Bears4Ever_34

Updated my draft board.

I'm curious, after going through a plethora of mock drafts over the past few weeks, what our draft board should look like. I haven't really gotten that deep into it yet but there's been alot of mocks that have been posted here lately. If you were to put together a 10-12 player 'Big Board' for this team, what would it look like? Let's assume the obvious that Luck, RGIII, Blackmon, Kalil, and Claiborne are all off the table. Here is how I have mine set up. Subject to change as we get closer and closer to the draft. Draft board 1. WR, Michael Floyd + Physical beast; powerful runner after the catch + Great hands catcher; plucks the ball out of the air. Reminds me of Anquan Boldin + Benefits from having Brandon Marshall on the field; he's a #1 who's going to get the coverage of a #2. - Possession receiver, lacks elite speed, doesn't fully compliment Marshall's skill set. Same type of player. - Off the field incidents. Is Marshall/Floyd together going to cause problems? Analysis: Floyd is the clear cut 2nd best receiver in this draft. The Bears still need to fill the void of a #2 receiver. On paper, it looks menacing to teams that will have to matchup against us. Pick your poison between Marshall or Floyd. We also get the added bonus of having two "Big" WR's that are also extremely viable redzone targets. In terms of averaging out between best player available and need, Floyd comes in at number 1 on my board. 2. OG, David Decastro + One of the best guard prospects in the last 10 years. Drawing comparisons to Steve Hutchinson. + Good balance between being athletic and strong - Shows inconsistency with his run blocking Analysis: If there is a pro bowl offensive lineman in this draft, it's this guy. On a lot of teams, he could come in right away to a team and be their best offensive lineman the instant he steps on to the field. While guard is not a huge need for us, it's hard to pass up on a guy of his caliber if he somehow fell to 19. Being a guard is why he's not #1 on my list. Floyd fills more of a need and shows the same potential. 3. CB, Dre Kirkpatrick + Amazing Athlete; extremely versatile; could make the transition to FS if need be. + Shows great burst out of his breaks and has the instincts of an Asante Samuels. - Brittle; needs to add muscle weight to improve durability in future. - Off field incidents Analysis: May be the best pure athlete in this draft. I love this kid's potential. I know CB has never been that big on Lovie's totem pole for his defense because DE's are generally top priority, followed by LB's. But with Peanut's age and the lack of quality depth at the position, CB is definitely a need on this team. Kirkpatrick may very well be the best CB at his position. 4. DE, Quintin Coples + Prototypical size for an NFL DE + Well rounded player; can rush the passer and play the run well + Has great body control; he uses leverage to his advantage - Questionable motor - Lacks the burst that seperates a good DE from a great one - Doesn't seem to be as quick as he needs to be around the edge; struggles getting outside on the perimeter to bring down a ball carrier. Analysis: He's been labeled as the #1 DE for a while now. But lately he's been slipping a bit because of the kind of year he had last season. Doesn't seemed motivated to be great but you have to think a former UNC Alumn like Peppers could perhaps help him along the way if he were to come here. He fills a major need on this team at DE. The best thing about Coples is you don't have to sub him out on non passing downs like you would with some other DE candidates in this draft. 5. SS, Mark Barron + High IQ; reads and reacts like a pro bowl level safety + Ball hawking player that can defend against the run as well as he can in pass coverage - Can be careless at times tackling and on his back pedal Analysis: Definitely the #1 safety in this draft. The Bears do need a legit safety, after missing with Major Wright. Or atleast, that seems to be the case. Barron would come in right away and be an impact player. We saw this defense at a Superbowl level when we had Mike Brown being our captain. Barron has that same ability. 6. ILB, Luke Kuechley + Best LB in the draft; tremendous athlete all around. + High football IQ; great in pursuit + sure handed tackler - MLB; same position at Urlacher; will have to move to SLB until Lach retires. - Not a pass rusher, not alot of impact plays other than being extremely good at finding the ball carrier and bringing him down. Analysis: This one was tricky for me. Kuechley certainly doesn't fill a need because he's a MLB playing the same position as Urlacher but at the same time, he's so athletically gifted that he can probably play some strong side. He would be Urlacher's eventual replacement 3 or 4 years from now when his skills have eroded or he calls it quits. I think it's a great value pick if he's there. 7. OLB, Lavonte David + Good coverage skills as an OLB. + Great tackler who uses his athletic ability to his advantage when getting through tight holes - Undersized - Can get overpowered at the LOS if he has to guard somebody in man to man coverages Analysis: I really like this guy alot. He seems to be rising up on teams draft boards lately. He's not the ideal size for somebody playing on the strong side, because he's going to be asked to cover alot, but that doesn't seem to be an issue with him. Normally, Urlacher is the guy that covers the TE's over the middle. Lavonte is like Kuechley in that he can run sideline to sideline with the best of them. If some of these guys ahead of him aren't available, he's my pick. 8. WR, Kendall Wright + Play maker, point blank + Great stop and go ability; makes for being great after the catch + Can contort his body to make difficult catches; Steve Smith like - Undersized - Didn't face elaborate defensive schemes - Not a great run blocker; gets disinterested if he's not always involved Analysis: Wright is a guy who's stock seems to be dropping a bit as we get closer to the draft. His 40 time wasn't as good as some may have thought but he's still an extremely productive player that you can put either inside of outside of the numbers. He'll go up and get the ball at the point of attack but it's difficult to gage how he will play in a conventional NFL offense because he's been in that spread system his entire collegiate career. 9. DT, Fletcher Cox + High motor athlete; drives lineman back almost routinely + Extremely fast off the ball - Not as good against the run as he is against the pass - Sometimes relies on his athleticism too much; gets taken out of plays by a double team or poor execution. Analysis: Here's 'The guy' of the draft that seems to be shooting up the draft boards. Now he's being considered to go possibly in the top 10 because of his potential. Some rate him as the best DT in the draft. DT is not a huge need for this team because we already spent a high draft pick on Paea last year. Melton is coming around, this pick would be purely because of value. If he's there, he'll be tough to pass up. He'll come in and probably be a rotational player, atleast early on and sort of build his way into becoming more of a complete player. 10. DE/OLB, Courtney Upshaw + Uses his strength to his advantage + Uses hands very well in pass coverage + Can be overpowering at times; will be a power rusher more than finesse - Doesn't seem to have a true position; would probably play DE here, possibly SLB. - Not great laterally, slow feet - Plays better in tight areas as opposed to playing in space; bodes better as a DE in our system Analysis: Probably a DE if he comes here. Very talented player with great potential as a pass rusher. The issue I have with him is how he can play as a defensive end when he's probably best suited for the role of a 3-4 LB where he won't have to do anything but rush the passer. Typical high risk/high reward type of player.

Sigh.. You're really dragging this thing through the mud, man. But, I wouldn't bother. I don't care enough to give it a thought because it doesn't matter to me, nor does it seem to matter to anyone else on the board except you. Your 'over the top' reactions are getting more frivolous by the post as you continue to persist, and it makes you look pathetic. If you'd like to go back a month and search through Jensen's timeline and then make the comparison to what's on the CBMB feel free. It was brought up here too and I made a comment about it and then went on with the rest of my day. I'm not going to waste another second talking about this subject. Furthermore, if you'd like to continue on with this pointless exercise of beating an old topic to the point of exhaustion, please do so by sending me a private message. That way, I can read it, laugh at it, and then ignore it, while the rest of the board doesn't have to sift through a page of nothing while trying to find people who actually want to talk about the important issues regarding the Bears. Thanks!

This whole paragraph is just a series of sentences consisting of made up non sequiturs. I don't even know where to begin. I'll just say that you seem to take issue to people that can carry a debate past your initial points, which looks to be about as far as your debating prowess lets you get to before you start with the whole 'I'm right you're wrong, I'm going to say something stupid' bit.

I would agree with that. Nothing is a certainty in draft scenarios. It's all about weighing the risks and doing your homework on a player to make sure he's the right person for your team.

Christ.. What the hell are you even talking about? You couldn't find the grades on NFL.com so I decided to help you out by showing you. I'm not sure what your problem is but there's no need to get all defensive about everything you write. Instead of bashing someone for no reason, why don't you try spending time formulating a thought that actually adds something to the conversation? And as for the irrelevant and untimely comment on the cap, I wasn't going to say it but since you brought it up, it turned out that the number seemed to be right on track to what was mentioned on the CBMB. Sean Jensen tweeted the amount of space left a couple weeks ago that was on par with what was predicted weeks before by the man we were discussing. I just gave reasons as to why some of those other players weren't better players than Dre but instead of responding with something substantive, you revert to belittling and spouting off nonsense about something that happened weeks ago that is completely unrelated to the topic at hand.

Going by grades NFL.com has listed, Kirkpatrick was a 92.0 and they have Claiborne at 91.5. He was tied for 7th best in the overall player grades with Coples. Luck- 97.0 Griffin III- 95.0 Kalil- 94.0 Richardson- 93.5 Blackmon- 93.5 Decastro- 92.5 Kirkpatrick- 92.0 Coples- 92.0 Kirkpatrick is more of a complete player than some of those other guys not listed here. Ingram has physical limitations that do not bode well for him as a DE. He is more of a 3/4 OLB than he is a 4/3 DE. Reiff's arm length and lack of strength is less than ideal for a prototypical OT. The question mark with him as well as with Martin is in pass protection. Mercilus is more than likely going to be a 3rd down specialist as a DE until he can figure out how to play the run. Coples is an anomaly because of his season last year. He's extremely talented but alot of people question his motivation and his lack of explosiveness makes me cringe a little. Kirkpatrick's only real concern isn't his tools on the field, but his weight. Once you get him together with an NFL trainer, putting on muscle shouldn't be a big problem.

NFL.com gave Kirkpatrick a higher grade than Claiborne and most mocks have Claiborne being a top 5 pick. There isn't a ton of difference between either guy in terms of talent. If you are going with BPA approach then Kirkpatrick most likely will be that if he's there at 19 over guys like Reiff, Martin, Mercilus, Ingram, and probably Coples etc... If you value need over BPA, then those other guys are better picks but not the better player. The Bears need to inject more young talent on the defensive side of the football for when guys like Peanut, Urlacher, and Peppers start to decline as players.

How long is it going to take the Bears before they realize Devin Hester is a terrible WR? The thought of him being limited from his kick return duties is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard.

That's actually why he would be great here. His skills translate best in a zone coverage defense like ours. He's not a Darell Revis that's going to be physical at the LOS and play alot of man to man. He's got Asante Samuels skills of anticipation and the instincts to thrive in a Chicago Bears defense.

If Kirkpatrick fell to us at 19, I would draft him without hesitation. I think his skills translate best to what the Bears do defensively. Great instincts, great athleticism, and has that burst that allows him to excel at play making. He has questions off the field and is also on the thin side. Needs to bulk up a bit so he doesn't get bullied by some of the bigger receivers in the league and also because it will help him stay durable.

Huh? They play different positions. The OL class and the DE class are both bad this year. Aside from Kalil, the rest of the crew aren't very strong with pass protection. They're more in the mold of a road grader. That's fine and all, but not for a left tackle. The DE group all have concerns that are worth being concerned about. I don't like Coples lack of explosiveness, Upshaw and his 4.7 forty, plus his lack of ideal size for a DE, Mercilus looks to be more of a 3rd down specialist and has issues playing against the run..

If we trade down, I hope it's for Stephen Hill. I'd even contemplate picking him at 19 if he's there and Floyd is gone like he probably will be.

Meh, it's weed. But if you're going to do it, atleast be smart about it and do it within the confines of your own home like everybody else.

I'm still wondering about the cleats and if players are allowed to wear the ones with color in them. I know traditionally, the NFL has only allowed players to wear black/white with one team color included. Also, when do the other jerseys come out? I hear that they are getting rid of the orange alternate and designing a throwback jersey. I'm anxious to see how it looks.

http://www.whosay.com/brianurlacher/photos/153729

Well that's because there are a lot of people out there that don't have an appreciation for creativity and artistic appeal. Not every new jersey that comes out is a great fit. There are plenty of Oregon Duck uniforms that I don't like. I'm a 3D artist and Graphic designer so I know a little about visual style. The thing about Art is that everyone has an opinion, but not everyone knows what they're talking about. For the record I wasn't asking for drastic changes to the Bears jerseys either. I think they did a good job today in fixing some minor things that made the previous jersey look like just a sea of navy with a couple of stripes. The new style balances that out once they moved the numbers to the top and added another stripe.

Looking at the uniform again, I wonder if the NFL is going away from their gay rule about predominantly black/white cleat patterns? I notice that all the players are wearing team colored cleats from Nike.

Damn, this makes the jersey's look even cooler. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...niforms-5-photo

If they would have added a touch of white to the navy uniforms, maybe just a thin white stripe the runs along through the hips and around the shoulders or something similar to that, I would have been extremely happy. I like them moving the numbers to the top of the uniforms though.

Looks like all the jerseys pretty much stayed the same with the exception of Seattle's.

Urlacher is said to be the model for our uniforms and tweeted that they look like the classic Bears uniforms. The classic teams like the Giants and Packers, the Bears etc.. are only getting minor modifications I guess, while the Eagles are looking to gear theirs towards the Oregon Ducks. Damn.. I'm jealous of Philly right now. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Oregon's creativity with their unis. Didn't really expect the Bears to have many changes though. Just released! They look basically the same.. Subtle changes to the collar and I think the stripes on the side. Can't really see the pants but I'm hoping they changed the socks up from the 3 stripes thing.

I'm anxious to see what the Jerseys look like. I'm hoping for some changes but it'll probably be more material change ups than anything. It'll look lighter and a tighter fit in a Nike way if you know what I mean.

Maybe, but a 4th round pick is good value for a guy that was one of the best receivers in college football before he got hurt. I'd strongly consider it if I were the Bears. I know he's started running already and is ahead of schedule in terms of when he will be ready to play.

There's a guy out there that I have had my eye on as a possible dark horse candidate to be the next WR drafted by the Chicago Bears. Given the recent signing of Devin Thomas, it's looking like the Bears are going to go away from a WR, atleast in the early rounds of the draft. This may or may not be the case, this could be a clever ploy at a smoke screen, but for the purpose of this topic, lets just assume it's not. This is a player that I think might be worth drafting in the 4th round or so, and just happened to be arguably the most productive WR in college football over the past 5-10 years. I'm talking about a player who caught 131 passes and 15 touchdowns his JR year and was well on his way to duplicating that season this past year before he got hurt. I'm talking about a guy that's been in a PRO system for 4 seasons where he's been the #1 receiver and thrived in it. I'm talking about a guy that for his career, combined for 349 catches, 46 touchdowns, and 4586 yards with a senior year cut short by 4 games with an ACL injury. The player I'm talking about is Ryan Broyles. Obviously the reason Broyles slips in the draft is because of his knee injury that he suffered late in the year for Oklahoma and hasn't gotten completely healthy yet. I figure if he is still available late in the 3rd round or possibly even in the 4th, would he be worth a pick? Here are his Strengths and weaknesses according to NFL.com Strengths Despite his stature, Broyles gets off the line of scrimmage well when given a free release or a chance to use a jab step that allows him to stem and get up field quickly. His overall football savvy and athletic ability should allow him to adjust smoothly to play at the next level. Although he can make catches across the middle, he is most effective in space or when being covered man-to-man, as he displays an uncanny ability to get open. Broyles is an incredible catcher. He can torque his body in any way necessary to secure balls thrown near him. He uses his body control to turn and secure the ball. Despite his small frame, he can turn and run through arm tackles at times. He is a great option as a short receiver, which allows him to utilize his quickness and agility to separate from defenders and secure a catch. Broyles has produced consistently in the Big 12, his transitional phase should be short, especially if he plays in the slot. Weaknesses Broyles is undersized and has struggled securing catches in space throughout his career. If cornerbacks get their hands on him at the line, he can struggle to break away and get into his route. It will be interesting to watch him work within an NFL system given the route tree he was running at Oklahoma which was somewhat basic. The torn ACL that cost him the ,end of the 2011 season may limit his already average straight-line speed and raise concerns about his durability. http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/ryan-broyles?id=2532807 Here's another little nugget. He is strong for his size.