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Nicks vs Bennett


ASHKUM BEAR

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Comparing Nicks to Bennett, they are both similiar. Bennett seems like the better blocker and Nicks is a little more physical. Don't get me wrong, I like and would want Nicks on the Bears, but if he is close enough to Bennett were they would both make good #2's in the NFL, why jam this position up with another WR with a same set of skills. Just like Maclin's skill sets says he would make an excellant slot WR, where Hester should be. This is where I think if we do go WR, we may take Darius Hayward-Bey and I'll also lay out his profile. DHB is raw and will take some work, but is he raw due to a poor QB play and bad offensive system? If Maclin resembles Hester too much, I think Nicks resembles Bennett too much. Maclin/Nicks are the better WR's, but there skills sets match up with WR's we already have. DHB could be a force that can stretch the field and would balance out an arsenal of Bennett, Hester, Olsen, Forte, and DHB, they all have a different key skill that will give defenses a headache. The only missing ingrediant=QB.

 

I know this will bring some arguements, but I just wanted to point this out and maybe change some thoughts. I hope we don't draft WR #1 and rather take Smith, Oher, or Britton and try to find a partner to move up with to grab a WR.

 

Earl Bennett WR Vanderbilt

6-1 205 40 time = 4.48

 

Receiving.....................................................Rushing

Year... REC... YDS... AVG... LNG... TD... ATT... YDS... AVG... LNG... TD

2005... 79.... 876 ...11.1 ......41..... 9 ......5 ......11 ......2.2 .....14..... 0

2006... 82 ...1146 ..14.0 ......77 .....6 ......5 ......11 ......2.2 .....11 .....0

2007... 75 ....830 ...11.0 ......54 .....5 ....10 ......22 ......2.2 .....15 .....0

Totals. 236 ..2852.. 12.1 ......77 ....20 ...20 ......44...... 2.2 .....15 .....0

 

Strengths: Has good size and a solid frame...Excellent hands..Terrific route runner and knows how to get open...Tough and fearless...Very smooth...Nice vision and can do some damage after the catch...Gives pretty good effort as a blocker...Very smart...Might be able to contribute as a return man...Hard worker...Top intangibles...Productive.

 

Weaknesses: Just average athleticism...Not a blazer

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Hakeem Nicks WR North Carolina

6-1 210 40 time= 4.49

 

YEAR... REC .YDS..... AVG ..LNG.. .TD.. ATT... YDS... AVG... LNG. TD.. FUM LST

2006... 39..... 660......16.9.....83..... 4..... 1..... 10..... 10.0.... 10... 0... 0... 0

2007... 74..... 958......12.9.....53..... 5..... 1..... -1 ......-1.0...... 0... 0... 0... 0

2008... 68.....1222.... 18.0.....74..... 12....5..... 34....... 6.8.... 12... 1... 0... 0

 

 

Strengths: Ideal height and bulk w/ long arms. Excellant route runner. Has big, strong, reliable hands. Plucks the ball out of the air and can make the difficult catch. Great body control and ball skills. Aggressive and is a decent leaper. Good balance and agility. Tougth, strong and physical. Will work the middle of the field. Able to do some damage after the catch. Nice instincts and awareness. Team player with solid intangibles. Extremely competitive. Experienced. Very productive

 

Weaknesses: Just average speed and quickness. Is not very explosive and lacks a burst. Doesn't get a lot of seperation. Probably won't be much of a verticle threat. Not very elusive and lacks wiggle. Motor runs hot and cold. Must work harder as a blocker. Might be a little too cocky

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Darius Hayward-Bey WR Maryland

6-2 210 40 time = 4.30

 

YEAR...... REC...... YDS...... AVG..... LNG..... TD.... ATT... YDS... AVG.... LNG... TD... FUM... LST

2006....... 45........ 694....... 15.4...... 96....... 5....... 5....... 5 .......1.0...... 9 ......0...... 0....... 0

2007....... 51........ 786....... 15.4...... 63....... 3....... 5..... 107.... 21.4 ....54...... 1...... 0....... 0

2008....... 42........ 609....... 14.5...... 80........5.......15.... 202.... 13.5.....76...... 1..... .0....... 0

 

Strengths: A smooth fluid athlete. Long strider with rare speed. Explosive with great acceleration and a burst. Quick and agile. Terrific height and bulk with long arms. Excellant leaper. Nice body control and ball skills. Tough and not afraid to work the middle. Verticle threat who can seperate. Also a dangerous weapon on reverses. Great work ethic. Could also contribute as a return man. Still has a ton of upside.

 

Weakness: Is inconsistant catching the ball and does not have great natural hands. Questionable instincts and awareness. Still very raw as a route runner. Not much wiggle to make people miss. Doesn't break a lot of tackles. Average strength. Marginal blocker. Has little or no special teams experience. Wasn't real productive. Workout warrior?

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Bennett is 5'11-1/2", not 6'1". He also weighed 209 when he ran his time. But to skip the nit-picking and answer the question at hand. I find them to be VERY similar style receivers. It's not that they aren't athletic, because those extra 10-15 pounds they have on the typical guys running 4.4s DOES make a big difference in workouts, it's just that they relied more on actual savvy and all the fundamental stuff to work over defenders in college. I was very surprised to hear Earl had a hard time learning the playbook, because he was one of those smart/"gets it" guys in college, and that's how I feel about Nicks as a prospect, he appears to really get everything that is required of the position.

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I really like Nicks's hands and physical style but I hope we take an OT in the 1st and tradeup to get Robiskie or Britt in the 2nd.

 

I just want guys who can get open and catch the ball! We need to worry about moving the chains and already have a deep threat with Hester.

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Yeah, I'm completely sold on going OT in round 1. OT, DE, FS, and WR should without a doubt be our top 4 priorities, and when you look at it, it really comes down to OT and WR based on likely BPA for those positions at 18. I'm not a fan of Johnson or English at DE, and the top 3 will be gone by then. I really like RJ and Delmas at FS, but both are second rounders, and they're the top of this class at this position. Then you look at what else would help us like OG and there just plain isn't one worth a first, let alone the 18 pick. That boils it down to Britton and Beatty at OT, or a WR like DHB, Maclin, Nicks or Britt, and I think OT is easily the bigger impact pick for our current situation. After all, KO can't hit the open men without a reliable line, making a top WR pick virtually worthless, and Forte can't do much to open up the passing game with no holes to run through in the ground game.

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IMHO, the stats you provide yourself show how different Nicks and Bennett are. Take a look at the YPC. IMHO, Bennett's YPC shows him to be a possession WR. Nicks YPC reflects a playmaker.

 

I think this is sort of a misconception. If a WR lacks elite speed, he is automatically considered a possession WR. That is even more so true when he is know for great route running and hands. But that doesn't always tell the whole story. If you look at some other WRs like Keyshawn Johnson and Michael Irvin (two WRs Nicks has been compared to) you find playmakers who lacked that elite speed. Just because a WR doesn't have the straight line speed to burn a DB deep doesn't mean he can't be a playmaker. From everything I have seen and read, Nicks is a playmaker. Bennett is a possession WR. Nothing wrong w/ that, but I think it wrong to say the two are so similar.

 

DHB is a tremendous athlete, but (a) I have an issue w/ the lack of production in college and (B) he is a raw talent, and I just do not believe we have the staff in place to develop such raw talent.

 

Finally, I would offer you another scouting report, and one a tad more in depth. No, I am not saying this report is the end all be all, but I do believe it is a bit more in depth.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1117392

 

Comparing Nicks to Bennett, they are both similiar. Bennett seems like the better blocker and Nicks is a little more physical. Don't get me wrong, I like and would want Nicks on the Bears, but if he is close enough to Bennett were they would both make good #2's in the NFL, why jam this position up with another WR with a same set of skills. Just like Maclin's skill sets says he would make an excellant slot WR, where Hester should be. This is where I think if we do go WR, we may take Darius Hayward-Bey and I'll also lay out his profile. DHB is raw and will take some work, but is he raw due to a poor QB play and bad offensive system? If Maclin resembles Hester too much, I think Nicks resembles Bennett too much. Maclin/Nicks are the better WR's, but there skills sets match up with WR's we already have. DHB could be a force that can stretch the field and would balance out an arsenal of Bennett, Hester, Olsen, Forte, and DHB, they all have a different key skill that will give defenses a headache. The only missing ingrediant=QB.

 

I know this will bring some arguements, but I just wanted to point this out and maybe change some thoughts. I hope we don't draft WR #1 and rather take Smith, Oher, or Britton and try to find a partner to move up with to grab a WR.

 

Earl Bennett WR Vanderbilt

6-1 205 40 time = 4.48

 

Receiving.....................................................Rushing

Year... REC... YDS... AVG... LNG... TD... ATT... YDS... AVG... LNG... TD

2005... 79.... 876 ...11.1 ......41..... 9 ......5 ......11 ......2.2 .....14..... 0

2006... 82 ...1146 ..14.0 ......77 .....6 ......5 ......11 ......2.2 .....11 .....0

2007... 75 ....830 ...11.0 ......54 .....5 ....10 ......22 ......2.2 .....15 .....0

Totals. 236 ..2852.. 12.1 ......77 ....20 ...20 ......44...... 2.2 .....15 .....0

 

Strengths: Has good size and a solid frame...Excellent hands..Terrific route runner and knows how to get open...Tough and fearless...Very smooth...Nice vision and can do some damage after the catch...Gives pretty good effort as a blocker...Very smart...Might be able to contribute as a return man...Hard worker...Top intangibles...Productive.

 

Weaknesses: Just average athleticism...Not a blazer

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hakeem Nicks WR North Carolina

6-1 210 40 time= 4.49

 

YEAR... REC .YDS..... AVG ..LNG.. .TD.. ATT... YDS... AVG... LNG. TD.. FUM LST

2006... 39..... 660......16.9.....83..... 4..... 1..... 10..... 10.0.... 10... 0... 0... 0

2007... 74..... 958......12.9.....53..... 5..... 1..... -1 ......-1.0...... 0... 0... 0... 0

2008... 68.....1222.... 18.0.....74..... 12....5..... 34....... 6.8.... 12... 1... 0... 0

 

 

Strengths: Ideal height and bulk w/ long arms. Excellant route runner. Has big, strong, reliable hands. Plucks the ball out of the air and can make the difficult catch. Great body control and ball skills. Aggressive and is a decent leaper. Good balance and agility. Tougth, strong and physical. Will work the middle of the field. Able to do some damage after the catch. Nice instincts and awareness. Team player with solid intangibles. Extremely competitive. Experienced. Very productive

 

Weaknesses: Just average speed and quickness. Is not very explosive and lacks a burst. Doesn't get a lot of seperation. Probably won't be much of a verticle threat. Not very elusive and lacks wiggle. Motor runs hot and cold. Must work harder as a blocker. Might be a little too cocky

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darius Hayward-Bey WR Maryland

6-2 210 40 time = 4.30

 

YEAR...... REC...... YDS...... AVG..... LNG..... TD.... ATT... YDS... AVG.... LNG... TD... FUM... LST

2006....... 45........ 694....... 15.4...... 96....... 5....... 5....... 5 .......1.0...... 9 ......0...... 0....... 0

2007....... 51........ 786....... 15.4...... 63....... 3....... 5..... 107.... 21.4 ....54...... 1...... 0....... 0

2008....... 42........ 609....... 14.5...... 80........5.......15.... 202.... 13.5.....76...... 1..... .0....... 0

 

Strengths: A smooth fluid athlete. Long strider with rare speed. Explosive with great acceleration and a burst. Quick and agile. Terrific height and bulk with long arms. Excellant leaper. Nice body control and ball skills. Tough and not afraid to work the middle. Verticle threat who can seperate. Also a dangerous weapon on reverses. Great work ethic. Could also contribute as a return man. Still has a ton of upside.

 

Weakness: Is inconsistant catching the ball and does not have great natural hands. Questionable instincts and awareness. Still very raw as a route runner. Not much wiggle to make people miss. Doesn't break a lot of tackles. Average strength. Marginal blocker. Has little or no special teams experience. Wasn't real productive. Workout warrior?

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Outside of running a 4.3 forty DHB hasn't really done much of anything. He seems destined to be this years combine stud who turns into a dud. I hear absolutely nobody talking about anything he's done in college, just that he's fast and tall. Watching his highlight videos, many of the plays they show are him catching a short route and running the distance. That doesn't impress me as far as translating into an NFL WR. Then I keep hearing how he was limited because the coaching staff reigned in the offense and the QB was limited. Maybe, but part of the reason the coach did that could have because DHB wasn't that good running routes, or because of his questionable hands?

 

Right now I want a WR not a track star.

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Lovie has said he prefers speed over a player. Therefore, we'll go DHB is the FO decides on WR in round 1 instead of Nicks, given that they're both there. If DHB is gone, we could go Maclin but I'd rather not. If I were the FO, I'd go OT either way, then trade our 2nd and 4th to move up in the 1st again to go Nicks or Britt there.

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IMHO, the stats you provide yourself show how different Nicks and Bennett are. Take a look at the YPC. IMHO, Bennett's YPC shows him to be a possession WR. Nicks YPC reflects a playmaker.

 

...

 

Just because a WR doesn't have the straight line speed to burn a DB deep doesn't mean he can't be a playmaker. From everything I have seen and read, Nicks is a playmaker. Bennett is a possession WR. Nothing wrong w/ that, but I think it wrong to say the two are so similar.

 

Yeah, you couldn't have said that better. Both Nicks and Bennett have good hands, neither have great timed speed, and they're similar sizes and builds, but that doesn't make them similar talents. Nicks' YPC reflects how good he is after the catch. If you watch the UNC-WVU game, you'll see what he can do once he's got the ball in his hands. Bennett is a very natural receiver and a good route-runner, but he's not the threat after the catch that Nicks is. Nicks could be a nice safety valve for Orton, since Orton's way more accurate on short throws and Nicks can turn short passes into pretty good gains.

 

The thing that worries me about both guys is their breaks. Neither of them is exceedingly sudden in a small area, and I think both of them could end up having corners draped all over them in the NFL. Still, both guys produced consistently in college, and both of them did so on less-than-stellar teams against serious competition. I'll take production over potential 90% of the time.

 

If the Bears aren't going to sign or trade for a vet (read: if our receiver corps is in full-on rebuilding mode) then I'd be OK with letting Nicks and Bennett duke it out for the #2 spot.

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These are all very good points IMHO. However, it will be very tough to gauge any of their success until we get the QB position solidified. If the best WR was a deep threat type, why would we get him? What difference does it make to have another blazer at WR when our QB can't get him the ball? Do we take this into consideration and go for the slower, possession type?

 

It's very tough to talk about potential WRs unless we keep the realities of the position in mind. Some of these guys may be very good players in this league. A guy may be the best player on the board at the time. But, it may not be smart for us to draft them because of our own deficiencies.

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