It was 1997 and I sat down with the late and greatest football player of all time, Walter Payton, at his Aurora Roundhouse Restaurant to begin working with him on the first of a weekly column for my newspaper chain.
He seemed agitated that I wasn't eating my lunch at his restaurant—because I had already eaten lunch. It was their famed prauns. They were truly the biggest prauns I had ever seen and maybe I feared they'd been mutated through radiation as much as I was just full from eating lunch already. I finally I gave in and ate some of them.
While talking to him for the first time in collaborating on that column, I had to ask him in an unrelated topic about the coin flip before Super Bowl XX.
I asked him this because it had always been my belief he saw the coin hit the ground and called the toss too late but got away with it.
My final Round 1 Mock Draft 2025:#Bears, #Jaguars, #Giants all making moves.
— Luke Dolan (@LukeDolan18) April 24, 2025
Let’s go Poles#BearDown pic.twitter.com/CVgXV9icDY
Captain Payton waited until after the coin was in the air and it hit the ground, then he made the call, it seemed. Watch the video.
With a real big grin and twinkle in his eye—a really big twinkle—he gave a kind of chuckle and said I didn't know what I was talking about.
The first 19 #SuperBowl MVPs
— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) January 26, 2024
Honored before the Super Bowl XX coin toss at the Superdome in New Orleans
January 26, 1986 pic.twitter.com/3sjzytE76i
It was obvious he'd been told this before and he mumbled something about maybe the sound on the NBC telecast was slightly off from their picture.
When the coin hits the turf, all bets are off, except in that case.
People. There is a lot of total BS being thrown out about the Bears tonight.
— Greg Gabriel (@ggabefootball) April 24, 2025
If it doesn’t come from people like Glazer, Schefter, Rapoport, Pellisaro it’s just not true. Some local jerkoff has no relevant information nor does he have access to it
Anyway, the coin has hit the turf on mock drafts. Deadline came at 9 a.m. Thursday. The best mock drafters' efforts are in for this year, at least the best mock drafters according to The Huddle Report.
April 24, 1994
— Old Time Football (@Ol_TimeFootball) April 24, 2025
Who in the hell is Mel Kiper anyway? He’s never put on a jock strap, never been a coach, or administration and all of a sudden he’s an expert.
Kiper has no more credentials than my neighbor, who is a postman that doesn’t have season tickets to the #NFL - Bill Tobin pic.twitter.com/8bcQ0JCVoz
The Huddle Report gathers mocks and posts standings to let everyone know who is most accurate. Only one of the top 10 from the last five years was not obviously posted as of draft morning by 9, but somehow at the last second the most accurate mock drafter of all Jason Boris, made it in at the coin flip. Or did he?
At least it seemed like he may have made it after the coin hit the turf but he has made it.
Believe me, there are a lot of mock drafters scrambling around this morning, hoping they could get an edge by getting a last-second trade into their mock so they look more accurate.
My final mock draft (feels good to say that).https://t.co/QqX5dc3WfK pic.twitter.com/tN6U38UUDl
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) April 24, 2025
Here's who the top 10 mock drafters over the last five years say the Bears are taking, after they made it in under this deadline.
"The Bears are high on Ashton Jeanty, but unless they trade up here, he likely won't be available here. With two second-round picks, they could still maneuver. For now, the pick is Graham--a top-five talent who slides slightly due to positional value," Boris wrote.
Since 2018, every single DE/DL/DT/EDGE ranked inside top-10 of final consensus mocks was a top-10 selection, except Dallas Turner.
— Kyle Borgognoni (@kyle_borg) April 23, 2025
This is your "why is Mason Graham suddenly being mocked outside your top-10" warning. pic.twitter.com/ACLvUIqC04
Donahue had Omarion Hampton mocked to them in an earlier draft. His last posted before today at 8 a.m. explained the pick.
A tight end needs pretty stellar receiving production to merit a first round grade. Tyler Warren has one season with elite volume but only as a senior. Colston Loveland doesn’t have elite production but Michigan receivers need to be graded on a curve in that regard. pic.twitter.com/9KZnctUYFK
— smiley (@smiley_moth) April 24, 2025
"It seems clear that Ashton Jeanty is at the top of the Bears' wish list, but unless they are willing to trade up, it doesn’t seem likely that he will fall to them at 10," Donahue wrote.
"The Bears may value Stewart's rare athleticism, combined with their significant need at edge," Cromartie wrote.
Shemar Stewart is a physical freak pic.twitter.com/e527fAGoBQ
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) April 21, 2025
"Warren set school records at Penn State for tight end receptions/yardage and won the 2024 John Mackey Award, given annually to the most outstanding tight end in college football," Pickney wrote.
Shemar Stewart bull-rushing the LG and LT with one arm each pic.twitter.com/pLSlJtyokA
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) April 19, 2025
"GM Ryan Poles would consider any of top three tackles (Campbell, Membou or Banks) or an edge rusher (likely Williams), but Banks is the last man standing," Brown wrote.
Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr. now favored to go No. 6 overall in 2025 NFL draft. https://t.co/uy7Ljo2bbG
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 24, 2025
"With Jeanty and Warren off the board, general manager Ryan Poles can train his focus on the trenches. Banks would allow the Bears not to pin the hopes of their rebuilt offensive line on left tackle Braxton Jones, who is still recovering from a fractured left ankle suffered in December," Middlehurst-Schwartz wrote.
I don't understand the hate of Kelvin Banks. If the #Raiders take him at 6, I would have no issue with it. He's one of the best OTs in the class. The movement is really really good & he only just turned 21 last month.
— Sanjit T. (@Sanjit__T) April 24, 2025
pic.twitter.com/9OtavoWVCf
"The Bears have a capable tight end in Cole Kmet under contract through 2027, but Warren would be an upgrade. Kmet’s contract is also structured in such a way that Chicago can save some money by moving on after the 2025 season," McCrystal wrote.
DT Mason Graham
"The Bears miss out on the top offensive tackles but get a top 5 talent with the disruptive DT," wrote Philpot, who had Jeanty as his previous call.
When the Panthers select Mason Graham, what will be your reaction? pic.twitter.com/6FKGMDgE8T
— The 4 Man Rush (@4ourmanrush) April 24, 2025
"Don’t be surprised if the Bears make a move up to pick No. 4 or 5 for Jeanty. But in this scenario, they continue to fortify the offensive line with Banks, a three-year college starter who can play LT or kick inside to guard," Smola wrote.
Wow. I can’t believe Ashton Jeanty becomes a Chicago Bear today pic.twitter.com/0bUd1LwqyZ
— Bearsszn (@bearssznn) April 24, 2025
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