Players who may fall...

[jason]

Players who could drop because of injuries:

Brian Orakpo - hamstring

Rey Maualuga - hamstring

Michael Crabtree - Injured his foot

 

Players who are just stupid

Andre Smith

 

I see a real possibility that one of these guys could fall to the Bears.

[Mongo3451]

Players who could drop because of injuries:

Brian Orakpo - hamstring

Rey Maualuga - hamstring

Michael Crabtree - Injured his foot

 

Players who are just stupid

Andre Smith

 

I see a real possibility that one of these guys could fall to the Bears.

I would take any of them at 18. l'd love Maualuga. He's all over the field and hits like a truck. I don't think any will fall to us, but there is a chance.

[brletich]

Players who could drop because of injuries:

Brian Orakpo - hamstring

Rey Maualuga - hamstring

Michael Crabtree - Injured his foot

 

Players who are just stupid

Andre Smith

 

I see a real possibility that one of these guys could fall to the Bears.

 

With the amazing stupidity and horrible interviews shown by Smith, I can't see JA taking him at 18...He shows up to the combine out of shape, refuses to work out, has terrible interviews, and then disappears...No way does JA take him.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

Maluga will be a great player. If Crabtree fell to us I'd shit myself. It won't happen though, unless he's going to miss more time than anticipated.

[ChileBear]

Maluga will be a great player. If Crabtree fell to us I'd shit myself. It won't happen though, unless he's going to miss more time than anticipated.

Crabtree is not getting out of the top 10. Supposedly he played all last season with the stress fracture and it is relatively simple to repair.

Smith probably will be there at 18, but I can't see JA getting him. I wouldn't be surprised to see him fall to no. 32 or to the second round.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

Is Smith really going to fall that far? From being a potential #1 to sliding all the way out of the 1st round.

[Wesson44]

Is Smith really going to fall that far? From being a potential #1 to sliding all the way out of the 1st round.

I really don't think he will fall out of the first round, he still has his pro day to make up for what he didn't do at the combine, but he has lost about 28 million just by his actions of leaving and not working out

[defiantgiant]

I really don't think he will fall out of the first round, he still has his pro day to make up for what he didn't do at the combine, but he has lost about 28 million just by his actions of leaving and not working out

 

Yeah, I'd still be surprised if Smith fell out of the 1st, barring some further red flag. Even with the Combine stuff and some teams projecting him to guard, he'd still make the best guard prospect available. I doubt Crabtree falls far at all; although I'd love it if he were around at #18, he won't be.

 

The guy who interests me a LOT is Malcolm Jenkins. He ran in the mid-to-high 4.5s at the Combine, and a lot of teams think that's too slow for a corner. If you play a lot of man or bump-and-run, that probably IS too slow. With Vontae Davis demolishing every workout in sight and Jenkins looking more like a free safety, I think he could fall to the middle of the first round.

 

I think there's starting to be a real chance either that Jenkins is still around at 18, or that he falls far enough that the Bears would only have to trade up a couple of spots. If they don't have to give up the farm, I'd love for the Bears to move up a few spots and grab him. I like Rashad Johnson and Louis Delmas, but I think Jenkins would be a much better FS than either of them. He offers some versatility, too, since the Bears' scheme doesn't demand corners with a ton of speed. They're one of a few teams that could still be considering him at both positions.

[nfoligno]

Problem is, from what I have read, Jenkins has said he wants to play CB and not move to S. I agree he may be better if he moves, but if he is unwilling to make the move, can you really take him?

 

I do agree that a CB who lacks top end speed better fits our system. I also agree he may in fact be a good fit for us and our system. The problem I have is, I just do not view CB as a top need, and the talk of how our system does not require top speed/talent CBs only furthers the point that CB is not a 1st round value for cover two defenses.

 

Yeah, I'd still be surprised if Smith fell out of the 1st, barring some further red flag. Even with the Combine stuff and some teams projecting him to guard, he'd still make the best guard prospect available. I doubt Crabtree falls far at all; although I'd love it if he were around at #18, he won't be.

 

The guy who interests me a LOT is Malcolm Jenkins. He ran in the mid-to-high 4.5s at the Combine, and a lot of teams think that's too slow for a corner. If you play a lot of man or bump-and-run, that probably IS too slow. With Vontae Davis demolishing every workout in sight and Jenkins looking more like a free safety, I think he could fall to the middle of the first round.

 

I think there's starting to be a real chance either that Jenkins is still around at 18, or that he falls far enough that the Bears would only have to trade up a couple of spots. If they don't have to give up the farm, I'd love for the Bears to move up a few spots and grab him. I like Rashad Johnson and Louis Delmas, but I think Jenkins would be a much better FS than either of them. He offers some versatility, too, since the Bears' scheme doesn't demand corners with a ton of speed. They're one of a few teams that could still be considering him at both positions.

[defiantgiant]

Problem is, from what I have read, Jenkins has said he wants to play CB and not move to S. I agree he may be better if he moves, but if he is unwilling to make the move, can you really take him?

 

I do agree that a CB who lacks top end speed better fits our system. I also agree he may in fact be a good fit for us and our system. The problem I have is, I just do not view CB as a top need, and the talk of how our system does not require top speed/talent CBs only furthers the point that CB is not a 1st round value for cover two defenses.

 

Oh, I agree. With Manning (probably) staying at nickel, corner's not a first-round need. Safety definitely is, though, barring some major FA move or trade. I was thinking of Jenkins' versatility more as an insurance policy, in case he really doesn't work out at FS.

 

I hope that he'd be willing, ultimately, to make the switch. He'd be a high pick either way, and look at how many safeties are really the face of their defenses these days: would he really pass up the chance to be in Ed Reed's position or Troy Polamalu's? Chicago's a team where the fans know their safeties' names, for sure. If he's TOTALLY adamant about playing corner, though, I agree that they shouldn't take him in the first just to be a corner. They can get Jairus Byrd in the 2nd or 3rd: he offers similar intelligence and versatility, if not the same speed and ball skills.

[daa84]

DBs are the combine were pretty underwhelming IMO...Delmas looked like the best safety for sure, Jenkins looked pretty bad...If he is gonna play corner its gonna be in a cover 2 scheme, but i think most teams will agree after his workout that hes a FS...id love for him to fall to us and for us to draft him as a safety....I went to vandy, so im usually biased, but I dont see at all how DJ Moore will be a first round pick, despite everyone projecting him there...Hes tiny and ran a very pedestrian to bad 4.55....I thought the kid from UConn stood out as well

[defiantgiant]

DBs are the combine were pretty underwhelming IMO...Delmas looked like the best safety for sure, Jenkins looked pretty bad...If he is gonna play corner its gonna be in a cover 2 scheme, but i think most teams will agree after his workout that hes a FS...id love for him to fall to us and for us to draft him as a safety....I went to vandy, so im usually biased, but I dont see at all how DJ Moore will be a first round pick, despite everyone projecting him there...Hes tiny and ran a very pedestrian to bad 4.55....I thought the kid from UConn stood out as well

 

I didn't get to see the DB drills because of work: did you check out Alphonso Smith from Wake Forest and Sean Smith from Utah? I'm really interested to see how they did.

[daa84]

I didn't get to see the DB drills because of work: did you check out Alphonso Smith from Wake Forest and Sean Smith from Utah? I'm really interested to see how they did.

thought Sean smith looked good...I really didnt know anything about him before the combine and remember him specifically as being a guy I wanted to look into because he impressed me....didnt think Alphonso was as good as he was projected to be, but wasn't as bad some of the guys...

 

NFL Network replays this stuff all day too, so you can check it out later tonight

[jason]

If Andre Smith falls to #18, and the Bears don't pick him, I'll be livid.

[nfoligno]

Even if we draft Otah?

 

I am not sure about Andre Smith. I know where you are coming from. He is an upper tier prospect, at the position you want, and while he has red flags, you are not big on passing on players w/ character red flags. At the same time, his red flag seems to be glowing.

 

The thing for me is coaching. Its one thing if you have a coaching staff you have confidence in their ability to take a troubled youth and mold them into solid men. Its another thing if you have Lovie Smith. Do you really think we have the staff in place to mentor a kid who has the sort of rep as Smith?

 

If Andre Smith falls to #18, and the Bears don't pick him, I'll be livid.

['TD']

Even if we draft Otah?

 

I am not sure about Andre Smith. I know where you are coming from. He is an upper tier prospect, at the position you want, and while he has red flags, you are not big on passing on players w/ character red flags. At the same time, his red flag seems to be glowing.

 

The thing for me is coaching. Its one thing if you have a coaching staff you have confidence in their ability to take a troubled youth and mold them into solid men. Its another thing if you have Lovie Smith. Do you really think we have the staff in place to mentor a kid who has the sort of rep as Smith?

 

Lol, you really wanted Otah last year?

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

NFO, you're mixing Otah with Oher.

[jason]

NFO, you're mixing Otah with Oher.

 

It's just too bad the Bears didn't draft Big O last year, and Big O this year. That's an OL set for years to come.

 

As for Oher vs. Smith...I don't know. Smith seems like more of a possible stud, like Walter Jones or some other OT that dominates for a decade. However, he also has a lower floor with his recent madness.

[AZ54]

I can only hope our biggest problem on draft day is deciding between Oher and Andre Smith at #18. Attitude issues clearly affect your decisions on a top 10 pick because you must get some value for the money. But an elite talent like Smith at 18 you gamble on. Most young kids go through a spot of immaturity. If you have a good backup like St Clair on the roster you might be able to let Smith sit for a year to figure out what it takes to be a pro. I just can't see passing up a blue chip prospect like him at #18 especially when our need is so glaring.

[nfoligno]

To be totally honest, I believe I wanted pretty much every 1st round OT prospect, except Williams, or at least Williams was my least favorite.

 

I remember saying I thought Clady would be better than Long, and felt we should have traded up to get him. It was largely believed Denver would take him, so I felt we needed to jump ahead of Denver.

 

After Clady, Albert was by far and away my favorite. I felt he too would end up better than Long, though it would take him a bit longer to get there.

 

Of the OTs we had a legit shot at, Otah was the one I liked next. I felt it was 50/50 whether he could end up as a LT, but felt it was a lock he could be a stud RT and/or stud OG. As much as I wanted a LT, I also felt we had needs across the board on the OL, and simply felt he was a better overall prospect. So yea, I did want Otah.

 

Now I want Otah. J/K. Oher.

Lol, you really wanted Otah last year?

[nfoligno]

Understand where you are coming from, but still not so sure.

 

1. Agreed the lower in the draft you go, the more you are able to gamble w/ character and other red flags, however, I am just not so sure we can afford such, particularly in the 1st. We have many needs and many holes, and while the pick may not be top 10, I would argue it may as well be in terms of expectations. W/ our 1st pick, we need a legit stud starter and can not afford a bust.

 

2. Again, coaching. What in our staff's history leads you to believe we have the staff in place to mold, develop, help mature a troubled kid.

 

3. Me personally, I simply am not sure the difference (if any) between Oher and Smith is so great. To me, Smith is a player who seemed to be compared very evenly w/ Oher until the offseason began and the process of over-analysis began.

 

Big for me is this. Our margin for error is small. We simply can not afford a bust. We drafted an OT last year who had red flags. We gambled, and it blew up in our faces. We hope luck turns, but I am not sure we can afford to draft OTs w/ red flags in the 1st round of consecutative drafts.

 

I can only hope our biggest problem on draft day is deciding between Oher and Andre Smith at #18. Attitude issues clearly affect your decisions on a top 10 pick because you must get some value for the money. But an elite talent like Smith at 18 you gamble on. Most young kids go through a spot of immaturity. If you have a good backup like St Clair on the roster you might be able to let Smith sit for a year to figure out what it takes to be a pro. I just can't see passing up a blue chip prospect like him at #18 especially when our need is so glaring.

[nfoligno]

Jason, how do you like the sound of this.

 

We hit FA by adding St. Clair and Brandon Moore (OG for NYJ). Then we hit the draft and take Oher. We now have an OL of:

 

Williams - St. Clair - Kreutz - Moore - Oher. I know we have inexperience on the edges, but we flank them w/ experienced OGs. Further, we now have Garza and Beekman in more suited roles (depth).

 

Now that is an OL I think Orton and Forte would LOVE to work behind.

 

It's just too bad the Bears didn't draft Big O last year, and Big O this year. That's an OL set for years to come.

 

As for Oher vs. Smith...I don't know. Smith seems like more of a possible stud, like Walter Jones or some other OT that dominates for a decade. However, he also has a lower floor with his recent madness.