3. Chicago Bears fans will debate Tyrique Stevenson vs John Michael-Schmitz
This seems to be the more high-end discussion compared to Noah Sewell or Jordan McFadden. Still, it is essentially the same question. This is one that fans are much more up in arms about, though. John Michael-Schmitz made a lot of sense going to the Chicago Bears.
What is funny is that not only the fans thought it would be the case, but the New York Giants also saw it as well. They made it pretty well known that they were interested in John Michael-Schmitz, and some even mocked him to the Giants in round one.
So, when the Chicago Bears moved up, the Giants thought that their hand had been played, and they had been caught. However, the Bears took a cornerback, in Tyrique Stevenson. This stunned the Giants because they drafted a cornerback the night before. Still, it shows the Bears' intentions were less about jumping the Giants and more about paying the right price for a player that had graded higher.
For Stevenson, the Bears run enough three-cornerback looks that you can say his value is a lot greater than Sewell at linebacker. Still, it was surprising with Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon already on the roster.
This is another case of Ryan Poles sticking to his board, and what he thought was best. He had Stevenson graded at a certain price, and when he had a chance to pay that price, he took it. It was not about jumping guys or filling needs as much as it was about sticking to his board. We will find out which philosophy is better in the coming years.