Mike Golic Jr. on what the Bears should do with the No. 1 pick in the draft | NBC Sports Chicago

All right, we're happy to welcome in Mike Golic Jr. from DraftKings and the Gojo podcast. Mike, thanks for joining me. Appreciate you having me. All right, it's a big offseason for the Bears coming up. I know if you've heard. You know what? Every once in a while, it makes it to the top of the pile.

Right. I mean, going back, you guys had maybe the most exciting day between the Houston Texans battle for the number one overall. Who could forget that as far as late season fodder? Yeah, yeah. So $100 million in towering cap space, number one overall pick. Let's start with Justin Fields, though. That's a rushing record for a single game. Probably breaks Lamar Jackson's record if he plays the last game, but, you know, he had the hip.

He had the hip for the number one pick. What did you see from him this year? And do you think that he's done enough to prove he's a franchise guy that they can scrap the idea of trading him and drafting Bryce Young? Yeah, I think so. I mean, we've heard that idea floated over and over again, but I just think that going back to the player that you scouted with Justin Fields coming out of college, he's right in line with the guys that we're talking about in this year's draft, better than most of those guys. And at his size, too, there's going to be a lot of complicated conversations coming up about Bryce Young, about CJ Stroud, and about size at the quarterback position, durability based on what's asked of these guys. To me, what you've got for Justin Fields is the ability physically to get people out of trouble. And when you're a team with as many holes to fill as the Bears, you need a guy that's going to be able to do that. Now, you've got to find a way to make that next step, both in the way you approach the offense and the way he approaches it as a player of opening up that passing attack and being less reliant on his legs, or you're going to get more hip injuries or things of that nature.

But yes, I think he's the guy. So let's go with all those holes they have. $95 million to spend. Where are you going with it? Are you going O-line? You're going D-line? There's not a lot on the wide receiver market, right? That's why the trip chase Claypool. Yeah, exactly. I think offensive line, especially at this current juncture of the league using free agent money towards getting veterans who have already shown an aptitude for playing. It's a lot harder than it used to be, especially if you don't have the right coaching in place, to bring in and develop young offensive linemen at a rapid pace.

We see a team like the Chiefs able to do it, but almost nothing about their process is wrecked by those. So don't look over there. Don't mind the man behind the curtain, but I think I'd look there and I think the draft is the place where you can start to look at replenishing the stock on the defensive side of the ball. There's going to be a lot of conversation about that Bears pick. Do you trade back and maybe start to look at a guy like a Jalen Carter because you've got to replace now after you let Rokwon Smith and all the key parts of your defense, especially in the front seven walk, you got to start replacing those guys and you've got some real difference makers coming out this year. So if they end up with either Jalen Carter or Will Anderson, who would you take? Would you go with the three technique or the generational edge rusher? Right now I'd be more bought into Jalen Carter. I just think that we've seen in this league and especially this Super Bowl is another great example.

Chris Jones, when he's firing on all cylinders, real difference maker for Philadelphia. We talk so much about Hasan Redick and the edge rusters, but Hargrave, Fletcher Cox, when you've got those guys that all of a sudden get one-on-one matchups on the inside or create double teams in there to help those guys out. In a league where the quarterbacks are getting the balls out of their hands more and more quickly, that direct route to the quarterback for a guy like Jalen Carter, who is an absolute nightmare. If you saw him one-on-one in college, you were getting ready to see him in the backfield smothering an opposing quarterback. And I just think that's as valuable as it's ever been right now in the NFL. Let's go to Chase Claypool. I know you've got a little Notre Dame in you.

It's tough for a wide receiver getting traded midseason. It's not like baseball or basketball where it's plug and play. When's a fair point to judge whether this trade is a success or not? Because it's not now, but when will it be? Because they get the number 32 pick for him. Yeah, I think probably in the middle of next season you need to see him help Justin take the next step. You've got to see and for Chase what he can offer you, a guy with that kind of size and ability. I think a lot of teams when he was coming out hoped would run slower because to have him as more of a split out tight end in that role would have been ideal. But you've got him as this kind of power slot that we always hear talked about to give a quarterback a target in that area of the field, especially one that's not as well protected right now and needs to get the ball out of his hands a little quicker.

I think there's opportunities for that. But I think you're going to have to start to see progress for both of them towards the middle of next season before people start sounding the alarms. Do you think the Bears one can find a number one receiver in the trademark this off season and be will like is it Deander Hopkins? Is it T Higgins? Is it Mike Evans? I think T Higgins is the one that most people should circle because the Bengals to me have to a lot to prove as far as an organization what they're willing to do because that franchise has traditionally not been interested in spending beyond a certain point to be good. They like the butts and seats point. They haven't always shown that they are in it to win it at the highest level that Joe Burrow is now dictated. They belong in based on how great he's been and with Jamar Chase already there. T Higgins would be an interesting name to circle.

He'd be the one I'd be trying to move heaven and earth for because we've seen when he was coming out of Clemson great sideline acrobatics incredible jump ball receiver. He's become everything now. We've seen in spots where Jamar Chase was out how dynamic he can be and with that kind of size you put him and Claypool on the field together and now all of a sudden you're able to go out there and kind of basketball dominate people in those spots. And again for a quarterback who you want to start to get into throwing the ball more big targets wide catch radius is always a great sell. All right. I want to play just a little game quickly before I let you go. You get one big ticket free agent.

You're the Bears. Seyquan Barkley. Javon Hargrave. Deron Payne or Orlando Brown. Seyquan Barkley. Deron Payne. Javon Hargrave.

Orlando Brown. Orlando Brown. Yeah. Man. With the expectation that the Chiefs will probably resign him. Well it depends. If you're getting Seyquan Barkley at record setting market value do not want that.

We've just seen too often even as great and as talented as Seyquan is the thought of him in that backfield with Justin Fields incredible if you can get him for closer to the Derrick Henry contract something in that range that would be interesting to me. I would probably leave Hargrave at this point getting another interior pass rusher if you want to go and let's say you do go Will Anderson having a veteran inside that can all of a sudden be a culture center coming off a potential championship team to kind of set the tone as you rebuild the culture around that locker room could be really fascinating. All right. Mike Gullick Jr. draft Kings the Gojo podcast. Thanks for joining me Mike. Thanks for having me.

Thank you.

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