Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show
Emory Hunt liked what the Bears did in the NFL Draft (Hour 4)
30 Apr 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This hour is sponsored by Wintrust.
With the 25th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select Dylan Thienemann, defensive back, Oregon.
That is the voice of Roger Goodell telling us a week ago who the Bears' first-round pick was. And with more on the draft, we go to our hotline and Twitch, twitch.tv slash thescorechicago, and that is where we find Emery Hunt.
Chapter 2: What did Emory Hunt think about the Bears' 2026 NFL Draft picks?
He is the owner of Football Game Plan. He is at fballgameplan on X and an analyst for CBS Sports HQ. Also has a few airport opinions here and there. Emery, always good to talk to you.
It's great to be on the show. I'm glad those airport opinions stuck. That's how you know I only bring the truth.
The idea being there are no rules at airports ever, correct?
Yes, correct. There are no rules based on how people eat, how they walk around with no shoes on, all that stuff. It's crazy. There are no rules in the airport. Even to the point where sometimes, you know, how they load the plane up and say, you know, military vets or whatnot. And I'm like, all right, cool. Let those guys go. Then I noticed, I'm like, wait a minute. The math didn't check out.
This guy had on a World War I hat. Like, no. You'd be 148 years old. But they usually get on the plane early. So I'm on to their game.
Amazing. Emery, it's good to check in with you because I know a couple weeks ago you were talking about what every team should do through your eyes in the NFL draft. I know you had the Bears taking a tackle. They didn't take a tackle in this draft. Does that surprise you given where they were? I'm of the opinion that the tackle was already in-house before the draft even happened.
Yeah, it didn't surprise me as much. But like you said, the tackle is already in the house. Maybe they expect a big jump from Theo Benedict. I'm still a big fan of what they have in Amagaji out of Yale. I feel like he's someone that got a raw deal because he was out there not fully healthy his rookie year, and he kind of got lambasted by the fans.
But I think that's someone that still has a future in Chicago. And so you still have those growth opportunities there in-house. So I'm always a big fan of ā And that's why when I do some of these mock drafts or when I speak to people about their specific team and they say, why we didn't draft this guy, like a lot of times the answer is already on the roster.
You know, the fans, which is why we bring up that list of things that I think were a mistake, that mock draft was up there because a lot of times fans just view the first round as the whole roster. Like, nah, there's rounds of drafts.
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Chapter 3: Why didn't the Bears select a tackle in the draft?
Sight unseen. Iowa offensive lineman, Utah offensive lineman. I'm good. Like, I don't care. I don't have to see their tape. Because you know what you're going to get. Because they got a great guy. My number two center, it's funny, in Jaron Kump of Utah. They got him as an undrafted free agent. So, I love what the Bears did.
And when you think about Kashawn Elliott, the linebacker, he reminds me a lot of Channing Crowder. Just sideline to sideline guy. Runs. through the tackler, through the ball carrier. So he's a very good run sufferer, kind of like what they have already in Noah Sewell and also what they have in DeMarco Jackson, guys that are really just good thumpers in a run game.
We're talking to Emory Hind, and Emory, I also just want to ask you what you think about some of the risks that the Bears have taken. We talked to Eric Edholm earlier today of NFL.com. You know, Xavion Thomas, consensus board had him as undrafted. You know, his speed, I think we understand, is probably why the Bears ended up taking him where they did in the second round.
What do you think of some of the, or the third round, rather, what do you think of some of the rounds that the Bears may have taken a gamble on, or you may have seen what the thought process was?
Well, here's the reason why. And I know the whole frame of this conversation is because of everybody's disdain for what the Jags did, right?
No, but go on about the Jags, by all means.
This is where this consensus board, the Jags in San Francisco, is where this consensus board conversation comes from in terms of reaching and value. But when you look at, let's say, the Jags roster and we look at this Bears roster, There's not a lot of holes. So at some point you're going to have to have backups. And so where are you going to get these backups from?
You know, you got to draft them. And so I feel like if you see a specific trait that a guy has, then, okay, we could use this here. We could use his speed and explosiveness on special teams in some regard. He could be a gunner on special teams. And folks, you know, they poo-poo these picks until it's week nine, and you see Xavier Thomas make a game-changing tackle inside the five-yard line.
Like, oh, you don't say, yeah, but we could have got him undrafted. Like, no, you don't. you're glad he made that tackle, made that play. So I always look at it from a big picture perspective. Yeah, you may have different grades on other guys. They may think pound for pound this guy may be better or not or whatnot, but that's your own individual ranking as a media member.
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Chapter 4: What are the expectations for players already on the Bears' roster?
You don't have the access to the medicals, the interviews, all of those things that they use to ā you know, come to their decision. So I'm always of the mindset like, hey, this is what I think about his tape. But I don't know this person. I haven't met this person. And so I give that credence to the team.
But you have to, with Chicago's roster, you're not going to draft a starter every round because you have a pretty set starting 22. 11 on offense, 11 on defense. So I can understand why they go and get guys for special teams and guys for other specific needs because that's where their roster holes are.
So you speak of roster holes, Emery, and I understand what you're saying about the starters. You sound a little bit like you would be convinced by Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson that the guys up front on defense specifically, this team had a lot of trouble stopping the run and more trouble getting to the quarterback.
When you're depending on a guy like Dio Dingbo to come back from a torn Achilles, his second torn Achilles, not sure which leg he tore the first time, by the way, and Shamar Turner, who was expected to do big things last year but is coming off an ACL, is it reasonable to think that those guys are going to return to form in a way that can improve your defense without going out and getting more help through either free agency or the draft?
Free agency is still ongoing. You can still make moves via trade. But you also still have Austin Booker there who is starting to come along a little bit. He's someone that has gone through the ringer or whatnot and has an opportunity here to really step up and step into a role where he can elevate himself. And so I think those are some of these options too.
And when you think about where they were in the draft, let's say, for instance, they took a guy in round five. we would probably have the conversation. Do you, do you really expect this fifth round pick to come in and be a difference maker in a draft? And, you know, me being me, I'll probably say, yeah, but then everybody be like, he went to fifth round for a reason.
And so therefore the conversation is probably like, okay, well, what do we have on the roster? What does Austin Booker look like? Is he going to take that next step? Can he be a stop gap in it? Can we depend on a Daniel Hardy who's a core special teamer for us? But in college, he was a tremendous pass rusher.
Just like we was having this conversation during the season when DeMarco Jackson got the chance to start. And I'm excited. I'm like, oh, he was my number two inside linebacker the class he came out. The Saints just buried him on Bourbon Street by just playing him on special teams. He finally got a chance to play, and he filled in and balled out. And that's exactly what you want.
So to your point, some of these answers are already on the roster. And in terms of stopping the run, this one you've got to have that serious conversation with Javon, Dexter, and Grady Jarrett. You're just like, look in the mirror. Look how big y'all are. Don't let these dudes push y'all around. So I feel like that's where it starts. On the interior, you have answers there.
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Chapter 5: How does Emory Hunt evaluate the Bears' overall draft strategy?
But there was a time when it wasn't.
Life is good for Dave Roberts. He's out here talking about Shohei Otani when people weren't supposed to, and that didn't stop him, now did it? World Series and such.
As long as the World Series keep flowing, yes. But I'm telling you, the first time they lose in a wildcard series, I guess they probably wouldn't be in a wildcard series. In a division series, there's going to be questions. Why did we lose in the division series? Look at all this money. Look at all this talent. Look at all these Hall of Famers on the roster.
I guess that's why Dodgers fans kind of are lackadaisical and don't really pay attention closely to the games because they know it's going to be a win, right?
Friends, I'm here to tell you that that traffic is not fun. And we understand what it's like, but they have it coming from all directions. They don't have the lake. They have an ocean, but there's still a lot of land before you get to it relative to Dodgers Stadium.
It wasn't quite loud yet.
Kyle Tucker may be right about that, though. Didn't expect him to be the justifier for PCA.
I just won a game. Why is no one cheering?
It wasn't quite loud yet.
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Chapter 6: What risks did the Bears take with their draft selections?
You can't do the same things to a Bud Black that you can to a first-time manager.
Or like Kurt Suzuki, the Angels manager who has a one-year contract.
I know we're talking about baseball right now, but it's interesting how there is kind of this shift in terms of doing the bidding of those players. On top of you, as opposed to just doing the best job you can do at your job, the Portland Trailblazers head coaching job comes to mind when you don't want to even pay someone market value to do that job.
And sadly, you get what you pay for typically. Or you never really respect them because you know what you're paying them. Like if you're their manager, if you're their supervisor.
That's fair.
Yeah, I feel like that happens often and frankly too often. But... It does pose an interesting question. Like, if you're a guy like David Ross out here loving life and doing the lovable reunion and just shooting the breeze and telling stories and being a broadcaster, would you want to come back to something like this, this atmosphere that is described league-wide?
I think that's part of the reason Alex Corr is where he is right now. I think David Ross fits in that. But once you've managed in the big time... Cubs, Red Sox, let's say Giants, Phillies, Mets, Yankees.
Or one World Series like A.J. Hinch.
Yes, all of that. You're going to be very selective about who you choose to get into business with because let's face it, you're usually not strained financially at that point. It's about taking an opportunity that you feel is worth it, worth your time, your energy, and where you're not going to get micromanaged from above.
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