Bears pre-draft workouts and Pro Day visits

[Stinger226]

A couple of late-round linebackers for the file...

 

Sidney Tarver, LB, Tennessee State - The Bears were at his Pro Day. I know nothing about the guy as a player, but apparently he did very well in his positional drills. His measurables are all what you'd want for a 4-3 outside 'backer: 6'3", 236 pounds, and a 4.65 in the 40 (on a wet track.) He put up a 10'6" broad jump, a 32" vertical, and 23 reps on the bench. If anybody knows anything about whether this kid can play, I'd be interested to hear it.

 

Lawrence Wilson, LB, UConn - Met individually with Bears personnel during his Pro Day. Wilson, I think, is the ideal kind of LB prospect to target. He's undersized (6'1" 229 pounds) for any scheme except a Tampa-2, which will push his draft value down significantly. For a Tampa team like the Bears, that could make him a great value in the 4th or 5th round. He reminds me a lot of Pisa as a player. For a linebacker, he's incredibly smooth and rangy in coverage, and he has legit 4.5-4.6 speed. He doesn't have a lot of power as a hitter (as you'd expect) but he's an insanely productive tackler (449 career tackles, 123 last season alone) because he wraps up and doesn't take bad angles. I like him a lot as a prospect, and I'd be happy if the Bears got him on Day 3 to develop as their Sam 'backer of the future.

 

And then there's an interesting DB prospect:

 

Curtis Brown, CB, Texas - Has a private workout with the Bears coming up. He's probably going to go in the late 2nd to early 3rd, but I wouldn't completely hate the pick if there's no good d-tackle available when the Bears pick in Round 2. Has exceptional speed and quickness, can cover in man at least as well as in zone, if not better. Used to play receiver and has great hands for the interception. Can go up vertically and take the pass away from the WR, at 6 feet tall with a 39" vertical. The one hole in his game (especially for a Tampa-2 team) is his tackling, which is going to need work. He can't keep shoulder-rocketing guys as a 185-pound DB, he's going to need to learn to break down and wrap up. Still, he could generate a lot of turnovers and wouldn't be a bad pick if we already have an o-lineman and there's no good 3-technique on the board.

 

...and one guy who I know some of you will be glad to see on the list:

 

Vincent Brown, WR, San Diego State - Had a private workout with Mike Martz. A slow 40 at the Combine hurt his stock some, but he ran a 4.52 at his Pro Day, which is definitely adequate. Doesn't have great straight-line speed, but can change directions in an instant when he makes a cut. Showed great hands at the Senior Bowl, which had been a concern previously. Like Randall Cobb, Brown definitely looks like a Mike Martz wide receiver, but doesn't look like a #1 guy on the outside. If they drafted him, I'd wonder about where they'd play him: I think his best fit is in the slot, where Earl Bennett is already doing a great job. If they think Bennett can play more on the outside, though, I'd be happy to get Brown into the mix.

More to add:

The Bears were at SIUs pro day looking at a CB-Korey Lindsey and ILB Franklin.

Lindsey is ranked 29th CB in pro footbally weekly. A small guy and not a good tackler, perfect for us.

Franklin is ranked 23rd on GBNorths site, 6' 240" with 4.55 speed. Sounds like a late round pick.

Miami-Florida pro day we were there with several CB prospects and Hanrkerson WR working out.

We attended M. Tenn S pro day looking at Tarver OLB a 6'3" 236lb 4.65 speed. Cant find him on any lists.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

@BradBiggs: #Bears have put East Carolina OT Willie Smith thru a private workout.

Brad Biggs' Twitter

[defiantgiant]

Haven't updated this thread in a while, so here are some more prospects the Bears worked out.

 

Niles Paul, WR, Nebraska - private workout with the Bears, can't find out who exactly. The Jets and Vikings also worked him out. I think he's an interesting prospect as a physical, possession receiver with enough speed (4.45 in the 40) and great after-the-catch ability. He'd certainly bring a different dimension to the receiving corps at 6'1" and 225 pounds. I see him as a better fit for a West Coast offense, where he could run less challenging routes and rely on his ability to get yards after the catch. If the Bears think he can run the routes in Martz's scheme, though, he'd be good value early on Day 3.

 

Danny Watkins, OG, Baylor - private workout with the Bears, don't know if it was with Tice specifically. I like Watkins, he looks like one of the more NFL-ready linemen, but I'd be worried about drafting a guy who's already 26. He'll be a good starting guard, but might only last 5 or 6 years instead of 9 or 10.

 

Cecil Shorts III, WR, Mount Union - this is kind of interesting: he revealed that he's had private workouts with "two NFC North teams" but no indication as to who those teams are. So I guess it's a 50/50 that he worked out with the Bears, maybe better when you consider that they're more likely to be shopping for a WR than, say, the Packers. Shorts reminds me a little bit of Steve Smith from the Giants...he's just average in terms of size/speed/athleticism, but he's very slick running routes, knows how to get open, and he's a reliable catcher. Could be very productive in a Mike Martz offense, but Earl Bennett already does a lot of the same things well.

 

Terrell McClain, DT, USF - most of us know this guy's name by now. Good under-tackle prospect, although people are starting to talk about him as a 2nd-rounder and I think that'd be a reach. Angelo, Lovie, and Tim Ruskell were all at his Pro Day (as was Bill Belichick.) I see him as being in that tier of DTs with Jurrell Casey, a notch below Drake Nevis and several notches below Marvin Austin. If we're going DT in the 2nd I'd rather have Nevis, but if McClain lasts until the 3rd round, I'd be very OK with Chicago moving up in the 3rd to grab him.

[Stinger226]

unless your drafting at the front of the 1st round it is hard to have a rookie start and make a solid contribution, but Watkins is one that could start day one, of which we need out of our 1st round pick. It may be to early at 29 but he is rated on big boards at about 33 so I say if our left tackle propects are off the board, taking him would give us a starter with that pick in an area of need. You wait and see and NE will pick him, and they have a history of making solid picks.

[defiantgiant]

unless your drafting at the front of the 1st round it is hard to have a rookie start and make a solid contribution, but Watkins is one that could start day one, of which we need out of our 1st round pick. It may be to early at 29 but he is rated on big boards at about 33 so I say if our left tackle propects are off the board, taking him would give us a starter with that pick in an area of need. You wait and see and NE will pick him, and they have a history of making solid picks.

Yeah, I guess getting Watkins at #29 wouldn't be the end of the world. Guard is a huge need position, and there are only three guys who I think could be Day 1 starters: Watkins, Pouncey, and maybe Rodney Hudson. With Pouncey climbing up draft boards and Angelo saying that he doesn't have a 1st-round grade on Derek Sherrod, I could see Watkins being the pick.

 

Also, here's some more on Terrell McClain from Pro Football Weekly:

 

"McClain's pro-day workout was one of the best in the country. He looked like a young Warren Sapp going through drills, but his tape does not come close to matching. In three years as a starter, he has never recorded more than three sacks in a season. He’s not known as a worker. His toughness, effort and competitiveness are questionable. He easily loses focus and has been too much of a flash player throughout his career. He could warrant interest as early as the second round, but he will require a demanding position coach to maximize his potential and overcome the "underachiever" label."

 

I really hope the Bears don't reach for McClain in the 2nd; it sounds like there's a significant bust factor there. Marinelli is as good a position coach as there is, but it's hard to get performance out of a guy who just doesn't have the work ethic. We all saw what happened with Marcus Harrison: dude has all the talent in the world, but he's too lazy for Marinelli to get anything out of him.