AZ54

If the defensive players that best fit our needs are gone then there is someone very good on offense sitting there. However, I can't see a scenario where all 3 of Pryor, HHCD, and Donald are gone. If they are then there is likely a good trade down scenario forming for either a QB, LT, or WR.

Buried at the end of this article is a line about how Emery wanted SMC moved to LB back when Smith was still in town. ---------------------------------------------- http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/bears/post...s-trade-for-suh But I think what a lot of folks don’t know is that, according to sources, Emery actually wanted that transition to take place a lot sooner, but Smith was reluctant to move McClellin to linebacker. ---------------------------------------------- If true it seems to indicate that SMC was somewhat of a Lovie choice although that does not absolve Emery at all for the pick. He had other options on the board at the time in Chandler Jones and Whitney Mercilus. This does bring up a ton of questions. At the top of the list for me is why didn't we switch him last year when Trestman and Tucker came to town? I don't expect Emery to ever address this as that is not his style, nor would I want to hear it. I just don't want people in the organization running around bad-mouthing past decisions when they felt something else should have been done. That is not good for team chemistry. Emery has owned up to the fact that drafting SMC to be a DE was a mistake.

Will Sutton didn't just "gain weight" he got fat. I watch quite a few ASU games and he was quicker and more of a force in 2012. Even then he was not anywhere close to the athleticism Donald displays on the field. I'd say he's closer to Melton in terms of upfield quickness but not as agile as Melton. Sutton is not a guy who is going to cut left or right and chase after a player like Russell Wilson. Maybe if he improved his conditioning he'd be better but that's what I saw this past season.

Since Dallas is now Bears-west we can use our past history under Lovie to get an idea what Dallas will do. When Lovie arrived he wanted two things: 3-technique DT and a DE. During the course of his tenure the need for a DE was high enough that we traded twice to get one: Ogunleye and Gaines Adams. In Dallas they just gave big $$$ to Henry Melton. Drafting another DT in Donald who is also a bit deficient on stopping the run makes little sense. Are you really going to line up Melton and Donald all game long on 1st down? Drafting someone like Jernigan who can handle the NT position does. But since Jerry Jones said goodbye to their best Dline player in Ware they have zero at DE. Unless you think Jeremy Mincey is that DE stud they need to make the scheme work. I don't see it. DT has better depth than DE in the draft, especially when you consider the type of player the Cowboys need to put next to Melton. I see the Cowboys taking the 2nd best DE in the draft in Kony Ealy and then DT in the 2nd Rd.

Where's the Fridge when you need him?

I'm with you on this one. Many professional athletes don't look ripped and we won't even go into baseball players physiques. Besides that, it was the Bears who pushed him to gain weight. Weight that his body wasn't really meant to have. What I like about this isn't that he is now leaner, it is the core strength he has added. http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/bears/post...y-in-move-to-lb ------------------------------------ So I evaluated him and took a look at a lot of his stuff in college at Boise State. I realized he was missing a couple of strengths or strength qualities you need for football. He's a springy guy, so in space he can get around you. But when he would lock in with a player, he didn't have the isometric strength or back strength to drive past the guy and disengage." ------------------------------------ That's exactly the trait that many here on the board complained about, myself included. To his credit he went and worked hard to improve it.

I think Pryor grew up a bit last year in terms of his work toward being a better passer. He's dreaming if he thinks he'll get to be a starter somewhere. If he comes to accept that he'll be a backup I'd like to see the Bears bring him in for a workout and see what he has to offer. He may offer just as much as a late Rd QB does.

Jason, earlier I said I had doubts about HHCD in the 1st Rd. I've since gone back and watched more highlights courtesy of Draft Breakdown where they put up a full game's worth of plays instead of just highlights. I've changed my opinion of Dix and feel he'd be a solid choice for us in Rd 1. I believe Dix was injured last season and the highlights or games I watched a month ago were after he returned to the field late in the season. I'm not sure on that but either way I watched him in a lot more games and he can play the entire field well from run coverage to pass coverage. Given the choice I still prefer drafting Aaron Donald because I value pass rushers more than safeties. If Donald is off the board Dix is now my second choice for our 1st pick.

That "near disastrous" draft was done with the previous scouting department setup. Emery was hired relatively late prior to the draft and so he went in with the existing system and scouts. On top of that Phil effectively said at the time he was giving Lovie everything he "needed" to be successful. It is impossible to know how that impacted decisions like SMC but I don't think we can eliminate Lovie's influence in that decision, or really that whole draft. That doesn't excuse Emery from mistakes either, he had the final word. I still believe he did enough to support Lovie so that when he talked with the owners and Ted Philips he could justify why he wanted to move on and hire a new head coach. The 2013 draft is when Phil had his system and scouts in place. I don't think that was bad at all as he came away with two starters for an Oline that really needed help. We still have to see what we get with Wilson at WR but there are reasons to be optimistic. Bostic didn't play well last year but I think he'll develop into a good player for us. Greene may end up as a good backup LB for us but that's not all bad for 4th RD pick. Washington may or may not make the team this year. At a minimum Emery has drafted two Pro Bowl players in back to back drafts. That's not all bad.

I believe the Bears are done with his injury prone ways. I like him. He is not fast, not big, but has good hands and gets to the right spot on the field. Depending on how things shake out I could see him returning on a vet min deal or close to that but I think we want to see what other options we have first, as does Earl.

Ford in college for comparison to highlights of this year's RBs. http://draftbreakdown.com/video/michael-fo...-carolina-2012/ I see a guy with speed but not a lot of lateral quickness and agility to make that quick cut to get to open space. Not much different than what he showed us as a Bear IMO. That lack of lateral quickness could also hinder him in pass protection when he has to make last second adjustments. I certainly hope to be wrong. I think he'll compete for 2nd RB but he needs some good competition and I hope we find someone that beats him out for the job because that means we're that much better. Plus we've heard nothing from the team regarding confidence in Ford. That doesn't mean anything at all because it is draft time and smokescreens are everywhere. As bad as Michael Bush was last year there was plenty of opportunity for Ford to make a statement.

I do want to add a speed element to our offense but in terms of a backup RB we need someone more versatile, a true 3-down player, to take reps off Forte and help extend his career.

Read the other thread and posted before reading this. Yes, I'm fine with going DT with our first two picks if that is how the talent stacks up. Two years to fix the D and we can't really shore up all the holes without completely ignoring the offense. I think ignoring a backup RB and TE would be huge mistake and we must have a backup QB.

Handling stunts from that Dline: Houston, Izzy, Allen, Donald, Tuitt, Young, would be a challenge. Lots of speed, length, and power. I'm ok if that talent falls that way and we go that route. I still feel fixing the defense is a two year project. We could go all-in for defense in the draft and abandon backfilling some positions like TE, QB, and RB but I feel we must rely on the offense to win. Do enough to improve the D but also do enough to ensure the offense will always be there each week. A dominant Dline will make all other positions better on defense, we've seen it before. We're still going to add in a CB and S too but we can clean up those positions next year. If we go the balanced approach (CB, DT, S) among first 4 picks then we still have depth issues at DT and LB unless Paea suddenly turns it around. Pick your poison because we'll have a gap on the depth chart somewhere no matter which way we go. Go the path that gets the best talent.

That's true, Izzy and Houston should be able to rotate inside for a few downs better than what Wootton was able to do last year. To be fair to Wootton doing what he did for us at DT was commendable. in terms of effort.

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/bears/post...aive-de-ozougwu Austen Lane remains, for now.

One of those football abilities that matters a lot is accurate passing. I still think Tebow was a very good football player in the category you describe and could have been a good H-back type or perhaps a TE. He was not and is not a good QB. Jordan Lynch, who is also a very good football player, has followed a similar path through college. He is not fast either but he is quick and may actually play faster than he was timed. At least the videos seem to confirm that IMO. Regardless, Lynch, at just 6 feet tall and 217lbs, does not have the frame Tebow does (at 6' 3" and 240lbs). I don't know if Lynch is interested in switching positions, and if he is I'm not sure to what. I suppose he could be a FB type because we know he can run out of the backfield plus he is versatile enough to catch passes which he did in games. I just have no clue if he can block. I assume the Bears interest in him is as a UDFA QB and nothing else.

He was fighting a legal battle to win his freedom from the CFL. Once that was settled he ended up with the Saints mid-season. --------------------------------------------- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Williams_(wide_receiver) However, almost 3 months later on August 29, 2013, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice over-ruled the decision of the independent arbitrator, declaring Williams is not bound to any contractual obligations with the Tiger-Cats, making him a free agent in the view of the CFL Players Association. The CFL has announced that they will appeal the decision.[8] On October 2, 2013 the Hamilton Tiger-Cats announced that Williams was free to sign with any NFL team, but they would reserve his CFL rights through the 2014 CFL season.[9] New Orleans Saints[edit] On October 3, 2013, he was signed by the New Orleans Saints. The move came just one day after he was granted free agency.[10] -------------------------------------------- We signed him to our active roster for the last week of the season forcing the Saints to either put him on their active roster for the playoffs or let him go. I don't have high hopes for the guy but beating out Weems for a roster spot is not a high bar either.

Williams may run a 4.28 in shorts but I don't see that speed on the field in pads. Hester was also crazy quick when he started out, I don't see that same trait in Williams. I think he can be just as good a returner for us this year as what Hester gave us last year.

We've seen a lot of 285lb DTs in the NFL that haven't faired well but we haven't seen a lot of them that can run a 4.68 forty and his 3-cone time was only beaten by 3 DEs. Plus there is only 1 other DT in the top 15 of the 3-cone drill times among Dlinemen. Donald is not perfect and that is the only reason he may still be available at #14. He may be capable of 10 sacks per year up the middle not to mention the pressures that would also be there to force plays to be shorter. He might also give up 4yds per rush too. In the NFL it is the big plays for a loss that get you off the field and I think Donald can contribute more of them than any other DT in this draft.

Ask Matt Flynn.

Yes but everyone says trade back and all teams can't trade back. So who is trading up in a "deep" draft? I hear the 49ers but what are they willing to give up? Will it be enough or will they be looking for the bargain deal? I'd much rather gamble on elite physical talents like Gilbert or Donald rather than drop back to where the players don't have elite athleticism with little gain to show for that in terms of additional picks. Donald may be a bit of a liability against the run but if he's a beast on pass rushes….well this is a passing league now. I really think with Donald it is more of a situation where he can play in a 1-gap scheme but not a 2-gap scheme. Gilbert may not be perfect but he's a great athlete and he's still a very good player. I don't rule out other options either such as Jernigan who is extremely physical in the middle. Maybe not the same as a pass rusher as Donald but he's solid on 1st/2nd down and can do some 3rd down pass rush too. In many ways he's the opposite of Donald and both are very good players. Who we take depends on what our scheme is and we don't know what our scheme is.

For a late round talent whose weaknesses seem like a perfect fit for Trestman's coaching strengths consider Logan Thomas. Lots of upside and the base talent, size, arm strength, accuracy when mechanics are right, is there to succeed in the NFL. For as much attention as we've given Jordan Lynch I have to think Thomas is also on our radar. http://draftbreakdown.com/the-case-for-logan-thomas/ http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players...93/logan-thomas Inconsistent footwork and mechanics are a big reason for his erratic passing, struggling to reset his lower body when moved from his spot. Needs to stay balanced through his delivery. Suspect field vision and questionable passing instincts. Needs to speed up his eyes use and decipher his reads quicker.

Excellent website, thanks for posting the link.

He's now at a price where he can compete for his job and if he loses we can cut him. He keeps his $100k bonus but in the grand scheme that's a fair risk/loss/reward setup for both sides.