Who had the best draft?

[jason]

Number one for me is obvious:

HOU - Monster draft. Clowney is a stud. Su'a Filo is a stud. Both start day 1. CJ Fiedorowicz has a good chance of starting day 1. Same goes for Louis Nix. And for that matter, if this Savage kid has what a lot of people are saying, he might end up starting. If not now, maybe next year.

 

The other 9, in no specific order:

 

ATL - Very good draft. Matthews is a 10-year bookend, and Hageman is a DT with great upside. They needed speed in the defensive backfield, and Southward has it. I also liked Shembo in college.

BAL - I don't care about the rest of their draft, but when they started Mosley, Jernigan, Brooks, it made that draft a winner.

BUF - Young QBs need protection and weapons. Watkins, Kouandjio, and Richardson fill those needs. Ross Cockrell looks like a good value pick as well.

CHI - I'm not enthralled for a variety of reasons, but it's hard to ignore the core of guys they got who will likely start next year. At least 1 (Fuller), and at most 4 (Sutton, Ferguson, Vereen). And Carey is a great backup RB for insurance.

CLE - Probably dumb of them to pass on Watkins considering their current problems (they had to know), but Gilbert is a shutdown corner, Manziel might be the best QB in the draft, and Bitonio is a versatile OLineman who can play multiple positions.

JAX - I like what the Jaguars did. They made a quick committment to Bortles, then gave him two big-time weapons in Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson. Then they protect him with Brandon Linder. The Jags' offense could be something to look for in a year or two (especially if Blackmon comes back).

NO - Cooks will be a big weapon for them. Stanley Jean-Baptiste will make a big impact in a year or two. If Fortt and Sunseri stay healthy, I expect them to be solid starters in a few years.

PIT - Like Baltimore, Pittsburgh is a team that always seems to have a draft I like. Shazier is a stud, Tuitt is very good, and I think Zumwalt will contribute. Add in a potential monster NT in McCullers, and all that says they're restocking their 3-4. Getting two huge upside guys on offense (Dri Archer and Bryant) doesn't hurt either.

STL - Their draft was like Baltimore: huge start, tapered off. Robinson is a great pick for them. Getting Donald with their second round pick made their DL the best in the NFL.

 

Bonus: TEN - I think people are confused about their draft. Lewan will start for them for years, and their OL is now young and solid. Sankey won't dance - what TN fans hated - and will get good yardage. And Zach Mettenberger might have been the steal of the draft in the 6th round.

[Guest TerraTor]

I'm in the total opposite of Clowney. Think he's total garbage. He has no will to win.. time will tell

[scs787]

Hard to argue with any of that....I'll add 1 more team to the list....

 

Lovie Smiths Tampa Bay Bucs.

 

Didn't draft a single defensive player. With the Mike Evans and Serefain-Jenkins picks to go along with Vincent Jackson their receiver core all of a sudden looks a lot like the Bears receiver core....Actually, it's bigger, they have 3 6'5" weapons now, so Josh now has his big weapons to work with like he did here in Chicago.

 

Should Doug Martin not return to his rookie for I also love the Charles Sims pick. He, just like Forte, is a great receiver out of the backfield.

 

They have the parts on offense to mimic what the Bears did with Josh, but will the coaching make the difference

[madlithuanian]

Nice analysis...

 

Number one for me is obvious:

HOU - Monster draft. Clowney is a stud. Su'a Filo is a stud. Both start day 1. CJ Fiedorowicz has a good chance of starting day 1. Same goes for Louis Nix. And for that matter, if this Savage kid has what a lot of people are saying, he might end up starting. If not now, maybe next year.

 

The other 9, in no specific order:

 

ATL - Very good draft. Matthews is a 10-year bookend, and Hageman is a DT with great upside. They needed speed in the defensive backfield, and Southward has it. I also liked Shembo in college.

BAL - I don't care about the rest of their draft, but when they started Mosley, Jernigan, Brooks, it made that draft a winner.

BUF - Young QBs need protection and weapons. Watkins, Kouandjio, and Richardson fill those needs. Ross Cockrell looks like a good value pick as well.

CHI - I'm not enthralled for a variety of reasons, but it's hard to ignore the core of guys they got who will likely start next year. At least 1 (Fuller), and at most 4 (Sutton, Ferguson, Vereen). And Carey is a great backup RB for insurance.

CLE - Probably dumb of them to pass on Watkins considering their current problems (they had to know), but Gilbert is a shutdown corner, Manziel might be the best QB in the draft, and Bitonio is a versatile OLineman who can play multiple positions.

JAX - I like what the Jaguars did. They made a quick committment to Bortles, then gave him two big-time weapons in Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson. Then they protect him with Brandon Linder. The Jags' offense could be something to look for in a year or two (especially if Blackmon comes back).

NO - Cooks will be a big weapon for them. Stanley Jean-Baptiste will make a big impact in a year or two. If Fortt and Sunseri stay healthy, I expect them to be solid starters in a few years.

PIT - Like Baltimore, Pittsburgh is a team that always seems to have a draft I like. Shazier is a stud, Tuitt is very good, and I think Zumwalt will contribute. Add in a potential monster NT in McCullers, and all that says they're restocking their 3-4. Getting two huge upside guys on offense (Dri Archer and Bryant) doesn't hurt either.

STL - Their draft was like Baltimore: huge start, tapered off. Robinson is a great pick for them. Getting Donald with their second round pick made their DL the best in the NFL.

 

Bonus: TEN - I think people are confused about their draft. Lewan will start for them for years, and their OL is now young and solid. Sankey won't dance - what TN fans hated - and will get good yardage. And Zach Mettenberger might have been the steal of the draft in the 6th round.

 

[adam]

It is hard to grade evenly when the teams don't pick in the same spots. I think you have to assess from a relative point of view. Like STL, it is not very hard to hit on 2 picks within the first 13. To me, they drafted to their slot values. The same can be said for CLE, JAX, BUF, and ATL. All those had top 10 picks and multiple picks in the top 40. Also, Buffalo traded away a potential top 15 pick next year to move up to get Watkins, so that waters it down a little bit for me. HOU had the #1 pick, so Clowney was a no-brainer; for me Nix was their best pick outside of Clowney.

 

If you exclude those 6 teams, that leaves BAL, CHI, NO, PIT and TEN with the best drafts.

[CrackerDog]

CHI - I'm not enthralled for a variety of reasons, but it's hard to ignore the core of guys they got who will likely start next year. At least 1 (Fuller), and at most 4 (Sutton, Ferguson, Vereen). And Carey is a great backup RB for insurance.

 

Look at you hedging your bet. Not a surprise. Now you can say, if this draft turns out to be as excellent as it looks to me, that you "always said it was one of the best drafts of the year." Of course you'll completely ingore all the pissing and moaning you did basically about each and every pick.

 

And if it goes south, well, you have the zillion posts you made while it was going on, and you were wetting your panties, to talk about how much better of a GM you are than Emery.

 

You've got all bases cover Jason. Well done!

[AZ54]

I have my doubts about Clowney as well. Watching him in a couple games this season, even watching Quarles run past him on some highlight films, makes me wonder if he has the desire to really achieve what he's capable of doing. Being on such a good Dline will help him but he was drafted in a spot where he is supposed to be capable of carrying a Dline. I don't see that in him but I hope he gets there because he could be fun to watch (except when playing against the Bears of course). Savage we heard a lot about in the last few weeks leading up to the draft but I wonder about a guy who ran around looking for a place to play instead of competing and winning. How does that guy handle the pressure of being a starting QB in the NFL? To be fair I said the same about a guy named Flacco years ago.

 

I think Buffalo gave up too much to get Watkins. I love how Watkins plays the game but in a draft deep with WR talent and all their needs it didn't make sense to me. He will help sell tickets so that makes sense.

 

I don't know enough to give out grades but I do know that this will be one of the best drafts to evaluate in 3 years. Even looking at it next year will be interesting because there is so much talent, even into the 4th round, that is expected to contribute a lot on many rosters.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

I have my doubts about Clowney as well. Watching him in a couple games this season, even watching Quarles run past him on some highlight films, makes me wonder if he has the desire to really achieve what he's capable of doing. Being on such a good Dline will help him but he was drafted in a spot where he is supposed to be capable of carrying a Dline. I don't see that in him but I hope he gets there because he could be fun to watch (except when playing against the Bears of course). Savage we heard a lot about in the last few weeks leading up to the draft but I wonder about a guy who ran around looking for a place to play instead of competing and winning. How does that guy handle the pressure of being a starting QB in the NFL? To be fair I said the same about a guy named Flacco years ago.

 

I think Buffalo gave up too much to get Watkins. I love how Watkins plays the game but in a draft deep with WR talent and all their needs it didn't make sense to me. He will help sell tickets so that makes sense.

 

I don't know enough to give out grades but I do know that this will be one of the best drafts to evaluate in 3 years. Even looking at it next year will be interesting because there is so much talent, even into the 4th round, that is expected to contribute a lot on many rosters.

Such a deep draft, too bad they can't expand the rounds to match the talent, could've went 8 or 9 rounds. I wish the NFL can create a JV developmental league again. It would be nice to retain and develop some of this talent that might go wasted.

[Stinger226]

Number one for me is obvious:

HOU - Monster draft. Clowney is a stud. Su'a Filo is a stud. Both start day 1. CJ Fiedorowicz has a good chance of starting day 1. Same goes for Louis Nix. And for that matter, if this Savage kid has what a lot of people are saying, he might end up starting. If not now, maybe next year.

 

The other 9, in no specific order:

 

ATL - Very good draft. Matthews is a 10-year bookend, and Hageman is a DT with great upside. They needed speed in the defensive backfield, and Southward has it. I also liked Shembo in college.

BAL - I don't care about the rest of their draft, but when they started Mosley, Jernigan, Brooks, it made that draft a winner.

BUF - Young QBs need protection and weapons. Watkins, Kouandjio, and Richardson fill those needs. Ross Cockrell looks like a good value pick as well.

CHI - I'm not enthralled for a variety of reasons, but it's hard to ignore the core of guys they got who will likely start next year. At least 1 (Fuller), and at most 4 (Sutton, Ferguson, Vereen). And Carey is a great backup RB for insurance.

CLE - Probably dumb of them to pass on Watkins considering their current problems (they had to know), but Gilbert is a shutdown corner, Manziel might be the best QB in the draft, and Bitonio is a versatile OLineman who can play multiple positions.

JAX - I like what the Jaguars did. They made a quick committment to Bortles, then gave him two big-time weapons in Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson. Then they protect him with Brandon Linder. The Jags' offense could be something to look for in a year or two (especially if Blackmon comes back).

NO - Cooks will be a big weapon for them. Stanley Jean-Baptiste will make a big impact in a year or two. If Fortt and Sunseri stay healthy, I expect them to be solid starters in a few years.

PIT - Like Baltimore, Pittsburgh is a team that always seems to have a draft I like. Shazier is a stud, Tuitt is very good, and I think Zumwalt will contribute. Add in a potential monster NT in McCullers, and all that says they're restocking their 3-4. Getting two huge upside guys on offense (Dri Archer and Bryant) doesn't hurt either.

STL - Their draft was like Baltimore: huge start, tapered off. Robinson is a great pick for them. Getting Donald with their second round pick made their DL the best in the NFL.

 

Bonus: TEN - I think people are confused about their draft. Lewan will start for them for years, and their OL is now young and solid. Sankey won't dance - what TN fans hated - and will get good yardage. And Zach Mettenberger might have been the steal of the draft in the 6th round.

Your wrong about the Bears , the punter will start next year also. I also think Fuller will be the #2 CB and they will play Jennings as the slot corner. That will work out quite well.

[jason]

Look at you hedging your bet. Not a surprise. Now you can say, if this draft turns out to be as excellent as it looks to me, that you "always said it was one of the best drafts of the year." Of course you'll completely ingore all the pissing and moaning you did basically about each and every pick.

 

And if it goes south, well, you have the zillion posts you made while it was going on, and you were wetting your panties, to talk about how much better of a GM you are than Emery.

 

You've got all bases cover Jason. Well done!

 

As usual, blow me.

 

Just because it was a decent draft doesn't mean it was without flaw. I didn't like players based on others available, but I don't recall straight up saying I didn't like an individual player. Furthermore, I'm not a huge fan of ANY draft that fails to get a single starter (rotational/nickel doesn't count). I believe BPA should be balanced with need, and in doing so a team should find a day one starter somewhere. The only exception is a ridiculously loaded SB winner with minimal issues.

[Stinger226]

As usual, blow me.

 

Just because it was a decent draft doesn't mean it was without flaw. I didn't like players based on others available, but I don't recall straight up saying I didn't like an individual player. Furthermore, I'm not a huge fan of ANY draft that fails to get a single starter (rotational/nickel doesn't count). I believe BPA should be balanced with need, and in doing so a team should find a day one starter somewhere. The only exception is a ridiculously loaded SB winner with minimal issues.

You guys to try to get along like me and SCS. Its not all that hard, I just ignore him. (just kidding)

[Guest TerraTor]

As usual, blow me.

 

Just because it was a decent draft doesn't mean it was without flaw. I didn't like players based on others available, but I don't recall straight up saying I didn't like an individual player. Furthermore, I'm not a huge fan of ANY draft that fails to get a single starter (rotational/nickel doesn't count). I believe BPA should be balanced with need, and in doing so a team should find a day one starter somewhere. The only exception is a ridiculously loaded SB winner with minimal issues.

 

Im with Jason on this. One. A team with the worst defensive year I've ever seen and they don't get one guy who is expected to step in immediately is ridiculous.

[jason]

Your wrong about the Bears , the punter will start next year also. I also think Fuller will be the #2 CB and they will play Jennings as the slot corner. That will work out quite well.

 

Ha! I didn't even consider the punter. You might be right.

 

If Fuller starts over Jennings, it will be a coup for the Bears. I just don't see how he could supplant an all-pro as a rookie.

[scs787]

Im with Jason on this. One. A team with the worst defensive year I've ever seen and they don't get one guy who is expected to step in immediately is ridiculous.

 

By this logic, they only had the chance to draft 1 day 1 starter and that would have been a Safety.

 

What other positions are you guys looking for a starter at? Apparently not DT because they got those guys. What about CB?? Naw, guess not cause they got that.

 

I think the fact of the matter is, for whatever reason, Phil Emery likes Chris Conte.....But he also "hedge his bets" by picking up perhaps the most athletic safety in the draft.

 

I mean it's not like none of these guy are gonna see any snaps this year. In a passing league, esp. the NFC N, having 3 really good CBs will be huge. Having 2 DTs will be a huge part of a rotation is big, esp. with Ratliff being old and Paea not being that great.

 

It may not seem like a sexy draft for this coming up year but if in a year or 2 we get a stud CB, 2 starting or starting caliber DTs, a starting FS, a reliable #2 RB/QB, our punter with a rocket leg, a swing tackle, and perhaps even a starting LB??? Which is all entirely possible, this draft would have been a gold mine.

[Mongo3451]

Furthermore, I'm not a huge fan of ANY draft that fails to get a single starter (rotational/nickel doesn't count). I believe BPA should be balanced with need, and in doing so a team should find a day one starter somewhere. The only exception is a ridiculously loaded SB winner with minimal issues.

My take on the fuller pick is this: They saw the greatest value here for the following reasons.

1) Dude is solid in every aspect.

2) Tillman and Jennings are the wrong side of 30, with no suitable replacements.(Fuller will play over 50% of the snaps)

3) Servicable safeties are 5 to 1 easier to find than suitable corners.(simply not a premier position)

4) Our safeties will be better because the front 7 and corners will be greatly improved. They simply will be able to be safeties again, instead of linebackers.

[jason]

By this logic, they only had the chance to draft 1 day 1 starter and that would have been a Safety.

 

What other positions are you guys looking for a starter at? Apparently not DT because they got those guys. What about CB?? Naw, guess not cause they got that.

 

I think the fact of the matter is, for whatever reason, Phil Emery likes Chris Conte.....But he also "hedge his bets" by picking up perhaps the most athletic safety in the draft.

 

I mean it's not like none of these guy are gonna see any snaps this year. In a passing league, esp. the NFC N, having 3 really good CBs will be huge. Having 2 DTs will be a huge part of a rotation is big, esp. with Ratliff being old and Paea not being that great.

 

It may not seem like a sexy draft for this coming up year but if in a year or 2 we get a stud CB, 2 starting or starting caliber DTs, a starting FS, a reliable #2 RB/QB, our punter with a rocket leg, a swing tackle, and perhaps even a starting LB??? Which is all entirely possible, this draft would have been a gold mine.

 

Oh really?

 

If a FS like HHCD or Pryor were drafted in round one, that guy is almost guaranteed to start.

If an ILB like Mosley were drafted, he likely becomes the starter at MLB.

If a OT like Zach Martin were drafted he would started over Mills.

If a DT like Donald were to have fallen to the Bears he would likely have started.

If a NT like Jernigan (or for that matter, Nix in the 3rd) were drafted, he likely supplants Paea.

 

Help could have been obtained this year. Period. And to be quite honest, I think the Bears are very close to title contention. There are only a few weak links at the current moment.

 

I agree with your final sentence, however, it's not the way I think the draft would have best benefited the Bears this year.

[jason]

My take on the fuller pick is this: They saw the greatest value here for the following reasons.

1) Dude is solid in every aspect. Agreed

2) Tillman and Jennings are the wrong side of 30, with no suitable replacements. Agreed (Fuller will play over 50% of the snaps) Based on one link I provided, this doesn't appear accurate.

3) Serviceable safeties are 5 to 1 easier to find than suitable corners.(simply not a premier position) If this were so true, why do the Bears have Peanut and Jennings, and why have they been searching for safeties for so long?

4) Our safeties will be better because the front 7 and corners will be greatly improved. They simply will be able to be safeties again, instead of linebackers. Agreed.

 

[CrackerDog]

My take on the fuller pick is this: They saw the greatest value here for the following reasons.

1) Dude is solid in every aspect.

2) Tillman and Jennings are the wrong side of 30, with no suitable replacements.(Fuller will play over 50% of the snaps)

3) Servicable safeties are 5 to 1 easier to find than suitable corners.(simply not a premier position)

4) Our safeties will be better because the front 7 and corners will be greatly improved. They simply will be able to be safeties again, instead of linebackers.

 

The Bears are coming off a season where massive injuries made them look significantly worse than they really were on D. As even Jason will recall, probably, we didn't start the season in "D Sucks" mode, we got there through attrition. So with the expectation that many of those injured guys will come back this year and contribute, it may have made perfect sense to grab a corner we expect to start for the next decade over a S we didn't feel as good about. But know-it-all Jason has all the fricken answers. He's got all the scouting reports that Emery had access to, he inteviewed these guys, he scoured their pasts... Oh wait, no, he didn't.

 

Look, I wanted a safety in the first round too but unlike Jason I'm not willing to cry like a pussy every time I don't get something I want. It's my hope that the guys running things are making their best calls with each and every pick and that they'll work their vision in the short and long term to build a champion. You can't simply say we need a safety, grab the first one you see. It might work out and then again, it might be a short term fix that you then have to fix again in another year or two.

[CrackerDog]

Im with Jason on this. One. A team with the worst defensive year I've ever seen and they don't get one guy who is expected to step in immediately is ridiculous.

 

You can't know this for sure. I assume the same thing, that these guys will rotate in. But I also assume they'll be a big part of what happens on the field as they do so. Fresh young legs at DT, for example. And when they get to Bourbonnais, who the hell knows what'll happen? These guys could all be amazing, they could all suck. If they're awesome, we have new starters at a variety of positions, even if they're rookies. It could happen.

 

The negativity out of you two dicks is stunning.

[scs787]

Oh really?

 

If a FS like HHCD or Pryor were drafted in round one, that guy is almost guaranteed to start.

If an ILB like Mosley were drafted, he likely becomes the starter at MLB.

If a OT like Zach Martin were drafted he would started over Mills.

If a DT like Donald were to have fallen to the Bears he would likely have started.

If a NT like Jernigan (or for that matter, Nix in the 3rd) were drafted, he likely supplants Paea.

 

Help could have been obtained this year. Period. And to be quite honest, I think the Bears are very close to title contention. There are only a few weak links at the current moment.

 

I agree with your final sentence, however, it's not the way I think the draft would have best benefited the Bears this year.

 

Again, the first 4 lines there are 1st rounders, so they only had the chance to add 1 starter by this logic. I can imagine they probably take Jernigan if he was there in the 2nd just based on Ego being a similar player. Nix apparently just wasn't a fit or had serious injury concerns.

 

Help was obtained. Fuller/Ego/Sutton will all play big roles, and it's very possible Vereen is a starter.

 

BTW Frey played 417 snaps last year...I'm not sure he was any good or garbage, I couldn't tell. You put Tillman/Fuller/Jennings out there for those 400+ snaps and that is gonna help A LOT. Esp when you start to consider the hogs up front they have.

 

 

Don't get me wrong, after Donald was off the board I probably would have gone HHCD or Pryor but again, for whatever reason, Phil/Trestman/Mel like Conte. We as fans may not, but we're not the ones who see them in practice and all that.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

Im with Jason on this. One. A team with the worst defensive year I've ever seen and they don't get one guy who is expected to step in immediately is ridiculous.

 

Can't say the 'need' is as bad as it were at the end of the year for a rookie to step in and start.

 

Tillman will be back from injury (how long remains to be seen). The d-line (absent all the draft additions) is a lot different looking. You have Allen, Houston, Young and Collins and Ratliff will probably start the year as opposed to how things went last year. The l-backers will have another year under their belt (I think Bostic will come back this year and will look forward to meeting Bridgewater for a 'reunion').

 

And as someone pointed out before Mundy isn't necessarily a slouch and Conte might be good with the right front seven.

 

So you see there may not be a need for the current rookies to have to step in and start. Although of the group I predict Vereen and Fuller will be before the season is over.

[lemonej]

I try instead of putting all the emphasis on the draft actually look at all the offseason acquisitions when its all said and done and I personally believe that the Bears have had an oustanding offseason and with today annouced signing of 3 of their picks are showing signs of an organization moving in the right direction. A lot of attention was paid to the defense and I feel I would be nit-picking if I complained about which position should have been addressed in a particular order.

[scs787]

I try instead of putting all the emphasis on the draft actually look at all the offseason acquisitions when its all said and done and I personally believe that the Bears have had an oustanding offseason and with today annouced signing of 3 of their picks are showing signs of an organization moving in the right direction. A lot of attention was paid to the defense and I feel I would be nit-picking if I complained about which position should have been addressed in a particular order.

 

Agreed....It's been a fantastic offseason. The most I've been excited about an offseason in as long as I can remember.

[lemonej]

Agreed....It's been a fantastic offseason. The most I've been excited about an offseason in as long as I can remember.

The fact that Vereen can be at the facility tomorrow will help with his learning process and may give him a leg up in the competition for a starting spot because he's not currently recovering from surgery.

[CrackerDog]

Agreed....It's been a fantastic offseason. The most I've been excited about an offseason in as long as I can remember.

 

I also couldn't agree more with LemonJ. His comments are spot on. It's been amazing to see all of the activity this off season with the laser beam focused on D. Can you pick things you like, some more than others, sure! But if Emery is anywhere near as successful with the D as he was with the O last season, it's going to make all the crybaby whiners here look stupid again, two years in a row.

 

And that's the thing, why all the constant pessimism from certain folks here? Do I expect us all to sit around a campfire and sing Kumbaya? No. But god damn man, take a look at the forest every once in a while instead of the pine needles on every friggen tree. You'll see that things look a hell of a lot healthier going forward. It's brutal reading some of the folks here who harp constantly about basically everything the team does. And if it isn't negative, it's MEH. The guys running the team quite literally could never do anything to please certain folks here abive the MEH level. Oh, unless you drafted exactly who they picked in their mock, then I suppose they'd look silly bitching. Of course they'd still find something...