adam

In the last two bowl games, he had a sack in each game. They also started the last two seasons vs ranked opponents (Virginia Tech and Georgia) and he had 2.5 sacks per game in those two contests.

We were obviously really interested in him......

Yeah, I just copied the listing from nfl.com. I could've just put OL instead.

If the Bears don't take him, he goes to NE or GB anyway. Could the Bears have traded down a few slots to get him? Maybe, but based on the Bears draft board, he was their pick.

He is not a 3-4 OLB. Just because some teams were projecting him there, doesn't mean he is automatically locked into a 3-4 OLB for life. Hell, I have seen some pre-draft writeups saying he could play anywhere from DE to OLB to MLB, regardless of scheme. He is that versatile. Somehow Whitney Mercilus is a true DE who weighs the same as McClellin, and Jones who is only a few lbs heavier. Those would have been better picks because they are true DE's and McClellin is not? It was safe in the sense of his production as a DE in college, no character issues (see Irvin), and overall draft grades. He sure played in a ton of games to have a significant concussion. I believe that is completely overblown. I would say a very high number of the players being drafted have been concussed at some point in their playing careers. He is no different. Did he miss time after all these concussions? For the Allen comparison, Allen played for Idaho State, McClellin for Boise State. Both players had low bench press reps but great 40 times at the combine. Both have a high motor and great technique. I think it is a valid comparison. The size thing actually works in McClellin's favor, Allen is thinner with only 6 more lbs and taller, but McClellin is just as fast and stronger. Mike Lombardi even called the pick in his final mock draft: http://www.nfl.com/draft/2012/mock-drafts/...lombardi/130112

I would say Cincy, Minny, NE, and Tampa had the best drafts, all getting 2x impact players in round one.

Minny definitely had a solid first round, mainly due to Cleveland moving up one slot? Minny was able to give Cleveland's 4th to move up and get Smith. They still have an extra 5th and 7th from the Cleveland trade.

I would almost want to move up from the 3rd into the 2nd to get 2 of these players (any combo of OL-WR-CB).

If he was rated that high on the Bears' board then it was a good pick.

I agree, the labeled position is sort of irrelevant, he is a pass-rusher, he can play with his hand down or standing, and can also drop into coverage. It is not a flashy name, but overall it was a solid/safe pick.

These were the highest rated players available, by position: Glenn, Cordy, T Martin, Jonathan, T Konz, Peter, C Adams, Mike, T Massie, Bobby, T Silatolu, Amini, T Osemele, Kelechi, T Sanders, Zebrie, T Allen, Jeff, T Fleener, Coby, TE Allen, Dwayne, TE Randle, Rueben, WR Hill, Stephen, WR Jeffery, Alshon, WR Quick, Brian, WR Sanu, Mohamed, WR Jenkins, Janoris, CB Dennard, Alfonzo, CB Hosley, Jayron, CB Johnson, Trumaine, CB Upshaw, Courtney, OLB David, Lavonte, OLB Brown, Zach, OLB Lewis, Ronnell, OLB Branch, Andre, DE Curry, Vinny, DE Thompson, Brandon, DT Worthy, Jerel, DT Still, Devon, DT Winn, Billy, DT Reyes, Kendall, DT Crick, Jared, DT

Mayock had him ranked #14 in his Top 100 (ahead of Mercilus and Coples): http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/09000d5d828...ospect-rankings Walter Football ranked him #1 as OLB: http://walterfootball.com/draft2012OLB.php Shutdown Corner had him going to SD at #18 and NFP had him going #20 to TEN, and he goes #19 to us: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--side-by-...NsbKzlYNpRDubYF Analyzing this pick, he was not a reach as some are making this out to be. A very productive college player that had a decent combine and Senior Bowl.

Jared Allen combine stats comparison: Allen - (6'6", 270) - 4.72 40-yd, 13 reps, 33 vert jump, 120 broad jump, 4.34 shuttle, 7.11 3-cone McClellin - (6'3", 260) - 4.63 40-yd, 19 reps, 31.5 vert jump, 118 broad jump, , 4.33 shuttle, 7.07 3-cone McClellin beats Allen in everything but the vert and broad jumps. Interesting to see Allen's low bench press total.

LOL, I love him hurdling the guy at 0:58 and breaking up the play at 1:32.

From NFL.com combine profile page: 5th round value? wow.... Here is the combine comparison to Clay Matthews: Matthews - (6'3", 240) - 4.67 secs 40-yard, 23 reps, 35.5 inch vert jump, 121-inch broad jump, 6.90 secs 3-cone, 4.18 secs 20 yd shuttle McClellin - (6'3", 260) - 4.63 secs 40-yard, 19 reps, 31.5 inch vert jump, 118-inch broad jump, 7.07 3-cone, 4.33 secs 20 yd shuttle McClellin held his own vs Matthews and is 20 lbs heavier and faster?

That is ridiculous.

I didn't see this the other day, but I just found it on McClellin's profile: http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dspro...&genpos=OLB

LOL, they could've had a great draft, after that one, not so much.

No 2nd, or is that for this year?

They moved up one slot to get Richardson and give up a 2nd, 4th, and 5th? Wow, they must've been really worried about someone leap-frogging them.

If we got Brockers AND Perry, that would be sick. I just don't think Perry falls that far. I can't see us picking up 2x DT's, and we almost always pick up a LB. Otherwise, it looks good.

If that is the case, the odds of one of the seven being there is pretty high. So I assume we would keep the pick if one was available, and would even trade down if a couple were available. I still don't see us trading up unless someone completely unexpected drops, like Blackmon or Claiborne.

No way, the price would be too steep for someone who has yet to play a down in the NFL.

Wow, that almost looks like an annual draft order in reverse. Most of the perennial losers at at the bottom (which makes sense).

Lucky, First off, great work. With that being said, the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams are not always about talent and can become somewhat of a popularity contest. Additionally, I don't know how much impact drafts from more than 10 years ago have on today's draft strategies. With the internet, technology, and the shear amount of analysis that goes into the draft these days, I don't think you can compare the eras. Logically, the higher the draft pick, the better odds of that player being successful. I bet if you did an analysis of the entire draft, you would see the same trend between each of the rounds as well. The better the pick, the better chance at finding a star. I don't think it is necessarily tied to a specific draft pick either. It is not like right after #32 that all players are no longer first round talents. It also changes year to year. So all you can do, year in and year out is to take the best player available at a position of need for your team.