Bears Prospect Visits

[defiantgiant]

I thought I'd start a thread for all the players that Chicago's brought in for pre-draft visits. Anybody know anything about these guys?

 

Defense

Matt Mayberry, LB, Indiana

Damaso Munoz, LB, Rutgers

Danny Batten, DE, South Dakota State

Nate Collins, DT, Virginia

Jeffrey Fitzgerald, DT, Kansas State

George Johnson, DT, Rutgers

Amari Spievey, CB, Iowa

Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, CB/S, Indiana (Pa.)

Robert Johnson, S, Utah

 

Offense

Freddie Barnes, WR, Bowling Green

Naaman Roosevelt, WR, Buffalo

Jeff Linkenbach, OT, Cincinnati

Nic Richmond, OT, TCU

Will Barker, OT, Virginia

Levi Horn, OT, Montana

J'Marcus Webb, OT, West Texas A&M

Ramon Harewood, OG, Morehouse

Nick Howell, OG, USC

[Guest TerraTor]

I like the CB from Indiana (PA)

 

Good size and speed, but again played for a PA State School, so who knows. Dont see him being there in the 3rd, even so, we have to get a safety. I think there is something in the works where we will move way up for Nate Allen or Morgan Burnett. It may be a huge deal, or involve nexts years picks

[flea]

I hope it doesn't involve next years picks.we can't keep trading away future picks

[Mongo3451]

I hope it doesn't involve next years picks.we can't keep trading away future picks

Agree with not mortgaging the future. I will add a twist though. This draft is rumored to be ultra deep in talent. If that plays out in getting a little more this year, than next. I'm all for it, if the value is good.

[defiantgiant]

I like the CB from Indiana (PA)

 

Good size and speed, but again played for a PA State School, so who knows. Dont see him being there in the 3rd, even so, we have to get a safety. I think there is something in the works where we will move way up for Nate Allen or Morgan Burnett. It may be a huge deal, or involve nexts years picks

I think it's getting to be borderline inevitable that Angelo's going to have to trade up if he wants to draft a starting free safety. It looks like we might even have to move up to draft Major Wright, to say nothing of Allen or Burnett: word is that the Dolphins love Wright and they'll draft him if he falls to them at #73.

[Wesson44]

I think it's getting to be borderline inevitable that Angelo's going to have to trade up if he wants to draft a starting free safety. It looks like we might even have to move up to draft Major Wright, to say nothing of Allen or Burnett: word is that the Dolphins love Wright and they'll draft him if he falls to them at #73.

I say still we go get Atowge from the Rams and draft Robert Johnson in the third and OT/OG/CB/DT the est of the way

[dawhizz]

What's interesting is the number of CBs the Bears are looking at who have also, to one degree or another, been projected at safety. Spievey and Owusa-Ansah (AOA to you) have both been talked about as NFL free safeties, as has Jerome Murphy from South Florida, who Lovis Smith apparently met with when the Bears were down at the South Florida pro day. If the Bears were really solely interested in upgrading the CB position with that 3rd round pick, you'd think they'd be spending more time with those prospects who would be available around that time who are strictly projected at CB, like Javier Arenas and Syd'Quan Thompson. Since they're not, I think the Bears are trying to figure out if one of the CBs available at the 3rd round pick might be a better NFL safety than one of the college FSs available. Just something to keep any eye on.

[defiantgiant]

I say still we go get Atowge from the Rams and draft Robert Johnson in the third and OT/OG/CB/DT the est of the way

 

Robert Johnson's rated as a sixth-round pick right now. He's the 10th-ranked free safety (11th if you count Earl Thomas as a FS not a CB.) He'd be a giant reach in the third, especially if we already had Atogwe on board.

 

If we signed Atogwe, I'd like to see a left guard or right tackle in the 3rd round, depending on where they think Omiyale can play. I wouldn't be mad if they got a corner there, either, so we could have an eventual successor to Peanut. Dominique Franks, Walter Thurmond and Amari Spievey should all be around in the 3rd, and it'd be nice to have a decent corner developing behind Tillman and Bowman.

[defiantgiant]

What's interesting is the number of CBs the Bears are looking at who have also, to one degree or another, been projected at safety.

Yeah, and that jives with some of the talk I've been hearing, that the Bears might not have enough ammo to move up to the 2nd. If they think Burnett, Allen, and Wright could all be gone by #75, then they better start scouting some of the third-round corners to see who might be able to move to safety. I'll be interested to see if they start looking at the third-round strong safeties, too - maybe one of them could make the switch to free. Darrell Stuckey from Kansas might be a candidate, so might Reshad Jones from Georgia. Either of them could have enough range/coverage ability to move to free safety.

[clnr]

Atogwe won't be signed before the draft. 1) Rams has one week to respond to an offer 2) He'll likely to stay unsigned until June 1st when he becomes UFA if he hasn't reached a deal with the Rams

[Stinger226]

What's interesting is the number of CBs the Bears are looking at who have also, to one degree or another, been projected at safety. Spievey and Owusa-Ansah (AOA to you) have both been talked about as NFL free safeties, as has Jerome Murphy from South Florida, who Lovis Smith apparently met with when the Bears were down at the South Florida pro day. If the Bears were really solely interested in upgrading the CB position with that 3rd round pick, you'd think they'd be spending more time with those prospects who would be available around that time who are strictly projected at CB, like Javier Arenas and Syd'Quan Thompson. Since they're not, I think the Bears are trying to figure out if one of the CBs available at the 3rd round pick might be a better NFL safety than one of the college FSs available. Just something to keep any eye on.

I think the possibility that if a better projected player at CB is there we take him instead of reaching for a less FS. I still think moving Tillman to FS is a definite possiblity. The worst thing you can due in a draft is draft for need and reach for players. We have many so-so players in the defensive backfield, we need an upgrade.

[defiantgiant]

Couple of new prospects on the radar: the Bears had Montana OT Levi Horn, West Texas A&M OT J'Marcus Webb, and USC OL Nick Howell in for pre-draft visits. Mike Tice put Horn and Webb through private workouts, as well.

[Stinger226]

Couple of new prospects on the radar: the Bears had Montana OT Levi Horn, West Texas A&M OT J'Marcus Webb, and USC OL Nick Howell in for pre-draft visits. Mike Tice put Horn and Webb through private workouts, as well.

I think most of this list is late round or undrafted players. It seems we have cornered the market on non drafted players.

[defiantgiant]

I think most of this list is late round or undrafted players. It seems we have cornered the market on non drafted players.

There are basically two schools of thought on how you use your predraft visits. Some teams use them to bring in early-round guys who they've already seen at a Pro Day and the Combine, and other teams use them to get a look at guys who didn't have a Pro Day or a Combine invite. The Bears do the latter, so they can try to turn up surprise contributors in the late rounds.