My Bears Draft Analysis

[adam]

1st Round - Pick #14 - Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt - With Clady off the board, the Bears had their choice between Williams, Albert, and Otah. These picks can be argued back and forth, but Williams seems to be the one most ready to help out this year. He is a stellar pass blocker (only 2 sacks allowed in over 1,500 snaps) who needs to improve on his run blocking. He only did 21 reps at the combine, but he can always improve his strength. Williams will always be compared to Otah and Albert. Reminds me of Tommie Harris vs Vince Wilfork. Grade: A-

2nd Round - Pick #44 - Matt Forte, RB, Tulane - This was one of those picks that can easily be disputed as much as it can be supported. With a run of OL after the Bears 1st pick, there was very little value at that position left. So the Bears went with one of their next biggest needs at RB. With Ray Rice and Kevin Smith still available, the Bears went with Forte. This seemed to be a little bit of a reach for Forte, but there was no way he would've been available by pick 70 (the next Bears pick). Brohm and Henne were also available. I would've liked to at least seen the Bears try to trade down and pick up an extra pick, but who knows if that was even possible. Either way, Forte is going to come in and compete for the starting RB spot. If not, he will at least be able to provide a different look compared to Benson. Grade: B-

 

3rd Round - Pick #70 - Earl Bennett, WR, Vanderbilt - The Bears were able to wait until the 3rd Round to address their WR position. At Pick #70, the Bears had Bennett, Doucet, Caldwell, and Manningham to choose from. I would've preferred Doucet, but I don't mind Bennett here since he can immediately come in and compete. At Vandy, he broke all the school receiving records and holds the SEC Career receptions mark, breaking it with only 3 years in school. He also can be used to return kickoffs making a formidable return duo with Hester. Grade: B+

 

3rd Round - Pick #90 - Marcus Harrison, DT, Arkansas - This pick seemed to be strictly on value. Harrison was projected as high as a mid-late 2nd rounder who had fallen due to injury and off-field concerns. If he proves to be healthy, this could be another JA steal. This is definitely a high risk, high reward pick. The Bears passed on Guards Rinehart and Cousins to pick up Harrison. I would've liked to have seen a Guard picked up with this pick but the value was there. Grade: B-

4th Round - Pick #120 - Craig Steltz, S, LSU - At this point in the draft, the Bears had already addressed OL, RB, WR, and DT. They still needed to address Safety, so this was definitely a need pick. It turned out pretty good. Steltz provides the Bears insurance at Safety with additional help on their Special Teams unit. The Bears started the day at Pick #110, and ended up moving from #175 to #158, and acquired pick #208 while moving down to #120 here to still get Steltz. He has been compared to Fencik and Plank; sounds good to me. Grade: A-

5th Round - Pick #142 - Zack Bowman, CB, Nebraska - This was an odd pick. With Roy Schuening and Carl Nicks on the board, the Bears draft a CB who has barely played in the last 24 months? He missed all of 2006 (ACL) and played in only started 4 games in 2007, so I don't know how you use this pick on him with the other players I mentioned still available. He has 1st Round talent, but that was before his injuries. If he can show that type of talent, then this is a huge steal, but at the same time, can the Bears afford to use this pick on a very low need with a high risk player? I say no, please prove me wrong. Grade: D-

5th Round - Pick #158 - Kellen Davis, TE, Michigan State - At first I didn't like the pick with QBs Johnson and Ainge, and OL Nicks still available. However, with Schuening going in pick #157, the Bears may have shifted their focus to best available. With the departure of TE Gilmour, the Bears needed a 3rd TE, and Davis is more than capable of filling that need. This was also the pick that would've been a 6th rounder at #175. He was also the 12th TE taken, even though he was rated between 6-8. So the Bears got some nice value here. Grade: B

7th Round - Pick #208 - Ervin Baldwin, DE, Michigan State - With their "free" early 7th round pick for moving 5 spots in the 4th, the Bears pick up a decent DE from a big school. He was a JUCO transfer so he still has room to learn. Not much of a need here, but you can't expect much from 7th rounders. Grade: C

 

7th Round - Pick #222 - Chester Adams, OG, Georgia - Finally, the Bears draft a Guard! The Bears had a few opportunities to pick up a Guard earlier, but they waited until the 7th to pick one. Adams has played both OT and OG, so that is a bonus. He has the potential to stick around, but more than likely will just be a Practice Squad filler. Grade: B

 

7th Round - Pick #243 (Comp Pick) - Joey LaRocque, OLB, Oregon State - Doesn't seem to be more than a Special Teamer or Practice Squad filler, but you never know. Hamstring injury hurt his combine. He may surprise. Grade: B-

 

7th Round - Pick #247 (Comp Pick) - Kirk Barton, OT, Ohio State - Hard worker, but not very athletic. Never hurts to bring in competition on the OLine. Played against some strong competition. Grade: B

 

7th Round - Pick #248 (Comp Pick) - Marcus Monk, WR, Arkansas - With back to back comp picks, the Bears go WR. Monk was projected as a 3rd round pick before injuries limited him to just 16 receptions in 2007. Any WR that is 6'4" and can run a (4.45) 40 has some serious potential. With a late 7th pick, why not. Grade: A-

 

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Overall Grade: B-

 

[/b]Time will tell on some of these picks, but the one pick that I am still scratching my head at is pick #142 - Bowman. Not that I would be too upset with a CB in that spot, but this guy has only started 4 games in the last two years. If the Bears went Schuening or Nicks with that pick, this draft would've been at least a B or B+.

 

Best Pick: #120. Trading down twice, moving from 175 to 158, and picking up 208 while still getting Steltz was the best move of the day for Angelo. I would've like to have seen this more during the rest of the draft.

 

Worst Pick: #142. Already discussed.

 

Sleep Pick: #90 - Marcus Harrison, DT. This guy has the ability to be a starting DT on this team and could turn out to be the next Mark Anderson type of pick.

 

Trends:

One trend that I noticed this year: majority of the Bears picks were from big schools. This is somewhat of a different approach because the Bears always seemed to pick someone from one of the smaller schools. The other highlight or lowlight was the fact that the Bears did not draft a single QB even though they seemed to have an opportunity in every round. My theory is that they wanted Flacco and once he was gone, they didn't feel like there was enough value to just bring a guy in for competition. This also puts some confidence back in Orton and Grossman. Lastly, it seems like a good number of players (6) came off the Senior Bowl roster, so Angelo is at least getting to see some of these guys play first hand, which is always good.

 

The draft in general was extremely fast, almost too fast this year. I would've like to have seen the 3rd round on Day One, but the 1st Round was so much better not having to listen to Berman and Kiper talk about the Patriots for 15 minutes between every pick. I really wish they would talk about the team on the clock instead of some random thought, at least in the 1st two rounds.

[Da Bears 88]

JA needs to be fired. He sucks major ass at drafting offense.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

Mine would be this, w/o the analysis.

 

Williams A-

Forte B

Bennett B-

Harrison C+

Steltz B+

Bowman D+

Davis C

Baldwin C+

Adams B+

LaRocque C+

Barton A-

Monk B

[jackie hayes]

Why is Bowman so hard to understand? We want 5 cb, we have 5, but 1 may not be around much longer (RMJ is making a lot of money for a dimeback, and I'd rather see McBride at the nickel after last year.) So we pick up a guy who is very injury-prone, but has the physical ability to be a starter a couple years down the road, possibly a star. I love the pick.

[ChileBear]

Thaks for the summary Prophet. Now for the UDFAs.

[daa84]

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8079936...s-for-NFC-teams

 

that guy liked it apparently

[adam]

Why is Bowman so hard to understand? We want 5 cb, we have 5, but 1 may not be around much longer (RMJ is making a lot of money for a dimeback, and I'd rather see McBride at the nickel after last year.) So we pick up a guy who is very injury-prone, but has the physical ability to be a starter a couple years down the road, possibly a star. I love the pick.

I just thought that at the time of the pick, and who was on the board, that it wasn't that good of a pick. Harrison was already a risky pick due to injury. Why make it 2 out of 3 instead of going for more of a sure thing.

[jason]

I just thought that at the time of the pick, and who was on the board, that it wasn't that good of a pick. Harrison was already a risky pick due to injury. Why make it 2 out of 3 instead of going for more of a sure thing.

 

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.

[adam]

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.

Benson has a small plate in his ankle. How good could that be for a RB? That was a need pick. Could not chance on missing one of the top backs. Not much difference in terms of potential between Mendenhall, Jones, Rice, and Forte. So you take one of the two remaining backs.

 

Rinehart instead of Harrison and Schuening instead of Bowman would have made it an "A" for me. I didn't like the Harrison pick, but I understand that they went with BPA at that point. I'm still questioning the Bowman pick.

 

Yeah, 1 OL pick in the first 8 picks is questionable when it clearly was the biggest need.

[jackie hayes]

I just thought that at the time of the pick, and who was on the board, that it wasn't that good of a pick. Harrison was already a risky pick due to injury. Why make it 2 out of 3 instead of going for more of a sure thing.

For the same reason you make the Harrison pick -- upside. Bowman has a higher ceiling than any sure thing left on the board.

[jason]

Benson has a small plate in his ankle. How good could that be for a RB? That was a need pick. Could not chance on missing one of the top backs. Not much difference in terms of potential between Mendenhall, Jones, Rice, and Forte. So you take one of the two remaining backs.

 

Rinehart instead of Harrison and Schuening instead of Bowman would have made it an "A" for me. I didn't like the Harrison pick, but I understand that they went with BPA at that point. I'm still questioning the Bowman pick.

 

Yeah, 1 OL pick in the first 8 picks is questionable when it clearly was the biggest need.

 

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.

[adam]

For the same reason you make the Harrison pick -- upside. Bowman has a higher ceiling than any sure thing left on the board.

but 4 starts in 2 years? What are you basing your decision off of? The guy was the 22nd best CB in the draft. Harrison was the 5th best DT. No comparison. Bowman has played in only appeared in 22 college games over 3 years, and only saw limited time in a good portion of those. No way you take him over the other players that were available at the time (Schuening and Nicks).

[adam]

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.

I guess what they were thinking was in a year or two, Olsen and Davis become 1-2 for TEs. Basically lock that position down for the next 4-6 years. Also, with the trade that moved them from 175 to 158, he became a pretty good value. He was the 7th best TE coming in and the 12th drafted. Other than value, I dunno.

[daa84]

i remembered seeing steltz get just lit up against kentucky...and i was able to dig it up on youtube...

 

jump to 5:17 or so on this clip

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2MhoCu28Uys

[jackie hayes]

but 4 starts in 2 years? What are you basing your decision off of? The guy was the 22nd best CB in the draft. Harrison was the 5th best DT. No comparison. Bowman has played in only appeared in 22 college games over 3 years, and only saw limited time in a good portion of those. No way you take him over the other players that were available at the time (Schuening and Nicks).

Um, no. You don't write off just any amount of talent because you don't have X hours of film. If you think he's that good, you take him. If he played more games, you probably don't get a chance to take him there.

 

And I thought Nicks could be good, but I don't understand this Schuening craze at all. Personally, I would've hated that pick. And for all Nicks's potential, you gotta admit that he's a HUGE character concern. It takes quite a bit to get kicked out of your own team's pro day by your own coach.

[jason]

Um, no. You don't write off just any amount of talent because you don't have X hours of film. If you think he's that good, you take him. If he played more games, you probably don't get a chance to take him there.

 

And I thought Nicks could be good, but I don't understand this Schuening craze at all. Personally, I would've hated that pick. And for all Nicks's potential, you gotta admit that he's a HUGE character concern. It takes quite a bit to get kicked out of your own team's pro day by your own coach.

 

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.

[jackie hayes]

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.

Why aren't we crazy about Beekman, then? Because, although he's a consistent guy inline, he may not be athletic or fast enough to pull or operate in the second level. So now the clear choice is a guy who's...basically the same. Alright then.

[jason]

Why aren't we crazy about Beekman, then? Because, although he's a consistent guy inline, he may not be athletic or fast enough to pull or operate in the second level. So now the clear choice is a guy who's...basically the same. Alright then.

 

You have a good point. Which is why so many wanted to see more of Beekman on the field last year. I would much rather have seen him than Ruben Brown's one arm attack.

 

But this is about potential, and since Beekman couldn't even beat out a one-armed guy who had his best years quite some time ago, it doesn't bring about confidence. Draft picks, on the other hand, are still unknown, and we can at least hope that a guy will do well.

[jackie hayes]

You have a good point. Which is why so many wanted to see more of Beekman on the field last year. I would much rather have seen him than Ruben Brown's one arm attack.

 

But this is about potential, and since Beekman couldn't even beat out a one-armed guy who had his best years quite some time ago, it doesn't bring about confidence. Draft picks, on the other hand, are still unknown, and we can at least hope that a guy will do well.

So we should just hope even though he has EXACTLY THE SAME disadvantages as Beekman? We should draft Schuening, not because we have any reasoning that says he could succeed in the Bears system, but because he's highly ranked and we can hope basically anything we want? A number next to his name and imagination make him a good pick?

 

Christ...

[BearSox]

I'm actually starting to really like the Bowman pick. Here is a scouting report by Scott Wright about him:

 

Strengths:

Has good size and a solid frame with long arms...Decent timed speed...Very good athlete...Physical and aggressive at the line...Excellent ball skills and pretty good hands...Does a nice job against the run...Good special teamer...Has some upside.

 

Weaknesses:

Health and durability are major concerns...Does not have much experience...Very raw and needs to refine his technique and footwork...A marginal tackler...Average awareness and instincts...Will he ever play like he did pre-injury?...Big bust factor.

 

Notes:

A native of Anchorage, Alaska...Only played in 22 Division I games in college with just 9 starts...Was one of the top JUCO prospects in the nation prior to arriving in Lincoln...Redshirted in 2006 after tearing his left ACL during fall practice...Seriously considered entering the 2007 NFL Draft, even though he had not played in over a year, before ultimately heading back to school for his senior season..Tore his right patellar tendon during spring practice in 2007...Has all the physical tools you look for, at least he did before all the injuries hit..If he can get back to where he was a couple of years ago some team could get a 1st round talent late in the draft...Low Risk / High Reward, Boom or Bust type who just might be worth taking a flyer on.

Career Statistics

 

Looks like if he wasn't plagued with injuries, he had the chance to be one hell of a player. I am really liking this pick right now.