man can't jump picture that he put out there. Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson being able to compare and play alongside Dylan Thienemann and the youth he'll bring in there. And then, of course, at nickel, at corner. We've got guys who've made a lot of plays in the National Football League on the back end of the Bears' defense. If they're healthy and prepared, then with NDA's system,
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Chapter 5: How does the Bears' draft strategy reflect their roster needs?
So I like that you'll have that versatility between both safeties position who at times should be able to trade off responsibilities.
That is Anthony Heron. We will have more with Big Ann Heron coming up in our next segment. I know you did field a lot of calls about the draft this past couple of days on the score. We'll get into that and just what you think overall of the players that we have and maybe some of what Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson had to say as well. So that's coming up.
Anthony Heron, Brahimi Harrison-Grody, and you on 104.3 The Score.