AZ54

I think we're going to like the fact he can run a pass route and catch the ball at the same time. He can add some YAC too.

Forte was a bit of a reach but I felt he was the best all-around RB left so I'm ok with the selection. If Benson can't beat out AP for a roster spot he's gone. And AP plays specials teams well so Ced has an uphill battle. Picking Williams was a no-brainer IMO. He was worthy of a mid-1st pick and he met our biggest need. Dan Connor...I believe he was the LB they were talking about who can get in on many tackles but always seems go backwards when he makes a tackle. If he's going backwards in college he's not what you want and he won't replace Urlacher.

I've been reading CBS' player profiles for years and generally felt they were the accurate after seeing our draftees play. They have a lot of good things to say about Forte that make me think he can be a good 3-down RB for us including blocking and pass catching ability. Had to be brought down by multiple defenders on 99 of 314 non-touchdown runs. Plus note the high character comments about working out on his own. http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/players/draft/559687 Analysis Positives: Has a well-built frame with thick thighs and calves, V-shaped upper torso with muscular arms, tight abdomen and broad shoulders … Shows good initial quickness and adequate elusiveness for a rare sized halfback … Has the ability to take a hit and keep his feet to break arm tackles … His catching ability is above average, as he is sudden out of his breaks and shows good hand extension to catch outside his frame … Has an adequate burst of speed, but is precise in his cuts and hits the holes aggressively, squaring his shoulders to execute through trash … Shows good vision and field awareness, as he is developing into an efficient cut blocker … Does a good job being patient and waiting for blocks to develop and has the vision to easily locate the cutback lanes … Is very decisive through the holes, picking his feet well while displaying the body lean to fall forward and gain additional yardage after the initial hit … Is very alert to stunts and blitzes, doing a nice job of facing up to the defender in pass protection … His effort and drive is good taking the ball up the middle and also demonstrates the second gear to elude along the perimeter … Runs hard and ends most of his carries going forward … Is an adequate in-line blocker, but shows good effort to sustain and control, keeping his hands active and with proper placement … Hard worker on and off the field and is the type who plays until the whistle … Not a real vocal guy, but is very good leader by example … Can be relied upon to get his workouts done without being watched and usually does extra work in the training and film rooms … Shows good ability to hit the hole hard and getting up to full speed in a hurry once he clears the line … Runs with good balance and does a fine job of setting up his blocks … Does a good job of seeing the field and locating coverages to settle underneath in passing situations … Has good strength and power and has become more of a bruiser when running the ball during his senior year … Consistently finishes his runs going forward and shows the ability to consistently break tackles, even when he has to power through the pile … Has vision and quickness to make first person miss and builds his acceleration nicely, reaching full speed when turning the corner … His body control and balance are evident by his ability to make hard cuts and get defenders off balance … Had some fumble issues in 2007, but generally does a good job of protecting the ball in traffic … Used mostly on controlled routes and screens, but has the moves and route running ability to go up the seam for the long throws … Doesn't shy away from contact and is very good at squaring up to mirror defenders or make cut … Has steadily improved his ability to create separation between him and the defender as a senior, keeping his pads low and showing very fluid cutback agility, showing no ill effects from 2006 knee surgery … Comes out of his stance with good hip snap, doing a nice job of locating the cutback lanes … Is a load to bring down in isolated coverage (had to be brought down by multiple defenders on 99-of-314 non-touchdown runs in 2007 and on 53-of-155 carries in 2006) … Has also become an efficient in-line blocker, keeping his hands within his framework to latch on and sustain … Drives hard with his legs in limited attempts as a lead blocker, squaring his shoulders well to widen the rush lanes. Negatives: Does a good job hitting the hole and reading his blocks, but isn't the type of player who can suddenly explode past the smaller defenders (better moving the pile than trying to elude. Does have the hip swerve to quickly redirect to the cutback lanes) … Lacks the sudden burst to hit the corner, but builds his acceleration nicely, using his power rather than a second gear to break long runs … Has very good hands as a receiver, but the system does not call for him to be split out, nor is he expected to run wide-out routes, but you can see on film that he has the vision and hand extension to catch outside his frame. Compares To: EDGERRIN JAMES-Arizona … Like James, Forte' might lack explosive speed, but his lower body strength, balance and body control allow him to shift his weight, sink his pads and drive through arm tackles. He is an efficient receiver out of the backfield and adds to his resume as a gunner on special teams. Like James, he quietly goes about his job and is slowly developing into a solid cut blocker. He seems to get stronger as the game wears on and has made steady progress recovering from late 2006 knee problems.

Stupidest thing I ever heard. Everybody has one limb (or limbs) longer than the other. Humans are not symmetrical. This certainly sounds like some teams are spreading some "downside" rumors hoping to have someone drop to them.

Absolutely I want Oline in Rd 1 and again in Rd 2. I know it'll be early to grab an OG with our 2nd pick so I think a trade down here to a little later in Rd 2 is fine and perhaps we can add a 4th Rd pick. Rd 1 OT Rd 2 OG Rd 3a RB Rd 3b WR/QB Rd 4a QB/WR (depending on 4a) Rd 4b-7d BPA looking to add any of S, FB, TE (need to replace Gilmore)

The Bears better not trade up into Rd 1 to get Flacco, he's too much of a project to be a 1st Rd pick. I can see them moving up for a QB but I'm not enamored with that move for Henne but the guy they might want is Brohm.

I disagree that Otah would not start at LT for us. Tait is aging and really isn't that quick anymore. If we have Otah I see no reason not to put him there and let Tait go back to his favorite spot on the right side. Tait should be able to anchor the right side in pass protection by himself. Then we can slide our protection schemes (TE/RB) more toward the left side to help out Otah.

Mendenhall in the 1st with Oline in Rd 2/3 equals about 1300 yds IMO. Otah or Williams plus an OG in Rd 2 plus any of Forte/Charles/Smith/Rice/insert any 3rd Rb name equals 1300 for years to come. So if there's no net gain in rushing yards why not grab the better runner? With the Rd 1 OT upgrade our passing game also improves significantly. With option 1 it does not IMO.

I'm not happy with this at all, I don't think he hurts the team but I don't see him helping a whole lot either. Now we know he's sticking around for this year. So is Booker. So is Hester and I assume Bradley will be given every chance to show he's worth keeping around this season. That makes 4 WR on the team, two of which are also special teams returners (Hester/Davis) so it appears likely IMO that we'll be keeping 6 WR on the final roster. You got a draft pick coming soon, perhaps two if we grab one in Rd 7 too, and that means Hass, Lloyd, and Rideau get to fight to show themselves worthy of keeping around.

If Henne or Brohm are there for us in Rd 2 I think there's a good chance we take them but overall I still feel it's most likely that our next QB is chosen in Rd 3 or 4.

Nah, just say no and draft a RB.

I like the two QBs selected late on day 2 and I think Dixon goes on IR to "rehab his knee injury". Brennan needs at least a year or two to gain weight.

Unless Ryan falls to us at 14 (he won't) then we're taking an OT or Albert. (Did you hear that Jerry?)

I think Dorsey is the better pick but in the end putting the Vick saga behind them by selecting Ryan wins out.

Dmac, he'll create more buzz than any other player except perhaps Chris Long but this thread assumes Long is gone by then and I'm not so sure that'll happen.

Makes no difference to me either way, I just look for posts that were updated today as I read at night.

If you are a RB who needs good blocking to succeed then you are a RB with lots of company, and little value.

Just stay put and grab a top tier OT. I have nightmares we'll trade down and end up with the "Cade McNown OT" of this draft.

I'll be very happy if we take Otah at 14. Why? Because we desperately need OT help and Otah is light years better than Fred Miller because he doesn't fall down after taking two steps. For all the downside talk about Otah most if it is about his ability to play LT. In the end game if you have a guy who is a road grader on the right end of the line then that's where you run. Want to run a reverse? Go left first and then have Otah seal off the backside of the line. Otah will be good enough to anchor the right side in pass protection which means we'll be able to line up the TE on the left side (if needed) or the RB can focus more on the left side. That's a step up from last year where the RB had to focus on everyone missing their man.

Maybe if some of these position coaches turned some of these players into better performers they'd get a big pay raise too.

i'm taking Barrett. In the 4th round the higher floor doesn't mean as much to me. I watched Barrett in a lot of ASU games and he'll make boneheaded plays at times but when he does connect he connects in a big way. If we were talking about an earlier pick I'd take the higher floor.

Where Jake Long gets drafted definitely affects which OTs are available when the Bears pick.

I agree he was brought in solely as a change of pace back and we gotta have someone who can carry the majority of the load in front of him.

Clady. It's time to pick the cornerstone at LT that we've needed for years. I like Ryan but from what I've seen of him in games I don't like him enough to pass on picking up an elite LT.

With all the 3 and outs our offense had I don't think you can put together 7 hrs of film from last year.