Reddit thinks Bears pick Texas RB Bijan Robinson in NFL Draft
Reddit claims Bears will draft Bijan Robinson originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
A person on the Chicago Bears subreddit claims general manager Ryan Poles will select Texas running back Bijan Robinson with the ninth-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
"Family friend is an area scout. Told my dad today Bears are enamored with Bijan. He’s the pick," they wrote. "Ban me from this sub if I’m wrong."
Usually, it's not wise to accept sourced info from anonymous Reddit users, a land of people trying to be trolls. But before you immediately toss it out, look at recent history.
The Bears trading the No. 1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers a little over a month ago, kind of broke on Reddit hours before it happened later that day. The user put a more vague "big Bears news" is coming message out there that turned out to be the trade.
But other "friend of a friend" Reddit posts have broken Chicago sports news in the past too.
Two Redditors broke the news that Jose Quintana was going to be traded from the White Sox to the Cubs, which people refused to believe in the moment.
So it's happened before.
Couple that with what Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham said yesterday. Most people think it's not worth taking a running back in the top 10 of the draft these days, or even the first round for the most part. No running backs were drafted in the first round last year.
"I think it's worth it," Cunningham said when asked if taking a running back in the top 10 is worth it in today's NFL.
And we've heard some credible NFL analysts link the Bears to Robinson before.
"Somebody told me don't sleep on Bijan with them either way," NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah told Peter Schrager on his podcast The Season.
No analysts have projected the Bears to take Robinson with the ninth-overall pick in their mock drafts, at least not that we've seen. Most mocks have the Bears taking an offensive tackle or Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, if he falls. ESPN's Matt Miller has the Bears taking Iowa pass rusher Lukas Van Ness.
Both offensive and defensive line are glaring needs for the Bears, who currently have Khalil Herbert, D'Onta Foreman and Travis Homer in the running back room already. Foreman and Homer were signed just last month to replace David Montgomery, who signed with the Lions.
But there is an argument to be made that Robinson could technically be the best player available, even if teams don't think it's worth drafting running backs that high anymore.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter had the Falcons drafting Robinson at No. 8 in our beat reporter mock draft for that very reason.
"So the best player at No. 8 for them you got to take the running back," Ledbetter said. "Top-five talent, you know nobody expected him to go this high. But if they're going to do what they say, he's the best player and you just pair him with Tyler Allgeier. You got some more weapons on that offense. You protect that quarterback you're trying to develop and keep it moving."
That same logic could be applied to the Bears taking Robinson. The Bears could use another elite talent at the skill positions to really open up Justin Fields' potential on offense.
But the Bears also need to keep Fields from being sacked or running for his life too.
And the Bears need to stop opposing teams from scoring points. Last year they became the first team in NFL history to lose three straight games while scoring 29 points or more.
