jason

I'm just curious to see what others think. What front office, organization, war room did well in your opinion? I like Baltimore and Kansas City...they both had good drafts, IMO.

The Scheuning craze is simple. He was one of the top rated OGs - in many people's top five - and the Bears need an OG. He also fell quite a bit.

HUH? What the hell are you talking about when you mention the "Mendenhall issue"? The dude went as the fourth RB taken! I'd say that very few will have to get over the "Mendenhall issue".

Clever reply. You really showed everyone. Now why don't you tell me where I'm wrong? Why don't you point to the multiple years of successful drafts? Why don't you send me a link of where the Bears had more than two or three good years in a row in the last two decades? Why don't you list the reasons why the Bears' front office seems to be so smart? Better yet, why don't you just print off a list of QBs the Bears have had over the last twenty years and rethink the supreme confidence you have in the Bears' front office.

Agreed. If you substitute Rinehart as the late third, and Schuening instead of Bowman, this draft is not only a homerun, but a grand slam. I just don't understand the blocking TE pick at all.

Weak argument. How many good seasons have the Bears had over the last 20 years?! How many good QBs? How many good WRs? What position other than LB have they been very successful with? EXACTLY! You can't answer those questions! I think that anyone on this board who devoted some time to watching every game possible, studying highlight reels, looking at stats, and absorbing a good deal of information could easily have just as good a track record as the Bears front office. We may have a completely different team, with completely opposite strengths, and a different identity, but I don't think it's even remotely impossible. I have heard several fans on this board who have a fairly decent knowledge of players going into the fourth and fifth round. And that's just a random passion for the stuff, not a full-time job. When JA and the Bears' front office starts to pile up winning seasons like the Patriots or the Steelers, then come talk to me about what the Bears' front office "knows".

I won't grade pick by pick, but I think the draft gets an overall C. I don't like the Forte pick (unless we learn that the Benson injury is much worse than expected). I don't like the Harrison pick. There were far too many other players available there. I hate the two fifth round picks. Considering the fact that the Bears need OG much more than either position, and a third TE should never see the field when we have Olsen and Clark, it just didn't make sense. Frankly, I'm a bit puzzled by the lack of attention to the OL. The two 7th rounders do little to make me feel better about the fact that the running game is probably going to be ugly again next year.

Enlighten me. Why is Manningham such scum? McFadden seems to have gotten into just as much BS, hell, probably more.

If they could all be Boy Scouts, that would be nice. But some times you have to take a chance on a kid who might have some problems. I suppose you would have passed on McFadden as well?

I would argue that the Bears' second biggest need was actually OG.

I hate that line of thinking. In many cases it's true, but in many other cases it's just plain wrong. The saying, "Too far into the forest to see the trees" comes to mind. These guys do this so long, so much, with nitpicking on top of insignificant details, that they can talk themselves in and out of decisions that they'd normally not make. How many times have you talked yourself into a decision because you got your mind set on something, rather than taking the obvious choice? Get hung up on something that sparks your interest, and the next thing you know there is a poor choice because of something minor that just happened at the right time. What I know is what I have seen. I know the players I have focused on when watching the games. And a lot of the times all this extra crap gets in the way of seeing how good a person is at just playing football. On top of all this, let's be honest...the Bears' management has pretty much sucked at picking offensive talent. So, I'm not so sure they actually do know more than the average avid football fan. Do they have more resources? Yes. But that doesn't mean they make the smart/right decision.

I think that's what I dislike the most about the Forte pick: it signals the end of Benson. Not only that, but it severely limits the carries for Wolfe. Essentially it's making two high round draft picks worthless. I really think that if the Bears did serious upgrading of the OL, Benson would have progressed, if not even fulfilled his promise. I just don't like it. Just like the Benson pick, I think it's a huge mistake when considering other needs on the team. I hope the guy does well, turns into the next superstar RB, and tears the league a new one. But no matter what he does, I'll always think that RB wasn't a high enough need. (All of the above can be disregarded if it turns out that Benson's injury is much worse than has been let out.)

Colt Brennan....hahahahahaha....that was classic. I like the kid. Hell, I want the Bears to draft him! But drafting him in the third is REEdiculous. He'll easily be available in the fourth, more than likely in the fifth, if maybe in the sixth.

I'd just like to note that if I have "dogged" Forte, I'm dogging him more for the fact that I didn't want the Bears to draft a RB high, and I have pretty much dogged the Mendenhall insanity (4th RB picked) since day one.

Agreed. When the Bears came up in the second, the pickings at OT were very slim.

I wouldn't mind that either Pix. Are you that sold on Josh Johnson? It's quite possible that he might drop to the 4th rounder.

My only reply to this is that Benson looked unstoppable behind his massive Texas OL. I don't hate the pick of Forte, but I don't like it either. I think that, barring an untold injury to Benson, there's a really good probability that the upgrading of the OL could have allowed us to revisit the same optimism that we had when we were posting Benson videos all over the board. Now, there will be a RB controversy, and Benson is sure to be even more moody.

I'd love to see either Roy Schuening (OG), Dennis Dixon, or Mario Manningham in any combination for the Bears. My preference would be a combination of Roy Schuening and Mario Manningham. That would be outstanding.

This I agree with. Either the Bears need to be a balanced offense or a running-team. If they want to claim to be a running team, then Williams wasn't necessarily the pick. I honestly thought we were going to get Otah; he's a mauler. And Albert has the potential to just crush people. Williams was the safe pick, however. He's ready now. I think that's why they went after him.

I much prefer Forte over Ray Rice, but that's just personal preference. I saw Rice one time this year, and despite the fact that he looked good, he didn't look like a home-run threat. Forte appears to be more of a home-run threat, despite the fact that he isn't one either. I just like the home run hitters a lot more than the grinders...to each his own.

The reason I think it would have sucked just as much is that the Bears have other holes. To lose a 3rd rounder in a trade up for a guy who was considered the third best RB by the NFL teams (evidently), is just not smart. I saw Mendenhall several times this year on TV, but never got to see Forte. Mendenhall looked good, but never really blew my socks off. He looked like a guy who benefitted because of his college system and nasty, running QB a lot, IMHO. Good? Yes. Great? I don't think so. As far as Forte goes, he has massive stats and is apparently one of the best backs in college football right now. He benefitted from playing weaker opponents overall, but he killed them. I don't know why you assume he can't be an every down RB. To me, the general difference between them is a toss-up...and the Bears don't lose other draft picks.

That's why I said that there are many examples otherwise. However, on a different note, Walter Payton, and every player drafted years ago, is a bad example. The scouting and spotlight is much brighter and all-encompassing than back then. If Walter came out in today's draft, Mel Kiper would have been jerking off to his picture on ESPN - it would have been a no-doubter like maybe never before.

I love how all the Mendy talk happened before the draft, and then he doesn't even end up going as the second RB. OL was the biggest need, and was addressed. OL is probably the second biggest need as well.

By the way, the note on Tomlinson was to show that the Predraft grades and comments are often wrong. For all the things "wrong" with LT, he sure has turned out well and seems to have done everything opposite of his detractors. I don't like the Forte pick, but I suppose it's possible that all the "bad things" about Forte are wrong.

Luckily they have brains bigger than a BB and didn't make the move up for Mendenhall. Don't get me wrong, I don't like the Forte pick, but drafting up to get Mendenhall would have sucked just as much.