👋 Good morning!

What a time for teams in this city, am I right? Instead of playoff participation, we’re left on the outside looking in and rooting for storylines.

Cool.

I know it’s the Knicks, but Stevenson High School’s own Jalen Brunson has been incredibly fun to watch against the Celtics.

And for the Dallas Stars, you might remember that the Blackhawks retained $4.625 million to facilitate Mikko Rantanen’s trade from the Avalanche to the Hurricanes.

He lasted only a month with Carolina before being shipped to Dallas, but his money’s still on the books in Chicago.

If he wins the Stanley Cup, or even better, a Conn Smythe, we’re calling dibs.

– Patrick Norton

The Bears begin their first rookie minicamp tomorrow at Halas Hall! It’ll be our first chance to see Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson’s eight-man draft class, plus the roster of undrafted rookies.

It also means we’ll have a chance to hear from Johnson from the podium up in Lake Forest. Here’s what I’m looking forward to learning this weekend:

On Trapilo: After being drafted by the Bears in the second round last month, Trapilo highlighted his height as the biggest flaw in his game: “I'm more susceptible to having people get under my pad. It makes me have to fight harder to maintain good pad level, maintain good posture, and balance all that.”

Remember, this is minicamp, so we’re not going to get as good a glimpse of these guys as we might for a practice or in a game, but I’m interested in how he looks moving. Will his size look like a hindrance, or is that going to be an opposing defense’s problem instead?

On the playbook: It sounded like there was still plenty of work to be done in creating the playbook when we heard from Johnson ahead of the draft, and it wasn’t addressed the weekend of the draft.

I’m certain the Bears’ head coach is in a better spot than he was a month ago, but remember when he warned players during his introductory press conference to “get comfortable being uncomfortable”? Part of that discomfort is going to come from the complexity of learning something new.

I’m interested in whether he’s pleased with where the implementation process is, just over two months from training camp.

On Monangai: Kyle Monangai is a pass protector and a change-of-pace back. The expectation that a seventh-round rookie is going to step in and compete for a bulk of the carries is a bit crazy. Then again, Ben Johnson did say there is no depth chart at the moment.

D’Andre Swift is still the better back, but Monangai should still be able to complement the room, just not at the level that I’m seeing in some projections.

What’s interesting is Monangai falling in the draft because of his combine measurements. Otherwise, what’s not to like about a guy who never fumbled in college?

Monangai’s not the best open-field back, but his short burst in traffic is what made him successful at Rutgers. Unfortunately, a 4.60 40-yard dash doesn’t showcase that.

That’s why it’s important to think back to Adam Hoge's interview with Johnson at the NFL’s Annual Meeting in Palm Beach, Fla. The exact conversation was about arm length on the offensive line, but it applies here:

“I love watching the tape without knowing anything. To me, that’s the most important indicator of whether the guy can play football or not.”

Johnson later added: “The tape, to me, is more important than the measurables.”

I’m curious whether we’ll be able to see that on the practice field, too.

Quick Reminder: No CHGO Bears show today. We’re taking the day to prep for the weekend, but we will have shows after rookie camp on Friday AND Saturday.

GO DEEPER: Want to study up on the Bears’ UDFA class? Fran Duffy has you covered!

🚨 BABY ALERT 🚨 Congratulations to Mallory and Dansby Swanson, who announced that they’re expecting their first child later this year!

We’ve already called dibs on one thing this morning, so I think we should keep it rolling and call dibs on the Swanson’s firstborn having a long career on whichever Chicago sports team they’d like to play for in 20-22 years.

Happy Anniversary! Can you believe it’s been ten years since Derrick Rose’s immaculate buzzer-beater against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the second round of the playoffs?

That also means it’s been ten years since the Bulls’ last win beyond the first round of the playoffs. Yikes.

⚾️ White Sox @ Royals
1:10 on CHSN

📺 CHGO Blackhawks
2:00 on YouTube

📺 CHGO White Sox
POSTGAME on YouTube

📺 CHGO Bulls
4:00 on YouTube

📺 CHGO Cubs Related
8:00 on CHGO Cubs YT