Today is not a sad day.

For twenty years, I have operated this website as a profound labor of love. It has not made me wealthy, but it has made me relevant. It has also made me friends; a few fancy byline types I like to drink with in Edison Park and at the Billy Goat among them. Most importantly, it has given a writer a space to write. Not only write but also be read, which is essential for someone who strings words together for a living. (And usually, those words are part of a play that takes years to complete, and more years to be seen by other human beings.)

Today will be the final column on DaBearsBlog.com. But today is not a sad day. After a series of meetings and phone calls, a great deal of deliberation and thought, some soul searching (if you will), I have made the decision to move the DBB brand to the Sports Mockery platform effective immediately. The reason for this movie is that site’s owner, Chris Burhans. While at the Society of Cinema and Media Studies conference a few weeks back, I had lunch with Chris at the Rivers Restaurant, where I drank too much of Haymarket Brewery’s Chicago Tavern lager. I was impressed with his passion, his technical knowhow, and his vision for what Mockery can be. I was also thrilled by how much he valued the DBB brand, both creatively AND monetarily. Chris wants to enhance Mockery’s reputation on the Bears landscape, and he believes DBB can be an integral part. I agree with him.

Why Now?

This is a life decision.

Starting this fall, I’ll be teaching twice a week and taking three classes as I begin to wrap up the coursework phase of my PhD. The idea of churning out five interesting posts a week is far-fetched, at best. How many haikus can you even read? I also want to recommit to my theater company, Boardwalk Theatre, and start producing exciting new works for the stage. For that to happen, something had to change.

I had hoped Robert Schmitz would be making DBB his own now and ushering in a new era. It didn’t happen. I am still going to be writing and you, my loyal readers, don’t even have to change your habits. DaBearsBlog.com will redirect to my new home at Mockery and I’ll be writing often at that new location starting May 1st. Columns will appear every Monday, Wednesday and Friday until the season starts, and then I’ll sort my fall schedule. My summer project is going to surveying my friends in the scouting and personnel world to evaluate every player on this 2025 roster.

I will continue operating the Twitter feed. Nothing changes there.

What I won’t have to do is run the show. No more forced daily content and pledge drives. No more SEO management. No more waking up before dawn on Monday morning out of the obligation to write something about the ballgame on Sunday. I’ll write when I have something to say. And I OFTEN have something to say.

A Final Note.

For those of you have visited this site loyally for years, I thank you. I am incredibly proud of the community we have built here and this twenty-years of production. In many ways, this has been my life’s work. I hope you’ll continue reading over at Mockery, where Sundays in season will be a gameday haiku and game thread!

Why will I continue loving the Chicago Bears every week?

Because I always love the Chicago Bears.

I’ve loved this dopey little website too.

Onward!

People know things, Jeff!

They spend all year studying!

No, Bob, they do not.

They select players,

for three days in late April.

Nobody. Knows. Shit.

From PFF:

White doesn’t have the same special teams workload history as the other players on this list, but his 2024 season was stellar. His 91.9 PFF special teams grade was the highest grade for a college player in six seasons. White blocked four punts on his 53 punt return team snaps in 2024. One of those blocked punts, versus Hawaii, led to a safety, and another against Syracuse was recovered by a teammate for a touchdown.

White also recovered a blocked punt (not his) for a touchdown against Fresno State. He made a tackle short of the line to gain on a fake punt attempt by San Diego State, resulting in a turnover on downs. When not blocking punts, White was effective at helping the vice double-team the opposing gunner.

From Lance Zierlein at NFL.com:

Effective jamming gunners and rushing punters. Punt-blocking machine in 2024 with four blocks.

My Thoughts:

• Who blocks four punts in a season? Why not use a late round pick on a guy who can potentially be this devastating on specials?

From Daniel Jeremiah at NFL.com:

Warren is a massive tight end who carried the Penn State offense this past season. He lined up in-line, in the slot and as a Wildcat quarterback. His production is the result of his size, catch radius and tenacity. He doesn’t generate a lot of separation as a route runner, but he walls off defenders when on the move. Defenders simply can’t get through his body to make plays on the ball. He can track the ball over his shoulder and he can high-point the ball when needed. He isn’t a nifty option-route type of player. After the catch, defenders bounce off him or go along for a ride as he drags them for extra yardage. As a Wildcat quarterback, he creates space with his power and leg drive. He’s effective in the run game and looks to finish when possible. Overall, he isn’t as dynamic as Rob Gronkowski was during his career, but Warren is a similar player in a lot of ways.

My Thoughts:

• The best player in this draft.
• What I love about Warren is he’s a real tight end, not one of these fellas masquerading at the position. Warren wants to line up and block people and the tight ends that can do that well (i.e. the aforementioned Gronk) are ruthless down around the goal line.
• I don’t understand the sentiment that Cole Kmet’s presence rules out the drafting of Warren. Why? Always be adding weapons. Always! I’m fine with the Bears passing on Warren if they have an equal or better grade on a player at a specific position of need. I’m not fine with the Bears passing on Warren because they already have a good player at the position on the roster.

From Daniel Jeremiah at NFL.com:

Graham is a powerful defensive tackle with outstanding leverage and instincts. He’s one of the most consistent players in the draft class. Against the run, he has an impressive short-area burst to attack blockers. He excels in block destruction. He stacks, finds the ball, chucks blockers to the side and collects tackles. He has lateral range to make plays down the line, too. He is always in a leverage position and never gets uprooted. In the pass game, he has a violent club/rip move and a powerful bull rush. His effort is outstanding. Overall, it’s easy to identify Graham as a former wrestler. He always has a full gas tank and he set the tone for the entire Michigan defense.

My Thoughts:

• At the top of the draft, I fear projection. I do not like looking at a player and saying, “IF x happens, they’ll be good at the next level.” This is also why I undervalue Combine metrics and intensely value game tape. When I see Graham play, I see a professional defensive tackle. In a draft this weak, that’s enough for me.
• Graham is a perfect complement for the big-bodied run stuffing of Andrew Billings and explosive potential of Gervon Dexter. The age of the Lawrence Taylors is over. The great defensive lines need 6-8 formidable contributors. Graham is one of those.
• It would shock me if Graham reached pick number ten but a lot of that will depend, as always, on the quarterbacks. (I don’t think any of these quarterbacks should be taken in the first round, but we all know that at least 2-3 will.) Ever since the selections of Christian Ponder and EJ Manuel, two nonsensical prospects, I always believe there’s a quarterback selection shock on the horizon. With QB-needy teams littering the top ten, look out.

From Daniel Jeremiah at NFL.com:

Zabel is a versatile offensive lineman with excellent toughness and awareness. He lined up at left tackle in 2024, but he has played four O-line positions during his collegiate career. I believe he’s best suited to play guard at the next level. In pass pro, he has quick feet, stays square and catches/absorbs rushers. His lack of length shows up on the perimeter. He allows defenders to capture his chest, but he still possesses the core strength and balance to stall their push. He shows the savvy to snatch rushers when they get overextended. I love his ability to fit up and drive defenders in the run game. He has a great feel on combo blocks, and he always looks to finish. He has a nasty playing style, but he doesn’t get caught off-balance. He’s aced every test this offseason, from the Senior Bowl to the combine. Overall, I see Zabel as a Day 1 starter at guard.

My Thoughts:

• I was taught by knowledgeable football people that run blocking is an attitude and Zabel has that attitude in abundance. He is ready to be a day one starter, without question, at ANY of the three internal offensive line positions. But with his intelligence, a team should seriously consider grooming him as their long-term answer at center.
• Is he in play for the Bears? Not at the top of round one, of course, but potentially at the top of the second round. The Bears wouldn’t need Zabel to start in September; he’d provide depth and protection for a veteran unit, with a starting spot all but guaranteed at the start of 2026. Or, maybe they draft Zabel, he wows them all summer long, and Jonah Jackson slides into the swing IOL role. No team is going to regret drafting this kid.
• Texted a scout about Zabel and got this response: “Not as polished a prospect as some suggest. But our coaching staff loves tough guys and that’s what he is.”

(1) The overwhelming majority of folks I spoke to in the city were fundamentally opposed to the Bears leaving the city for Arlington Heights. (They were also resigned to that fate.) Fans on the south side, and those on the southern outskirts, told me it will take them two hours to get a game in Arlington.

(2) Younger fans are optimistic about the 2025 Bears. But older fans, say 60 and above, have very little interest in the team. Said an ex-cop to me, “They haven’t won since the Reagan administration. Why would they win now?”

(3)  Had coffee with someone deeply connected inside Halas Hall. They told me that while Ryan Poles is well liked inside the building, the sense is that Ben Johnson is the top dog now. The relationship they compared it to is Sean McVay and Les Snead in Los Angeles.

One of the reasons I share so many YouTubes is because I have been introduced to these players by watching these videos. Today and tomorrow, I am sharing two players mocked to the Bears by PFF in their seven-round mock draft.

I have been in Chicago this week for the Society of Cinema and Media Studies conference, but I’ll begin writing longer form pieces on the draft starting next week!

One of the reasons I share so many YouTubes is because I have been introduced to these players by watching these videos. Today and tomorrow, I am sharing two players mocked to the Bears by PFF in their seven-round mock draft.