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Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show

Grote breaks down his Bears mock draft (Hour 2)

17 Apr 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What predictions does Grote make for the Bears' No. 25 pick?

1.33 - 30.849 Mark Grote

This hour is brought to you by Jewel Osco. Welcome back in. Rahimi Harrison, Grody on 104.3 The Score. Happy Friday to everybody listening in the great, big, beautiful city of Chicago. Maybe you're heading out to the Cubs game. All sunshine and 80 degrees, and we will bring you Cubs baseball tomorrow. at 1245, right here on The Score.

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31.17 - 55.878 Mark Grote

What a great night last night was right here in the hallways of The Score for a live episode of Take the North Live in our fancy Odyssey Blue Cross world. Blue Shield Studios. We had quantity, and we had quality, and we had energy popping last night, man. What a blast. So a big thank you, honestly.

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55.898 - 62.168 Mark Grote

I got a lot of gratitude for the people that went out of their way to fill our performance studio last night.

0

62.508 - 66.454 Unknown

What was your favorite moment of the two-hour broadcast with Dan Wiederer?

0

66.434 - 85.404 Mark Grote

You know what was really cool, I thought? There were a lot of good moments. There were multiple father and son combinations hanging out, at least three of them, because we took pictures with them, and I invite them and hope that they will post the pictures that they took with us. Do you understand how important this is?

85.744 - 92.515 Unknown

This is so important. You're getting one generation to hand down... To the next generation.

92.775 - 119.188 Mark Grote

Yes, that's why it was so cool, man. It's like you got the younger kid that are listening to the podcast. Their dads probably listen to the score and to the podcast as well. But it was really cool to see those different generations of Bears fans in there. I will say that it was pretty cool to have Frank from Oak Park in the house last night. Regular caller here.

119.168 - 121.25 Mark Grote

on the score, so that was pretty neat.

121.27 - 122.872 Unknown

Was there a soliloquy delivered?

Chapter 2: How are lawmakers negotiating with the Bears regarding a new stadium?

206.384 - 209.633 Mark Grote

Well, now if we have computer problems, we don't have to worry. We've got this book right here.

0

209.653 - 215.684 Unknown

I love that. No, Ray's thinking in advance because we had a couple of... snafus last year during the draft.

0

215.744 - 227.94 Mark Grote

We did. We had a hard time. Oh, and I should announce, too, that you're damn right Who's Your Guy will be back this year on the score. I've been told that Who's Your Guy will start on Monday.

0

228 - 244.507 Ray Diaz

That's right. It's going to start on Monday. As a matter of fact, after I explained – every year I kind of explain when I go and make the ask for Dane Bruegel to come on the show. I explain why we want him to come on the show, because we appreciate the beast and because we use – the beast all week for our who's your guy segment.

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244.908 - 255.437 Ray Diaz

So this time he sent one over and so he will also, uh, Dane Brugler will, uh, join the show after the draft. So we'll get to talk to him the Tuesday after the, uh, the draft.

255.485 - 272.983 Mark Grote

Well, you could follow the beast if you'd like, but I would also like you to follow me, Mark Grody, because... Wait, on social media? No. Well, if you want to, you could do that. That's cool. I would say give your handle. But what is my handle? At Grody Sports. Oh, yeah, at Grody Sports.

273.243 - 274.304 Ray Diaz

I'm sorry.

275.726 - 283.173 Mark Grote

It's just so disenchanting when you lose... Because I had my... Something happened to my original Twitter account. It's okay, man.

283.274 - 284.715 Unknown

It happens to most of us.

Chapter 3: What insights does Kam Buckner provide about the stadium situation?

327.135 - 354.032 Mark Grote

But may I, Marshall Harris, may I... give you my first three Bears picks. Put the glasses on and let's go. It is time. The glasses have been applied. With the number 25 overall pick in the 2026 draft, the Chicago Bears will take safety Toledo. Emmanuel McNeil Warren. Before you react to it, Mr. Harris, may I read a little bit about him?

0

354.052 - 376.738 Mark Grote

And this one, in this case, we'll get to Bruges and the Beast. We're going to wear him out. This one is from Lance Zerline of NFL Network. Here is the quick paragraph on Emmanuel McNeil Warren. That's a great Pat Summerall name. Long downhill safety. Thank you. Capable of bolstering a team's run defense and playing enforcer over the middle. Come on, Brisker, anyone?

0

377.099 - 398.421 Mark Grote

McNeil Warren is most valuable when playing near the line of scrimmage or in robber positioning. He anticipates well in coverage and is quick to close on receivers, but will need to be protected by scheme and to prevent speed mismatches. Dennis Allen. He is urgent in run support. and has a feel for slipping blocks slash meeting runners early in the carry.

0

398.881 - 421.791 Mark Grote

He's a rangy tackler, but needs to quiet his feet. Quiet, please. When diagnosing and flowing downhill to tackle, McNeil Warren might be pigeonholed schematically, but he's good at his job. And just for reference, he is 6'3", 201 pounds, 77 tackles, 2 picks, 5 PBUs last year. And as the description told us, he is good against the run.

0

421.771 - 424.995 Mark Grote

What do you think about my pick at number 25 in Emmanuel McNeil-Warren?

425.195 - 426.237 Unknown

I have a couple of questions here.

426.377 - 426.737 Mark Grote

Yes, sir.

426.757 - 431.524 Unknown

Obviously, Caleb Downs is that dude. He is the crown jewel of the safety class in the 2026 draft.

431.704 - 434.427 Mark Grote

He goes before and so does Dylan Thiemann, I believe.

Chapter 4: What factors influence the Bears' draft strategy this year?

470.013 - 473.04 Mark Grote

So that's why I feel comfortable with that man at number 25.

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473.02 - 477.666 Unknown

My next question is, did David Haw advise you on this since this is a Mac player out of Toledo?

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477.686 - 488.461 Mark Grote

Oh, yeah. I know he'd support it. I know he probably just turned the running machine up to a 7.2 right now because he's hearing that. He just got a jolt of adrenaline.

0

488.641 - 497.053 Unknown

I feel like he starts at a 7.5. Actually, I know. It's an 8 for him because he runs 2 miles in 15 minutes, and that's an 8 on the treadmill.

0

497.073 - 498.775 Mark Grote

You're going 8 the whole time?

498.755 - 506.584 Unknown

Yeah, he runs two miles in 15 minutes. That's heavy duty. He might warm up first, but he goes two miles in 15 minutes. Wow, man. He's a beast.

506.704 - 522.461 Mark Grote

He is a beast. You're right. He's the true beast. It's not Dane Brugler. It's David Haw. So that is where I go with the Bears' first round pick at number 25. Are you ready for my second pick here? I've been ready.

522.601 - 525.825 Unknown

Call me the Energizer Bunny. I ain't got to get ready because I stay ready.

527.83 - 533.197 Mark Grote

All right, there's been a trade. There's been a trade. Wait, hold on. Oh, my God, there's been a trade.

Chapter 5: Who are the top safety prospects in the 2026 draft?

621.706 - 634.939 Mark Grote

I remind people, you're seeing a theme here with me because Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, good against the run. McDonald, good against the run. The Bears were 27th against the run last year, and they sucked against the run the year before. And Andrew Billings is done with the Bears.

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636.505 - 649.947 Unknown

Because of where he was, this is when you may... Take me through the thought process of trading up to get him for you. Like saying, I'm going to make this draft. And even though it's a mock draft, I'm not going to go standard. I'm going to go the extra mile and say, we're trading up.

0

650.288 - 655.376 Mark Grote

Yeah, because he's still there. And if you look at various mock drafts, he is all over the place.

0

656.157 - 657.72 Unknown

But in this world, he's still...

0

657.7 - 671.613 Mark Grote

I think he's still available, but the Bears see some urgency. They see some of the teams in front of them thinking, oh, we might lose out to fill-in-the-blank team. We better move up a few spots and trade with the Raiders to get that man.

671.633 - 674.615 Unknown

And remind me what else they're giving up besides their own second round pick?

674.675 - 689.512 Mark Grote

Third rounder. Just a third rounder. Actually, Weedzy put it in the calculator you can use for that, and he surmised or came up with on the show last night that it would be a third rounder that the Bears would have to give up to get that man. I am comfortable with that. Okay.

689.532 - 692.38 Unknown

Because you think you're getting the best run-stopping tackle out there.

692.561 - 697.073 Mark Grote

I follow the logic. Okay. Good. All right. All right. I like that you're supporting.

Chapter 6: What are the Bears' potential second-round picks and trades?

755.363 - 761.571 Unknown

It's one thing to say, okay, you're done for the season. It's another thing to say, you're done for the season and you're not pitching in 2027 as well.

0

761.591 - 771.924 Mark Grote

You brought it up the other day. Are we going to see Cade Horton pitching with the Cubs again? Are we ever going to see the version of him that showed some dominance? I don't know at this point.

0

771.944 - 776.51 Unknown

I think you have to put him in the category now of a guy that you don't expect anything from.

0

776.55 - 777.771 Mark Grote

Don't think about him anymore.

0

778.212 - 790.191 Unknown

If he comes back, it's a bonus as far as being a meaningful part of your rotation, but 15 to 16 months is a long time, and a lot of stuff can happen in that window with the Cubs as an organization between now and then.

790.211 - 810.914 Mark Grote

I literally just looked at the first comment on Taylor McGregor's tweet, or X, whatever we're calling it these days. It says, second TJ for him, second Tommy John, Mark Pryor take two, RIP career. Look, this has been building up, man. This sucks. Definitely. Our heads go. You think about just nightmare.

810.934 - 836.985 Mark Grote

I would say, although Mark Pryor had one of the great Cubs pitching seasons ever for the Cubs in 2003, he still stands as one of the great disappointments ever. in Chicago sports history in terms of not being able to repeat or come back from that. And to a lesser degree, Kerry would as well. So that's bad news for the Cubs, and we can get back to that a little bit later on. But back to Bears.

837.305 - 864.721 Mark Grote

Back to Bears. Got another pick to go. Yeah, we got one. It's always back to Bears. Traffic and weather, Bears. All right, yes, we have one more pick here. So the Bears now have... Emmanuel McNeil-Warren on their roster. They have Cade McDonald on their roster. And with their second round pick, number 60 overall, Marshall, I am going center, Iowa, Logan Jones.

865.042 - 878.8 Mark Grote

Garrett Bradbury is a free agent after this year. You still want to have somebody else who can back him up on the roster. And guess what? The best part about Logan Jones is that he started 51 games all at 60.

Chapter 7: How do the hosts react to breaking news about the Cubs?

993.881 - 1009.826 Mark Grote

Yeah. We have identified this man. Yes. At markgrodymockdraft.com. You're ready to take him with a second rounder. Yeah. I can't see it. I'm ready for that. Yes. I have faith. But I appreciate a little bit of pushback on that. I get it. And it's boring. It's a center.

0

1009.866 - 1017.698 Unknown

I'm with your first two picks. They do need a center. I agree with you. Him at that pick, that's where the discord comes into play.

0

1017.678 - 1022.967 Mark Grote

Did I also mention that in the middle of the season, Drew Dallman's going to come out of retirement? What?

0

1024.249 - 1029.539 Unknown

You did not mention that. If that happens, I don't even know how I would react to that. Could you imagine? Yeah, I can imagine it.

0

1029.599 - 1035.028 Mark Grote

I've seen it happen before. Yeah, wow. Maybe I'm on to something. Am I? Anybody?

1035.127 - 1040.376 Unknown

Bears? It's a dart. I don't know if it's stuck or even if it hit the target, but you definitely just threw it at the wall.

1040.416 - 1054.959 Mark Grote

Oh, man. I'm going to do something cheesy right now. Be cheesy. Be yourself. Speaking of throwing darts, speaking of that, speaking of that, Bears Stadium, anyone? Isn't that what's just been going on? We've just been throwing darts all over the place?

1055.68 - 1061.889 Unknown

I know some guys who were throwing darts at each other, or at least one guy was throwing a dart at somebody, and that guy was protected by another guy, and he threw a dart.

1062.389 - 1085.524 Mark Grote

There is. We've got conflict. We've got stadium conflict. We've got a back and forth with an Illinois legislator and a guest on the Molly and Hoss show, a stadium expert. So the latest... on the Bears stadium and where they're going. And we promise it won't be boring. I know some of this stadium talk can make you want to go to sleep. This is not going to be boring.

Chapter 8: What food does the host announce he is retiring from?

1163.545 - 1173.023 Mark Grote

You have Arlington Heights in another. You have Hammond, Indiana, all the townspeople that are just, come on, we're waiting for you. Nah, we don't want that.

0

1173.203 - 1176.289 Unknown

Poor Hammond, Indiana. Welcome to Hollis Harbor.

0

1176.269 - 1193.164 Mark Grote

They are ready, they are happy, and they want the Bears, and the Bears don't really care because they're just waiting for Arlington Heights. This is all about the state right now and taking their time. It's the state of Illinois' world. It's not the Bears' world right now.

0

1193.144 - 1209.093 Mark Grote

Kevin Warren, apparently, per Cam Buckner, who was on the morning show today, said that he basically said that he talks to Kevin Warren every day. That's Kevin Warren saying, what about today? What about today? We don't want to go to Indiana. What about today? What about today? We can only play this leverage game so long. What about today?

0

1209.233 - 1217.645 Unknown

What about today? Him explaining is like, I talked to, I think it was his wife, and then maybe somebody, other family member, and Kevin Warren.

1217.665 - 1229.688 Mark Grote

Yes. It was like the trifecta. And that says everything to me. It really does. It backs up what I've been saying now for about a month, and that is Indiana is off the table because they're letting Illinois take their sweet time. Indiana's not off the table.

1229.708 - 1253.269 Unknown

It has to exist to expedite this process. Otherwise, nothing's been expedited. Mark, they're talking. They got to a point. Talking? They talk every day, apparently. Just a few short months ago, they were at a point where you had legislators, the governor, representatives explaining that this was not at the top of their priorities. They got other fish to fry.

1253.389 - 1266.452 Unknown

It went from that to Indiana getting on the table, and now all of a sudden, guess what? Progress is being made. Although it's tortoise, snail, however you want to qualify it, sloth-like.

1268.407 - 1282.847 Mark Grote

Oh, wait. Yeah, apparently, according to Mark Gannis, who was on Molly and Haw a couple of days ago, the Bears are meeting with the people in Hammond, Indiana today. That is what they're saying.

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