My Bears mock draft

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

The Bears currently have eight picks in the 2008 draft, one in each of the seven rounds plus an additional third-round selection they obtained in a draft-day trade with the San Diego Chargers last year. The Bears dealt their fifth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for defensive tackle Darwin Walker, but regained a fifth-round pick from the Carolina Panthers in a deal for safety Chris Harris. The Bears also could be awarded a compensatory pick or two after losing free agents such as Alfonso Boone, Todd Johnson, Ian Scott and Cameron Worrell.

-from Bears Chalk Talk on chicagobears.com

 

So as it stands now, here's how I see our draft goin'...

 

1. Kenny Phillips, S, Miami/Jeff Otah, OL, Pitt/Ryan Clady, OL, Boise State

2. Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas/James Hardy, WR, Indiana/Michael Oher, OL, Mississippi

3. James Hardy, WR, Indiana/Kirk Barton, OL, Ohio State/Marcus Griffin, S, Texas

4. Roy Schuening, OL, Oregon St/Barry Richardson, OL, Clemson/Joe Flacco, QB, Delaware

5. Devone Bess, WR, Hawaii/Devin Thomas, WR, Michigan State/Earl Bennett, WR, Vandy

6. Jamar Adams, S, Michigan/Tom Zbikowski, S, Notre Dame/Barry Booker, DT, Va Tech

7. Jehuu Caulcrick, FB, Michigan State

8. Chad Rinehart, OL, Northern Iowa

 

Thoughts on mine? Thanks! Feel free to post your own.

[BearSox]

I think you are being overly optimistic with Jones and Hardy being available in those spots.

[jason]

The Bears currently have eight picks in the 2008 draft, one in each of the seven rounds plus an additional third-round selection they obtained in a draft-day trade with the San Diego Chargers last year. The Bears dealt their fifth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for defensive tackle Darwin Walker, but regained a fifth-round pick from the Carolina Panthers in a deal for safety Chris Harris. The Bears also could be awarded a compensatory pick or two after losing free agents such as Alfonso Boone, Todd Johnson, Ian Scott and Cameron Worrell.

-from Bears Chalk Talk on chicagobears.com

 

So as it stands now, here's how I see our draft goin'...

 

1. Jeff Otah, OL, Pitt

2. Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas

3. James Hardy, WR, Indiana

4. Roy Schuening, OL, Oregon St

5. Devone Bess, WR, Hawaii

6. Jamar Adams, S, Michigan

7. Jehuu Caulcrick, FB, Michigan State

8. Chad Rinehart, OL, Northern Iowa

 

Thoughts on mine? Thanks! Feel free to post your own.

 

To be honest, I would neither like nor dislike this draft. I don't like the RB pick at 2. That's my biggest grief. The first two rounds make or break this draft for me. Also, I'm not a big fan of Hardy. There should be much better talent in the third round. Last but not least, I don't think Schuening will last until the Bears' 4th. Most of the stuff I've seen says he'll go early to mid third...could be wrong.

 

Mine:

Round 1: Miller has to leave. ASAP. Move Tait back to RT, let the rook learn on the job at LT. There is little chance that Long or Clady will be there; however, if either are, then the Bears' pick should not actually be a Chicago Bear

Jeff Otah

 

Round 2: I'd love to see Sam Baker or Chris Williams fall to the Bears here. Maybe they sit for a year, and the Bears have bookends on their line for years to come. But, I think that might be too risky having two young OTs and Tait, who is still very good. So, I think the best bet is to go with the best OG on the board:

Duke Robinson...he's a road-grader.

 

Round 3: BPA. There are just so many ways to go with this pick. There is a ton of OLB talent, a few promising FBs, a few nice looking Safeties, and maybe even another offensive lineman. This is a tossup pick for me, but I can't say that I would be upset with anything here. Maybe even Chris Johnson, the lightning-quick RB out of ECU?

Chris Johnson

 

Round 4: I want a QB with potential here. I would like Brennan, Dixon, Flacco...in that order

Colt Brennan - Rocket arm, accurate, quick reads...is he a system QB? I don't think so.

 

Round 5: The Bears need a quick, tough, big hitting, big play making, smart, strong against the run safety.

Tom Zbikowski - Also, he's played both safety positions. Weakness: Kind of like Archuleta, not as great in coverage.

 

Round 6-8: BPA. However, I wouldn't mind seeing a WR (maybe North Dakota WR Weston Dressler - game-breaking speed), another OL prospect, and finally a bruising FB. These three can be in any order.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

To be honest, I would neither like nor dislike this draft. I don't like the RB pick at 2. That's my biggest grief. The first two rounds make or break this draft for me. Also, I'm not a big fan of Hardy. There should be much better talent in the third round. Last but not least, I don't think Schuening will last until the Bears' 4th. Most of the stuff I've seen says he'll go early to mid third...could be wrong.

 

Mine:

Round 1: Miller has to leave. ASAP. Move Tait back to RT, let the rook learn on the job at LT. There is little chance that Long or Clady will be there; however, if either are, then the Bears' pick should not actually be a Chicago Bear

Jeff Otah

 

Round 2: I'd love to see Sam Baker or Chris Williams fall to the Bears here. Maybe they sit for a year, and the Bears have bookends on their line for years to come. But, I think that might be too risky having two young OTs and Tait, who is still very good. So, I think the best bet is to go with the best OG on the board:

Duke Robinson...he's a road-grader.

 

Round 3: BPA. There are just so many ways to go with this pick. There is a ton of OLB talent, a few promising FBs, a few nice looking Safeties, and maybe even another offensive lineman. This is a tossup pick for me, but I can't say that I would be upset with anything here. Maybe even Chris Johnson, the lightning-quick RB out of ECU?

Chris Johnson

 

Round 4: I want a QB with potential here. I would like Brennan, Dixon, Flacco...in that order

Colt Brennan - Rocket arm, accurate, quick reads...is he a system QB? I don't think so.

 

Round 5: The Bears need a quick, tough, big hitting, big play making, smart, strong against the run safety.

Tom Zbikowski - Also, he's played both safety positions. Weakness: Kind of like Archuleta, not as great in coverage.

 

Round 6-8: BPA. However, I wouldn't mind seeing a WR (maybe North Dakota WR Weston Dressler - game-breaking speed), another OL prospect, and finally a bruising FB. These three can be in any order.

Exactly. The Bears 4th overall pick in the draft will be in the mid to later 3rd round. They have 1 pick in every round, plus an additional in the 3rd.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

I think you are being overly optimistic with Jones and Hardy being available in those spots.

I feel like if Felix can squirt by Atlanta in round 2 then he'll be there for us, and I have Hardy there because I hear at times he has stone-hands which may keep teams away from him.

 

If Jones is gone by then, I wouldn't mind seeing them take Gosder Cherlius, who's a T from Boston College.

[Iguana]

From what I've seen, Jones wont make it out of the 1st.

[Guest TerraTor]

Taking linemen before round 3 is stupid. I know it sounds juvenile. You can get more proven vets to come in for alot cheaper. This team needs talent, not friggin linemen. Im not sure people are actually seeing what we are losing this offseason. Briggs is gone, Berrian is gone (we have no WRs), we have no QB, we have a RB who hasbeen hurt every season hes played, we have no safeties.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

Taking linemen before round 3 is stupid. I know it sounds juvenile. You can get more proven vets to come in for alot cheaper. This team needs talent, not friggin linemen. Im not sure people are actually seeing what we are losing this offseason. Briggs is gone, Berrian is gone (we have no WRs), we have no QB, we have a RB who hasbeen hurt every season hes played, we have no safeties.

But I feel there's an exception when you're O-Line is as bad as this one. Then again, this is why I have the Bears also taking a RB and 2 WR's in their first 5 picks.

[madlithuanian]

I know where you are coming from. I'd beg to differ that round 3 is just fine...but I definitely catch your drift.

 

I think OL can be had in FA. We've actually proven that! It's not like this unit had been horrific for years. They just got old fast this season. Especially Miller. Time to change the guard...no pun intended.

 

Taking linemen before round 3 is stupid. I know it sounds juvenile. You can get more proven vets to come in for alot cheaper. This team needs talent, not friggin linemen. Im not sure people are actually seeing what we are losing this offseason. Briggs is gone, Berrian is gone (we have no WRs), we have no QB, we have a RB who hasbeen hurt every season hes played, we have no safeties.

[jason]

I think the majority of the recent 1st round OTs are proof that taking an OT in the first round is not a stupid move. With the exception of a few, most are great, and the rest are still very good.

 

Sure, you can pursue OLinemen in FA, but that doesn't mean the Bears will get them. Drafting them ensures that you have that guy. If Berrian leaves, then the Bears have to address WR a little sooner, but if he stays, I'm fairly confident that Berrian, Bradley, Hester, Davis, and MuhMuh can produce big time numbers if the OL and the QB improve. Of course, if the OL improves, then the QB automatically improves.

 

So, basically, improve the OL = improved QB because he has more time = more time for WRs to get open.

 

I guess it comes down to whether or not one thinks the WRs are good. I happen to think that this group of WRs is good, but just not given much of a chance with inconsistent QB play behind a weak OL that doesn't allow for many 5 or 7 step drops for the patterns that take a bit longer to develop.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

I updated it as to who I believe should be the top 3 players on their big board at the time they pick.

[DrunkBomber]

Taking linemen before round 3 is stupid. I know it sounds juvenile. You can get more proven vets to come in for alot cheaper. This team needs talent, not friggin linemen. Im not sure people are actually seeing what we are losing this offseason. Briggs is gone, Berrian is gone (we have no WRs), we have no QB, we have a RB who hasbeen hurt every season hes played, we have no safeties.

While we do need talent at the skill positions everything starts with the line. If you have a strong line youre running back becomes better, your qb becomes better and your wrs become better. I agree, which Ive said numerous times, we are in a big predicament at WR. We more than likely are going to have to overpay Berrian and then are gonna end up with virtually the same guys as this year. I think if we can add one WR that is a third down threat that we can trust to hang on to the ball and move the chains it would do wonders for our offense. Or even if Olsen can turn into that guy. Our qb needs a bail out target, especially with the current offensive line.

 

Id like to see us add offensive line help with our first pick, unless something amazing falls to us, and in FA. I am really keen on the Faneca idea.

[fenom283]

While we do need talent at the skill positions everything starts with the line. If you have a strong line youre running back becomes better, your qb becomes better and your wrs become better. I agree, which Ive said numerous times, we are in a big predicament at WR. We more than likely are going to have to overpay Berrian and then are gonna end up with virtually the same guys as this year. I think if we can add one WR that is a third down threat that we can trust to hang on to the ball and move the chains it would do wonders for our offense. Or even if Olsen can turn into that guy. Our qb needs a bail out target, especially with the current offensive line.

 

Id like to see us add offensive line help with our first pick, unless something amazing falls to us, and in FA. I am really keen on the Faneca idea.

 

Charlie Frye was so awesome with the Oline that Cleveland had that he got himself traded.

[balta1701-A]

Charlie Frye was so awesome with the Oline that Cleveland had that he got himself traded.

Cleveland totally overhauled their O-Line last offseason and picked 1 of their 3 QB's to trade. The key guy they got was the #3 pick last year, Joe Thomas, who probably was #2 on most people's ROY ballots last year.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

While we do need talent at the skill positions everything starts with the line. If you have a strong line youre running back becomes better, your qb becomes better and your wrs become better. I agree, which Ive said numerous times, we are in a big predicament at WR. We more than likely are going to have to overpay Berrian and then are gonna end up with virtually the same guys as this year. I think if we can add one WR that is a third down threat that we can trust to hang on to the ball and move the chains it would do wonders for our offense. Or even if Olsen can turn into that guy. Our qb needs a bail out target, especially with the current offensive line.

 

Id like to see us add offensive line help with our first pick, unless something amazing falls to us, and in FA. I am really keen on the Faneca idea.

 

I think that if we get Faneca in FA, I think we could then forget about Schuening or whatever other G may be there with our 2nd 3rd round pick. With Faneca, we have 2 guards in Brown and Faneca, who 1 is a wee-bit above average (now he is. He used to be very special) and Faneca who may be in the top 5 in G's in the NFL. We then move Tait back to T but I still am goin' with Otah at 14, unless Phillips is there. I still think Oher in round 2-3 would be nice.

 

It'd be an O-Line of Tait, Brown, Kreutz, Faneca, Otah, with Oher as the main back-up T, and Garza as the main back-up G.

[madlithuanian]

We do need to realize that what Thomas is to OL, Hester is to KR/PR's...these guys don't come around all that often.

 

Might you know if CLE overhauled the rest of their OL with FA vets? I've got no idea...

 

Cleveland totally overhauled their O-Line last offseason and picked 1 of their 3 QB's to trade. The key guy they got was the #3 pick last year, Joe Thomas, who probably was #2 on most people's ROY ballots last year.

[DrunkBomber]

We do need to realize that what Thomas is to OL, Hester is to KR/PR's...these guys don't come around all that often.

 

Might you know if CLE overhauled the rest of their OL with FA vets? I've got no idea...

Ya, two years ago they got LeCHarles Bently and this past offseason they got Eric Steinbach. They have a very good, very expensive offensive line.

[madlithuanian]

Duly noted! Can we get their scout?

 

Ya, two years ago they got LeCHarles Bently and this past offseason they got Eric Steinbach. They have a very good, very expensive offensive line.

[BearSox]

Ya, two years ago they got LeCHarles Bently and this past offseason they got Eric Steinbach. They have a very good, very expensive offensive line.

Bently hasn't even played one regular season game for them and he probably will never be at the same level he was at before they signed him though...

[BearSox]

Duly noted! Can we get their scout?

 

You don't need a scout to see that Bently (was), Steinbach, and Thomas are all top players at their position, you need a GM who is willing to put absurd amounts of money into the OLine.

[madlithuanian]

I guess it's all give and take...

 

Because their D was giving up more points than a basketball squad.

 

You don't need a scout to see that Bently (was), Steinbach, and Thomas are all top players at their position, you need a GM who is willing to put absurd amounts of money into the OLine.

[Da Bears 88]

Steve Slaton is projected to be a 2nd or 3rd round pick.

 

I'd love to have him as our RB.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

Updated Mock Draft of mine (pending trades)

 

1. Jeff Otah-Pittsburgh-OT

2. James Hardy-Indiana-WR/Early Doucet-LSU-WR

3. Tom Zbikowski-Notre Dame-S

4. Joe Flacco-Delaware-QB

5. Steve Johnson-Kentucky-WR/Adrian Arrington-Michigan-WR

6. Jamie Silva-Boston College-S

7. Xavier Omon-NW Missouri State-RB

8. Adrian Fleullen-FSU-DT

[BearSox]

Unlikely that Flacco falls that far, too high for Zbikowski (who sucks also, he could be worse then Arch in coverage), but not too bad overall.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

Unlikely that Flacco falls that far, too high for Zbikowski (who sucks also, he could be worse then Arch in coverage), but not too bad overall.

Ehh, who knows? I have Flacco there b/c I think team's may be turned off that he played at Delaware. And yes, that's a very valid point about Zbikowski. Possibly go with you and go Hefney from Tennessee here.