Chapter 1: What are the Chicago Bears' biggest needs for the 2026 NFL Draft?
Spiegel and Holmes show flashback, flashback, flashback. This is our buddy, Matt Miller. I wouldn't trade down, guys. I wouldn't do it. I would not trade down from 10. I would draft Colston Loveland, the tight end from Michigan, and be very, very happy about now I've got my Sam Laporta. I can run 12 personnel with he and Cole Komet because I can run two tight ends.
And I would be whistling, happy, walking home on Friday night. So with the 10th pick in the 2025 NFL draft... The Chicago Bears select Colston Loveland, tight end of Michigan.
Chapter 2: How does Matt Miller evaluate Colston Loveland's potential impact?
It's like a great tight end I had, a little mini Gronk. I can't help but notice that the Gawagi hat has not been visible in the background. Why don't you leave this man alone? It's like right there. I'm just saying it's... See? Oh, it is there. Look at that. It's up top. If you're watching on Twitch, it's beautiful. Appreciate you guys. I'm moving the hat right now. You're unbelievable.
Tell me it's the best partner we ever had. Number one, right there. I've tried. He's like, I got to get out of here. I got to get away from these chamokes. I'm not going to let anyone see me move that calf. Oh, this is the worst looking hat I ever saw. Oh, it looks good on you, though. Spiegel and Holmes. You guys heard of Gawagie? Go up and get it, guys. Afternoons on the score.
I think that it's fair for Matt to maybe take a victory lap on the Colston-Loveland thing. That would be fair, right? Matt Miller can take a lot of victory laps. He's really, really good at his job.
Whoop!
And he joins us now on the Circus Sports Illinois Hotline. Is Laura Rutledge running from the sideline to the set? Hey, man, how are you? I'm doing well. I always forget how much of a smile that intro puts on my face. So I appreciate you guys. I need that. I need that to play like when I walk into rooms. We could get that sent over. That'd be great.
Well, you're walking into this room and we're appreciative of it. I'm not kidding. It's funny because you had said it. And then I got a text from someone of your ilk saying, hey, are you watching Colston Loveland tape? And I was like, no, I'm not. And they were like, you should. And I was like, oh, okay.
So having that and then the Bears ending up drafting him and him having the season, it looked like it got off to a little bit of a slow start with him. But then as he healed up, we saw a player that could be very dangerous for a very long time. Yeah, great player. And I don't, you know, I don't want to give myself too much credit. I think sometimes we overcomplicate football.
We overcomplicate like what I do for a living is, okay, watch football, find the good players. And then if you're watching the NFL, it's easy to slide them into those schemes. And when I watched Loveland, I saw Sam Laporta. And it's, I think, pretty much how he was used, especially down the stretch. But both he and Luther Burton, they were my guys last year. And I think...
I understand Ryan Poles is probably reading my mock drafts. Thank you, Ryan. I appreciate that. But those were the two players that I wanted for this offense. And we saw it. It wasn't every week. It wasn't great. But I think we are way too quick to judge rookies in the NFL. Obviously, look at the judgment around Caleb Williams and his rookie season and even the first part of this season.
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Chapter 3: What changes have the Bulls made leading up to the trade deadline?
That's the smart way to do it. Instead of asking these guys to come in and drink from a fire hose, give them a straw. Let them learn a little bit and then add on to it. I think where we do make mistakes is by expecting way too much mentally, physically. Especially a player like Holston Loveland. Yeah, he has some injuries, but a lot of these guys are coming off a long college football season.
And like, so this year, Ohio State players played 16 games, Indiana players, 16 games. So you've got that stretch and then you go straight into draft prep. You're at the senior bowl, you're at the combine, then you have your pro day, you know, rookie mini camp, training camp. You almost have like a year in change where you're just running nonstop.
And then, oh, by the way, now you're adjusting to life in the NFL where it's a job, you know, you're doing it. 24 hours a day. The expectations are higher. The playbooks quadruple the size of what you're used to. You have lifts. You have nutrition goals you have to hit. And also, you're trying to be an adult at the same time.
So I just think... And we're going to see it this year because this next draft is really pivotal for Chicago. It's important for them to stay on top. They've got to hit defensively in this upcoming draft. But... I think it's keep that in mind. We don't expect rookies to come out and have 12 sacks. If they do, that's just beyond expectations. Matt Miller works over at ESPN.
He was at the Senior Bowl. And on Monday morning, we woke up and we looked at your mock draft, Matt. And what I love to see is that someone knows the team they're discussing. Down at 25, you got the Bears taking an edge rusher. In the second round, you've got them taking a safety. Those are needs of consequence on this team. So you've done your research.
Tell us about the edge rusher that you had the Bears mocked to and if there are others that you considered. Yeah, this is a great edge class. So I had Zion Young from Missouri who was at the Senior Bowl and had a really good week. I put him in there.
I think the key is finding someone opposite Montez Sweat who has more of a power element to their game, someone that can be an edge setter in the run game. Zion is 6'5", 262 pounds. He can play on the left or right side of the defense. He has length. That showed up in Mobile. It also showed up during his time at Missouri.
So he'll use a long arm to lock out offensive tackles, but he does have enough agility to get around the corner and make pressures in the pass game. Their expectations of Missouri this year, that Damon Wilson, the transfer from Georgia, would be the guy. He would be the tone setter.
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Chapter 4: How did K.C. Johnson assess the Bulls' direction after recent trades?
He'd be the elite edge player. Zion Young outplayed him pretty quickly and had a great season, which has kind of propelled him upwards. I think he's a lock as a top 40 player. So to get a three-down edge player at 25... Definitely fills a need, right? That's a huge need for this team. Getting balance on the defensive line is key.
Also getting younger, cheaper, and having that upside of somebody that's 22 or 23 years old. But this is... Such a good edge class, to answer your question. Other guys that were considered, yes, I think TJ Parker from Clemson would be in that mix as well. I had him off the board already, I think, to the Cowboys at pick 20.
I would say that the guys like Cassius Howell from Texas A&M, more of that small speed rusher, not really a true fit for what my personal belief is that this team needs, but we're going to see a lot of edges in that cluster of 20 to 32. Those picks, it's going to be a lot of edge players because that's where the strength in this class is. And the safety in round two. Why him to the Bears?
What kind of safety is he and any others you might have considered? Well, I mean, the Bears have five safeties that are free agents. I don't know if you guys have talked about that a lot. Plenty. So if you're going to do a mock draft, go ahead and put safety to the Bears because they've got to figure something out there, right? A.J. Hollis is just a playmaker.
That's the way he has been for LSU the past two years. He had eight picks over the past two years. Every time you watch LSU play, you're going to see him doing something on the back end. you know, whether it's a pick in a big game, coming down hill as a tackler. So I think he is a versatile safety, but at 6'2", he can play in the box. He can be more of that true strong safety, but he has range.
He has great length. He's a really good tackler. He had 90 tackles this year, I think 75 the year before, so there's a lot to like in his well-rounded game. LSU's got a pretty good track record of putting safeties into the NFL, but Go back and watch him against A&M. That was the game that, in my notes, was just like, you know, number 13, number 13, number 13.
It was like every play, I felt like, was the A.J. Halsey show. He had double-digit tackles in that game. So he can play in the box. He can be an enforcer there. He can match up with tight ends. But there's also plenty of times, especially in the red zone, where he's making plays on the ball and can be someone that will flip the field for you.
Matt, considering what it is that you do and how coaches and coaches executives in college and players and ex-coaches have talked about the calendar. What is the best calendar proposal that you have heard to make this better for everyone? Yeah, I mean, I like the idea of starting a week earlier and eliminating some of the buys that happen, especially in the Coxwell playoff.
But why are we giving these dudes two weeks in between games? And I understand they're students, they're young. But if you're going to run this like they're running it, I think we've got to start a week earlier. Week zero should be week one. I don't even understand the concept of week zero. Why? Why are we doing that? Just let everybody play week one, and then we'll go from there.
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Chapter 5: What insights did Adam Hoge share from Radio Row at the Super Bowl?
And they have a strong head coach there. I'm sure Kevin is really going to be even more influential in what they're looking for in terms of scouting. you know, prototypes and things like that. But it is the latest I can remember a GM being fired throughout the process.
Hey, Matt, as I was watching a lot of the college football playoff, because, man, I loved me some Trinidad Chambliss, and then I fell in love with Miami, not the quarterback so much, but a lot of other parts of Miami. The defensive ends from Miami?
Yeah.
The wide receivers from Miami? For sure. And also the coach and, like, all the old heads coming back. Like, that was fun. And, of course, just the majesty of Indiana the whole way. I kept thinking as I watched the quarterbacks hold on to the ball and decide whether to do the handoff, Till so much later than you ever get to choose in the NFL.
Because the rule about the lineman being able to be downfield, right? That rule difference strikes me as being a massive part of what makes quarterbacking so different from the college level to the pro. That these guys are doing different things in terms of looking at a defense and reading a defense all throughout their games. Do you think that's a bigger factor than maybe we've discussed?
Yeah, definitely. I think scouting quarterbacks is always hard. It's never been easy. You know, I started doing this in 2010. It hasn't been easy since then. But it does get harder because of things like that. And I think what I've had to do is focus more on traits and production in context. So, you know, with a player like Fernando Mendoza, there's a lot of RPO, right? A lot of RPO.
They're pausing defenses. So what you have to do basically is find the throws where he is throwing quote unquote on time, you know, where he is making more plays where it's boom, boom. The cool thing about Mendoza is he's one of the most accurate quarterbacks I've, I can remember watching. Is it always, you know, does he have the best velocity or the best mobility?
No, he's just incredibly, there's an incredibly catchable, accurate ball. I think I saw a stat, Indiana receivers had six drops this year, which is a testament to those guys, but also to have catchable of a ball he throws and the placement that he throws with. So it does make it more difficult. And a guy like Chambliss, you know, who's probably 5'10", And plays out of the pocket a lot.
A lot of RPO there as well. It's just a matter of, okay, can that translate? You know, going and looking at offenses in college, how well they've translated to the NFL. Whether it be Lincoln Riley or Lane Kiffin or other guys. But so much... This is why quarterback rankings change so much from now until April. Because it's not like there's more games happening. Why are we changing these things?
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Chapter 6: How does the Bears' draft strategy align with their current roster needs?
Great on one side, innovative strategy. It's going to bring a ton of energy. But then you have your other guys. You have your Mike Vrabel, who's very good on defense, but also is more of a CEO type. You have Mike McDonald, great on defense. So everyone's chasing something. But then to have Mike McCarthy, and no disrespect to Mike, but that run in Dallas wasn't good.
Nothing about it screams excellence to me. So for him to get a shot over a Brian Flores, for him to get a shot over some of these other guys, like an Anthony Weaver, who's now once again going to be a defensive coordinator, I don't understand that at all. And it's crazy, there's 32 owners, and it's up to them to make these decisions.
And I think you can look at the lack of diversity in the NFL ownership group and understand why there's a lack of diversity in NFL hiring practices. It's pretty easy to connect those dots. Matt, you've been a great partner to the radio show and the station with your embracing of go up and get it. Gawagie as a dedicated scouting trait, a term. You guys heard of Gawagie? Go up and get it, guys.
I mean, you're the greatest partner we've ever had. I agree. That's why we sent you a hat. That's why we'll get you whatever merchandise you want and any sort of favors you want in Chicago. Is it catching on at all? Is there anyone outside of you and me that understands Gawagie and sees the wisdom that we have found in it? I think we just got to force it. We just got to force feed it to people.
You know, we keep using it enough. And there's some guys this year, Malachi Fields from Notre Dame. He's a go up and get it guy. So I think we just have to, you know, edge didn't catch on in a day. It wasn't, you know, people were calling defensive ends edge players in a day. We just got to, you know, keep driving at home. And I'll do my part to make sure that happens. God love you.
If there's anybody else, anybody at PFF, I mean, I don't know. Because that ought to be something that an analytics site, I mean, maybe Kwesi would have been into it if it had a number attached to it. I feel like we can get Matt doing it. We could ask Kaylin Kaler to start using it, I think. Like, really, just talk to our NFL peeps. Carmen, have her start saying it.
I think that we can get a movement going if we do it that way. It's grassroots, guys. It's grassroots. We're not buying likes over here. We're building this thing. Damn right we are. Matt, as always, we appreciate the time. You're the best. Thanks so much for jumping on with us. Of course, guys. Good to see you. Thanks. It's Matt Miller. He's really, really great. He gets it on every level.
Very thoughtful answers on a bunch of different subjects. Tune in tonight for the scores. First Bulls broadcast on the FM signal. It's Bulls versus Bucks. Gee, I wonder if there's anything to talk about with those two teams right now. It is all happening.
right now in the nba and the bulls if you haven't heard they traded nikola vucevic and are they putting together possibilities for a yannis um you know aggressive push it's conceivable anthony simons is here it's a very interesting and exciting young player maybe kobe white will get traded soon maybe even today there's a lot going on jayden ivy tweeted hey uh is anyone wearing number 23
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Chapter 7: What are the implications of the Bulls' recent trades for their future?
That's funny. That's really funny. Alex is efforting Jaden Ivey's mom as well. Niel, the head coach at Notre Dame.
Well, let's put a pin in that. There's a lot of guys moving, a lot of players on the move, a lot of moms to be efforted today. We're not going to stop.
Is he going to be on this team by Friday? Don't just target all the moms. It's possible that he's not a bull. Who's that, Jaden Ivey? Yeah. Yeah, it's entirely possible. That's where we want to get the mom. We're trying to find out. Move fast on mom. Pre-game coverage begins at 645. Tip-off at 7 on the score in the Fitzgerald Equipment Bulls. Radio network powered by heli forklifts.
How pregnant was that pause? About eight months. Man, getting it done. When we come back, we will have our conversation about Matt Nagy, unless, of course, the Bulls make another trade during the break. Timer is set now. Which is fair. It'll be like the Trey Mancini segment. We'll do it at some point, I think. All right, that's next here on The Score. The Score is officially live on the FM dial.
A new era of sports radio has begun in Chicago.
And we've got Pat, and he is now on FM. Good morning, Pat. Congratulations. You are the first caller to The Score's FM.
104.3. Congratulations on making it to FM radio. I love hearing you guys, and you guys sound fantastic on FM.
Glad you guys are on there. Thanks, Pat. You're listening to 104.3 The Score, powered by the official sportsbook of The Score. Circa Sports, sports betting the way it should be with no bet fees.
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Chapter 8: How do the Bears' coaching and quarterback dynamics affect their success?
You know, we started this last year. You know, and going into this season, a lot of decisions had to be made. with a lot of free agents. And that was a great opportunity for us during trade deadline to address and get a lot of draft capital and target very specific players and take a look at them.
Mully and Hall, Chicago Sports Radio, 670 The Score. That, of course, is the voice of Arturis Karnaschovas, the president of basketball operations.
And we are delighted to welcome in the man who really runs Chicago's basketball scene. He's KC Johnson.
He joins us on the Plumbers 911 hotline. Plumbing emergency. Call 1-833-PLUM-911. Local 130. Plumbers, get the job done right the first time. KC, good morning to you, buddy. How are you holding up?
I run your show with Dustin this week, man.
Oh, my God. That's the truth. It's so true. You've been telling us everything that's going on.
But, Casey, did you see seven trades happening? Did you see this coming?
I mean, I got to tell you, it is just kind of insane that they've got this. There's been a change of philosophy. They've got all these assets, second-round picks, which they didn't need before.
They've changed. And I don't know, are these duplicate players?
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