Chapter 1: What insights does Chris Emma share from Notre Dame's pro day?
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Chapter 2: Which Notre Dame running back is a surprising fit for the Bears?
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The whole key to sustaining success in this league is to have a quarterback play that is top tier and can consistently push you down those roads. And Mark Grody. We're allowed to at this point, Bears fans are allowed to right now dream big and predict what you want out of the season. We're going to take the North and never give it back.
hello again everybody and welcome in to the mighty take the north podcast our guy dan reader has the week off he will rejoin us next week in his place today from the score and 670 the score.com he is on x at c emma 670 he is chris emma what's going on emma
What an intro. How about it? Episode 461. Honored to be here. What's happening, Grody?
We only reserve 461 for our favorite people. Congratulations on 461. What an honor. What an honor. Very meaningful. I am looking forward to this podcast. We got a hot rundown today because Chris Emma...
attended the Notre Dame pro day and if you follow the NFL you know that most teams typically have multiple Notre Dame attendees on their roster we've also apparently both have hot takes on the draft that we did not share with each other so I can't wait to get to that We must talk about the Iceman, Caleb Williams versus George Girvin. We will lay that out for you in just a little bit.
And if we have time, we might just talk about the NCAA tournament, Illinois. Shout out to Weedzy. I know that Weedzy's got to be happy being the Illini alum that he is. talk some baseball and opening day. But Chris, let's get right to it and talk about the Notre Dame Pro Day, which you attended.
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Chapter 3: What are the HOT draft takes from Chris Emma and Mark Grote?
He's his favorite. physical and as big of a running back as you're going to find, but he can run with the speed. He's not a bruiser type running back. He's a do-it-all running back. This guy can catch passes out of the backfield. He had two kickoff returns for touchdowns this past season. He could be your return specialist. If Jadarian Price is there in the second round for the Bears, take him.
Don't think about it. Just take him. I know you got needs on defense. You got to get a quarter to this and that. Take Jadarian Price if he's there. That's your running back for the next so many years. That's a Ben Johnson player. And I wrote about this. I talked to Price and Love and people in Notre Dame about it. And I think this would just be an excellent fit for the Bears.
He had, did Jadarian Price, the man about whom... Chris Sema is speaking and promoting for sure. 12 games last year, 674 yards, 11 touchdowns. As far as the receiving game is concerned, wasn't particularly involved, but a lot of this has to do with the fact that, as Chris mentioned, Jeremiah Love is the man, was the man there. Six catches, 87 yards, and a couple of touchdowns as well.
How do you know, though, that that does translate to being the next man up behind Jeremiah Love just because Jeremiah Love did hog up offensively
all of the yards there is it there is a uh comparison that I know some people were discussing and I'll throw it out there uh for you Emma to defend but I know you know where I'm going with it there was a man by the name of Roshan Johnson who the Bears once upon a time ago drafted who was bought similarly behind the most talented running back in the draft
that would be bijan robinson why should people think that jadarian price is not uh what roshan johnson is to be john robinson as jadarian price might be to jeremiah love because you watch this kid you just you see it you understand it he's got breakaway speed if he gets to that second level he's just gone like and and that's kickoff returns as well he can do so much for an offense and
Jeremiah Love said it well when I asked about generating price. He goes, if you want me, this is another version of me. Talking about Love, he sees price as that level of running back. He's a different athlete. This guy is a physical specimen. He's a big old dude with breakaway speed. He looks like an NFL running back. He plays like an NFL running back. He did it at the highest level.
You understand this is a guy whose game is going to translate really well. I'm curious if he's somebody who could sneak into the first round. I think it's unlikely, but I think he could be that second running back off the board after Love, who goes really early in this draft. Teams are going to be drawn to that. It's the return aspect as well. He can do so many things for an offense.
That's just the Ben Johnson boxes, right? That's the kind of guy that Ben Johnson's looking for, somebody who can be that do-it-all threat out of the backfield. And we know last year they were fascinated by Ashton Gentry, and it was just too much to give up to move to the top five and to select. It just did not make sense for Ryan Poles, far out of his comfort zone.
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Chapter 4: How does Caleb Williams plan to trademark the nickname 'Iceman'?
And this is the time to assess your backfield and find that compliment to Swift for year one and somebody who can ultimately take the reins and go beyond this season. So I think they're going to be looking at running back. There's going to be plenty of good options out there. But starting in the second round with Jadarian Price, that's a guy who I've had my eye on.
Yeah, it was before the Washington game last year where the Bears got their shit together as far as the running game was concerned. Well, yeah, you know, we don't usually like to do that. We call it the Dion Miller rule. She does. She's a listener from ABC seven. She does not like when we go potty mouth, but everyone. So it's a weekend. We're recording on a Friday. So I let one loose.
If the spirit moves you, Emma, I don't know. I mean, you just got back from Notre Dame.
Our baseball team just lost 24-6 yesterday on opening day. All the hope is gone. I probably got a couple of curses in me. We'll see. 24-6, man. It's been a while since I've let one.
I haven't let one loose in a while. Maybe I just felt compelled and needed to because I do so much terrestrial radio. I needed to let loose just a little bit right there. Yeah, they did get their stuff together last year.
uh deandre one per show deandre swift 16 starts 1087 yards nine tds 34 catches 299 yards and a touchdown i always say too like we have to we have to keep in mind that in these and that was 16 starts in the 17 game schedule a thousand yards doesn't mean quite the same for running backs as it once did. But DeAndre Swift had a really nice season.
Kyle Menunga was a little bit of a revelation because did not know how he would fit in 17 games, 783 yards, five TDs. He also had 18 catches for 164 yards. Did not have a touchdown. Last year, hell, Britton Brown had a 22-yard touchdown run, and he was one of those preseason heroes as well.
My only pushback, I guess, would be is if Ben Johnson is one of these guys who can scheme running backs and make running backs look good, do you want to pay a first or second round price for a running back? But I guess you gave some evidence that they did last year for sure.
And look to what the Lions did with Jameer Gibbs. I mean, they had just brought in David Montgomery right before then. And look, at the time, that kind of seemed like a little bit of a draft to reach. That was, I believe, the Robinson draft. I'm not mistaken. There was another running back up there. Gibbs goes higher than expected.
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Chapter 5: What challenges does Caleb Williams face with his trademark claim?
The man got into the end zone, 280 yards worth of receiving three touchdowns in the air, just for the hell of us. Tell us all about Jeremiah love Chris Emma.
Well, One of the best players to come through Notre Dame, and I don't say that lightly. I mean, this guy was unbelievable, what he meant for the program the last several seasons. Thinking about that run to the national championship game a couple years ago and just how dynamic he was. What a different season it could have been, perhaps. He should have been a Heisman.
He should have won the Heisman if it wasn't for the fact that he was splitting carries a lot with Jadarian Price. That kind of took away from his workload, and they actually went into the season finale this past year trying to feed him the ball and get him an invite to New York, and he ended up getting hurt in that game.
And look, this is a guy who is as explosive of a player as you're going to find. He's the most talented player, I believe, in this draft. He's incredible. The breakaway speed is something else. You just can't catch this guy.
The highlight that's always going to stand out, there's a few highlights out there, but the 98-yard touchdown run against Indiana, scoreless game first quarter, and he comes around the edge and is just gone. Like, 5-10 yards away from the line of scrimmage. He's just gone. He's just that much faster than everybody else. Somebody's going to get a hell of a player.
I think it could be the Giants because they have their quarterback in Jackson Dart and they've got a team with some pieces where they're trying to make that jump. If they're taking love in the top five, then that transforms their entire offense and makes everything easier for Jackson Dart's second season.
It makes the entire team start looking like a more legitimate contender in an East that I think is going to be a little bit more open this year. So he's not going to fall out of the top 10 for sure. I don't think he's going to fall out of the top five. It's a pipe dream for the Bears.
You know, if they hadn't won all these darn football games, you'd be sitting there in the top 10 saying this guy would be an incredible piece for Chicago. But, you know, to the victors go the spoils. You're picking 25 here and you're saying, oh, what if maybe we'll get you there in price instead? It's a way better way to live as one who covers the Bears. Right. Like just not sitting here.
What's the mark? Twenty seventh. And like, man, where are they going to be? Are they going to trade into the top three? Are they going to trade back to the top? All these years are just like draft chaos. And here they are.
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Chapter 6: What are the Bears' needs heading into the draft?
Twenty five. Let's just go best player available and make it work.
yeah hey it worked last year with colston loveland even though they did have a top 10 pick last year with all due respect to jade walker who i know has basically his own massive fan club out there with all due respect to khalif raymond i still think and and weeder and i are on the same page talking about this on take the north recently bears don't have enough wide receivers right now they just don't with dj moore having and maybe walker will be great maybe he'll be a revelation and i think we know
know what you're going to get from Khalif Raymond. Maybe 300, 400 yards, maybe at a maximum. That's just his resume, and he does other things really well, kick return and whatnot. But the Bears still need another playmaker wide receiver to go along with Luther Burden, to go along with Roma Dunzane. We know Rome has got something to prove.
That said, and you tell me if I'm looking in the right direction here, Emma, next guy on the pro day list I have down as wide receiver Malachi Fields for the Irish. Big guy, 6'4", 218. Am I on the right track to bring up Malachi Fields?
He's a fascinating one. This is a kid who transferred in from Virginia and just a big old target. This is a guy who made plays all throughout, especially at the end of his season at Notre Dame. He looked really impressive, like fluid motions with his route running, watching him out there in Pro Day a couple days ago.
You see the way he's able to use quick feet to get open and create that size mismatch, quick along the sidelines. I liked what I saw out of him a lot, and I think a lot of these teams did as well. He's somebody who's ā there's been whispers about him sneaking into the first round perhaps. Oh, wow. Okay. He's not an incredibly deep wide receiver group.
There's some playmakers out there for sure, but he's somebody that could draw the attention of teams. I'll give you another name, a wide receiver who jumped out to me because he had to at Pro Day. I'm sticking with the Notre Dame theme. Will Pauling, a Chicago native, a Homewood Flossmoor product. Shout out Lawrence Holmes and the whole Homewood Flossmoor crew.
This guy ran out there and ran a 4-3-7-40. Okay. He's probably a late-round pick, but I think if the Bears are looking for playmakers and wide receivers, I don't see them unless it's like another Luther Burden situation where a player just kind of falls into their lap. I don't see them go wide receiver until day three.
And this is a guy like when you're on a four, three, seven, you catch team's attention. He was not a guy at the combine. I don't believe this was something where like he'd been training hard for it. He'd been getting ready for it. The cool thing was he had a bunch of his home and floss more teammates and friends in attendance. And the whole place just kind of blew up when he ran this thing.
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Chapter 7: Which Notre Dame players should the Bears consider drafting?
Talked about family's been going to bears games for years. And like, this is a guy that you talked about checking the boxes for, for Ben Johnson, checking the boxes for character, what you want in this team. Like that's a weapon, a guy who could run that fast and can play with that kind of chip on his shoulder. Like this is somebody to keep an eye on. It's a late round flyer.
The bears didn't have people in attendance to watch him. Jeff Shiver, the longtime scout was there on the sidelines and certainly got that on his stopwatch as well. Seeing four, three, seven fly on through. So yeah,
um i'm with you on the needed wide receiver again it goes back to and this is going to go to my little mini rant later but best player available like you just you need to be diligent with this here if it is a wide receiver and you got that chance you're able to add to that group great you love in a perfect world for that edge rusher to be the best player available who's in that burden situation so far above everybody else you can't pass them up and just happens to fit a particular need but
Look, this is a team that needs all-around. We're talking about running back, wide receiver, beefing up the O-line a little bit. You want to get another center. Defense, I mean, just go down the list. You need so much for depth on defense and for some young upside for the future.
Like, this feels like a draft for Ryan Pulse is going to be trying to trade down in day two and day three and just get as many swings as he can to get some young pieces in there. And you're sitting there with two second-rounders right now after the pick 25. Like ā Maybe you're trading down one of the second rounders, getting a few day two or day three picks back, whatever it is.
I can see Ryan Poles really trying to up the ammo and take as many swings as he possibly can.
Well, let's get into the draft here in a second. Is there any other Notre Dame players, though, that stood out that we should be thinking about before we move on? Have we covered what the Emma has covered?
Well, one more name is Billy Shrouth. In the interior, offensive lineman plays guard. He can move around a little bit. Somebody with upside. Maybe that's somebody who could potentially fit into a center spot for the Bears. I think the Bears are going to be trying to find a center.
Maybe it's a guard they can convert to center and use for kind of a redshirt year after losing Drew Dallman to retirement. And Garrett Bradbury, I believe it's one year left in his contract. I think it's going to be one year in Chicago, and then you part ways there. So I think they're going to be looking for an interior offensive lineman, and there's going to be some options there in the draft.
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Chapter 8: What are the implications of the Bears' free agency decisions?
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Love it, love it. All right, let's get into the draft. Just to refresh people, the Bears draft picks as it stands right now. They have their number one pick, which is 25 overall. They have a couple of second rounders, 57 and 60th overall. There's a third rounder,
at number 89 on the overall fourth rounder 129 and a pair of seventh rounders which are very close to one another 239 and 241 and my guess is as chris has indicated there'll be all sorts of jockeying and changes as the draft goes on trading up trading down as ryan poles is want to do as he did some of last year i will let you go first and i know that you've kind of alluded to what you're
Your draft hot take is, I think we've gotten a little piece of it, but what is on your mind right now as it pertains to the Bears about the upcoming draft in late April in Pittsburgh?
It's not even a hot take as much as just like rationale going into this thing. Chris, I want a hot take, all right? Heat it up a little bit. Don't dumb down your hot take now. I'll give you my Cubs lineup thoughts if you want. We'll get there. We'll get there, man. man. Look, the Bears have needs. We get that. They need edge rushers. They need D-tackle. They need a corner.
Don't force these damn picks. Don't worry about, oh, we got to pass on this guy who's a running back or whatever because we need to force this edge rusher who's 10 or 12 down the draft board. And this is not a Ryan Poles thing to do. We know how Ryan Poles approaches these drafts. He's going to take the best player. He's going to trust the board and seek value. And
maybe there's trade downs or whatever you need to do to maximize that value. You would absolutely love in a perfect world, as I said before, to get that edge rusher at pick 25. And that's your compliment to Montez Sweat and Austin Booker. That's your dynamic player. You fit your pick 25 with your top need and you just go and your defense is that much better. Draft doesn't work that way.
This is not a perfect world by any means. That's the beauty and the complexity of the draft. Go get the best damn player because you've still got so many different things you've got to improve on this roster.
And last year was exciting, and it was so much fun, and this breakthrough they had was legitimate, and you believe you got the head coach and quarterback in place, which is the hardest combination to get in the NFL. But you look around this roster, and you can poke holes in just about anywhere and say they need to upgrade here. They need better there. Like, it's just not there yet.
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