We wrap up our Chicago Bears offseason superlatives series with our Favorite Day Three Draft Pick.
Sam Householder: Probably an oddball pick here, but Ruben Hyppolite. I get that he wasn’t on a lot of radars, and it feels like a reach pick when put in that context. However, he has some crazy speed and measurables, and there were some legit reasons he flew so far under the radar. We’ll see, but it’s an intriguing pick to me.
Ryan Droste: Luke Newman. I’m all for adding to our OL depth, and I think he
has the intangibles to be very good in the league. He played all three interior OL positions during the Shrine Bowl and showed some real versatility. Plus, he started every game last year at Michigan State and looked great against some very talented DTs
Bryan Orenchuk: Kyle Monangai, RB from Rutgers. Though he wasn’t in my top 10 RB’s in this draft, he was in my top 20 and could prove to be a sneaky addition on a team with snaps to be had in the RB room. If Swift and Roschon fail to make enough of an impact, expect Monangai to play early and often. His success in the B1G Ten indicates he can have similar success at this level, especially with the improvements to the OL that Chicago made this off-season.
Gary Baugher Jr.: Kyle Monangai (again). He was the focal point of the Rutgers offense and carried that load very well in a tough B10 environment. He has fantastic contact balance, can be sneaky shifty, has great ball security, and brings a much-needed tenacity in pass pro. All things that generally translate well in the NFL.
Jeff Berckes: Picking from the Day 3 picks is like blindly choosing a treat from the box of chocolates that has been picked over by Dan from accounting, who stole the cheat sheet on his way back to the 3rd floor. Maybe you get lucky with a caramel that someone left behind by mistake, but you’re probably going to get an orange cream. Anyway, give me the kid who’s never fumbled.
Johnathan Wood: Trading down. This is cheating, as it’s not a specific player or pick, but the Bears traded down multiple times on day 3, landing extra 5th and 6th round picks this year and a 4th rounder next year. Given that any individual day 3 pick has a very low chance of panning out, this is extremely shrewd draft management. If you want me to highlight a specific player, I guess I’ll go with Kyle Monangai. He should compete with Roschon Johnson to be Chicago’s between the tackles runner.
TJ Starman: Kyle Monangai has grown on me and inspired hope that he can be a solid contributor to the team’s running game this season, despite being a 7th-round draft pick. By most accounts, the depth of this year’s running back class pushed Monangai down draft boards in a way that likely wouldn’t have happened in most drafts. This could mean that the Bears got a steal in round 7 that could be a main cog in the machine by mid-season and I’d be ecstatic to see it.
Josh Sunderbruch: Luke Newman. I will almost always support spending a late pick on trying to develop depth for the offensive line.
Mongo Peanut: Zah Frazier. He’s long. He can run. He can take the ball away. What more can you ask for? In an elite cornerback room, the Bears now have incredible depth behind JJ, Gordon, and Stevenson with Blackwell, Terell Smith, and now Frazier. All he needs to do is play good special teams this season, but there is a huge chance of him developing into a starting-level cornerback given his traits. That’s a Day 3 pick worth celebrating.
Donald Gooch: Luke Newman. He has upside as a backup OG, and I think he can eventually slot in as a starter at center.
Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.: I was hoping for a running back earlier, but Monangai in the seventh seems like a guy who will be able to contribute early. While not a speedster, he has good vision, runs with power, has good balance, and can pick up a blitz.
Here are the previous parts of our series in case you missed them.
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