Your 'Draft Board'

[Bears4Ever_34]

I'm curious, after going through a plethora of mock drafts over the past few weeks, what our draft board should look like. I haven't really gotten that deep into it yet but there's been alot of mocks that have been posted here lately. If you were to put together a 10-12 player 'Big Board' for this team, what would it look like? Let's assume the obvious that Luck, RGIII, Blackmon, Kalil, and Claiborne are all off the table. Here is how I have mine set up. Subject to change as we get closer and closer to the draft.

 

Draft board

 

1. WR, Michael Floyd

 

+ Physical beast; powerful runner after the catch

+ Great hands catcher; plucks the ball out of the air. Reminds me of Anquan Boldin

+ Benefits from having Brandon Marshall on the field; he's a #1 who's going to get the coverage of a #2.

- Possession receiver, lacks elite speed, doesn't fully compliment Marshall's skill set. Same type of player.

- Off the field incidents. Is Marshall/Floyd together going to cause problems?

 

Analysis: Floyd is the clear cut 2nd best receiver in this draft. The Bears still need to fill the void of a #2 receiver. On paper, it looks menacing to teams that will have to matchup against us. Pick your poison between Marshall or Floyd. We also get the added bonus of having two "Big" WR's that are also extremely viable redzone targets. In terms of averaging out between best player available and need, Floyd comes in at number 1 on my board.

 

2. OG, David Decastro

 

+ One of the best guard prospects in the last 10 years. Drawing comparisons to Steve Hutchinson.

+ Good balance between being athletic and strong

- Shows inconsistency with his run blocking

 

Analysis: If there is a pro bowl offensive lineman in this draft, it's this guy. On a lot of teams, he could come in right away to a team and be their best offensive lineman the instant he steps on to the field. While guard is not a huge need for us, it's hard to pass up on a guy of his caliber if he somehow fell to 19. Being a guard is why he's not #1 on my list. Floyd fills more of a need and shows the same potential.

 

3. CB, Dre Kirkpatrick

 

+ Amazing Athlete; extremely versatile; could make the transition to FS if need be.

+ Shows great burst out of his breaks and has the instincts of an Asante Samuels.

- Brittle; needs to add muscle weight to improve durability in future.

- Off field incidents

 

Analysis: May be the best pure athlete in this draft. I love this kid's potential. I know CB has never been that big on Lovie's totem pole for his defense because DE's are generally top priority, followed by LB's. But with Peanut's age and the lack of quality depth at the position, CB is definitely a need on this team. Kirkpatrick may very well be the best CB at his position.

 

4. DE, Quintin Coples

 

+ Prototypical size for an NFL DE

+ Well rounded player; can rush the passer and play the run well

+ Has great body control; he uses leverage to his advantage

- Questionable motor

- Lacks the burst that seperates a good DE from a great one

- Doesn't seem to be as quick as he needs to be around the edge; struggles getting outside on the perimeter to bring down a ball carrier.

 

Analysis: He's been labeled as the #1 DE for a while now. But lately he's been slipping a bit because of the kind of year he had last season. Doesn't seemed motivated to be great but you have to think a former UNC Alumn like Peppers could perhaps help him along the way if he were to come here. He fills a major need on this team at DE. The best thing about Coples is you don't have to sub him out on non passing downs like you would with some other DE candidates in this draft.

 

5. SS, Mark Barron

 

+ High IQ; reads and reacts like a pro bowl level safety

+ Ball hawking player that can defend against the run as well as he can in pass coverage

- Can be careless at times tackling and on his back pedal

 

Analysis: Definitely the #1 safety in this draft. The Bears do need a legit safety, after missing with Major Wright. Or atleast, that seems to be the case. Barron would come in right away and be an impact player. We saw this defense at a Superbowl level when we had Mike Brown being our captain. Barron has that same ability.

 

6. ILB, Luke Kuechley

 

+ Best LB in the draft; tremendous athlete all around.

+ High football IQ; great in pursuit

+ sure handed tackler

- MLB; same position at Urlacher; will have to move to SLB until Lach retires.

- Not a pass rusher, not alot of impact plays other than being extremely good at finding the ball carrier and bringing him down.

 

Analysis: This one was tricky for me. Kuechley certainly doesn't fill a need because he's a MLB playing the same position as Urlacher but at the same time, he's so athletically gifted that he can probably play some strong side. He would be Urlacher's eventual replacement 3 or 4 years from now when his skills have eroded or he calls it quits. I think it's a great value pick if he's there.

 

7. OLB, Lavonte David

 

+ Good coverage skills as an OLB.

+ Great tackler who uses his athletic ability to his advantage when getting through tight holes

- Undersized

- Can get overpowered at the LOS if he has to guard somebody in man to man coverages

 

Analysis: I really like this guy alot. He seems to be rising up on teams draft boards lately. He's not the ideal size for somebody playing on the strong side, because he's going to be asked to cover alot, but that doesn't seem to be an issue with him. Normally, Urlacher is the guy that covers the TE's over the middle. Lavonte is like Kuechley in that he can run sideline to sideline with the best of them. If some of these guys ahead of him aren't available, he's my pick.

 

8. WR, Kendall Wright

 

+ Play maker, point blank

+ Great stop and go ability; makes for being great after the catch

+ Can contort his body to make difficult catches; Steve Smith like

- Undersized

- Didn't face elaborate defensive schemes

- Not a great run blocker; gets disinterested if he's not always involved

 

Analysis: Wright is a guy who's stock seems to be dropping a bit as we get closer to the draft. His 40 time wasn't as good as some may have thought but he's still an extremely productive player that you can put either inside of outside of the numbers. He'll go up and get the ball at the point of attack but it's difficult to gage how he will play in a conventional NFL offense because he's been in that spread system his entire collegiate career.

 

9. DT, Fletcher Cox

 

+ High motor athlete; drives lineman back almost routinely

+ Extremely fast off the ball

- Not as good against the run as he is against the pass

- Sometimes relies on his athleticism too much; gets taken out of plays by a double team or poor execution.

 

Analysis: Here's 'The guy' of the draft that seems to be shooting up the draft boards. Now he's being considered to go possibly in the top 10 because of his potential. Some rate him as the best DT in the draft. DT is not a huge need for this team because we already spent a high draft pick on Paea last year. Melton is coming around, this pick would be purely because of value. If he's there, he'll be tough to pass up. He'll come in and probably be a rotational player, atleast early on and sort of build his way into becoming more of a complete player.

 

10. DE/OLB, Courtney Upshaw

 

+ Uses his strength to his advantage

+ Uses hands very well in pass coverage

+ Can be overpowering at times; will be a power rusher more than finesse

- Doesn't seem to have a true position; would probably play DE here, possibly SLB.

- Not great laterally, slow feet

- Plays better in tight areas as opposed to playing in space; bodes better as a DE in our system

 

Analysis: Probably a DE if he comes here. Very talented player with great potential as a pass rusher. The issue I have with him is how he can play as a defensive end when he's probably best suited for the role of a 3-4 LB where he won't have to do anything but rush the passer. Typical high risk/high reward type of player.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

1. Quinton Coples

2. David DeCastro

3. Dontari Poe

4. Fletcher Cox

5. Nick Perry

6. Whitney Mercilus

 

That would be mine.

[Bears4Ever_34]

Updated my draft board.

[adam]

Looking at data from about 10 different mock drafts, this is what I came up with:

 

Players that will be gone by #19: Luck, RG3, Kalil, Claiborne, Blackmon, Richardson, Cox, Tannehill, Reiff

* All these players were drafted in the top 10 over 80% of the time

 

That leaves these players in order of their average mock draft position (highest draft position in parentheses) :

Ingram, DE - 12.29 (7)

Kuechly, LB - 12.57 (11)

Coples, DE - 13 (7)

Poe, DT - 13.57 (9)

Floyd, WR - 13.71 (10)

DeCastro, OG - 15.14 (9)

Barron, S - 17.71 (14)

Upshaw DE/OLB - 18 (12)

Brockers, DT - 18.29 (11)

Glenn, OL - 18.86 (13)

 

These players had a mock draft position lower than #19:

Kirkpatrick, CB - 20.71 (17)

Gilmore, CB - 20.86 (15)

Mercilus, DE - 21.71 (12)

Martin, OT - 22.14 (13)

Wright, WR - 24 (22)

Adams, OT - 25.86 (10)

Hightower, LB - 26.89 (24)

Perry, DE/OLB - 28.71 (27)

Hill, WR - 29.43 (19)

Konz, C - 30.29 (29)

Fleener, TE -32.43 (30)

 

Based on those numbers, and picking at 19, we should be able to pick up someone from that first group (Ingram...Glenn) or have the luxury of dropping down to the mid-20's and picking someone from the 2nd group (Kirkpatrick...Fleener).

 

Using the first group, here is my draft board:

 

1. Coples, DE (Need and BPA) ^

2. Floyd, WR (Need and BPA) ^

3. DeCastro, OG (Need and BPA) ^

4. Ingram, DE/OLB (Need and BPA)

5. Poe, DT (BPA) ^

6. Kuechly, LB (Future Need and BPA)

7. Glenn, OL (Need and BPA) ^

8. Barron, S (Slight Need and BPA)

9. Brockers, DT (BPA)

10. Upshaw DE/OLB (BPA)

 

Personally I would like to see Coples or Floyd. I think Peppers and Coples (especially with the UNC connection) could be special. Coples would have some of the best mentorship you could have, and playing in front of Urlacher and Briggs. For Floyd, he would give us a true #2 and possibly the best WR pairing the Bears have ever had. I don't believe CB is a need after all the depth we acquired, so I doubt we use a first rounder on CB. Other than Kuechly, I don't believe we would go LB either at 19. OL, DL, or WR in the first couple of rounds.

[lemonej]

Looking at data from about 10 different mock drafts, this is what I came up with:

 

Players that will be gone by #19: Luck, RG3, Kalil, Claiborne, Blackmon, Richardson, Cox, Tannehill, Reiff

* All these players were drafted in the top 10 over 80% of the time

 

That leaves these players in order of their average mock draft position (highest draft position in parentheses) :

Ingram, DE - 12.29 (7)

Kuechly, LB - 12.57 (11)

Coples, DE - 13 (7)

Poe, DT - 13.57 (9)

Floyd, WR - 13.71 (10)

DeCastro, OG - 15.14 (9)

Barron, S - 17.71 (14)

Upshaw DE/OLB - 18 (12)

Brockers, DT - 18.29 (11)

Glenn, OL - 18.86 (13)

 

These players had a mock draft position lower than #19:

Kirkpatrick, CB - 20.71 (17)

Gilmore, CB - 20.86 (15)

Mercilus, DE - 21.71 (12)

Martin, OT - 22.14 (13)

Wright, WR - 24 (22)

Adams, OT - 25.86 (10)

Hightower, LB - 26.89 (24)

Perry, DE/OLB - 28.71 (27)

Hill, WR - 29.43 (19)

Konz, C - 30.29 (29)

Fleener, TE -32.43 (30)

 

Based on those numbers, and picking at 19, we should be able to pick up someone from that first group (Ingram...Glenn) or have the luxury of dropping down to the mid-20's and picking someone from the 2nd group (Kirkpatrick...Fleener).

 

Using the first group, here is my draft board:

 

1. Coples, DE (Need and BPA) ^

2. Floyd, WR (Need and BPA) ^

3. DeCastro, OG (Need and BPA) ^

4. Ingram, DE/OLB (Need and BPA)

5. Poe, DT (BPA) ^

6. Kuechly, LB (Future Need and BPA)

7. Glenn, OL (Need and BPA) ^

8. Barron, S (Slight Need and BPA)

9. Brockers, DT (BPA)

10. Upshaw DE/OLB (BPA)

 

Personally I would like to see Coples or Floyd. I think Peppers and Coples (especially with the UNC connection) could be special. Coples would have some of the best mentorship you could have, and playing in front of Urlacher and Briggs. For Floyd, he would give us a true #2 and possibly the best WR pairing the Bears have ever had. I don't believe CB is a need after all the depth we acquired, so I doubt we use a first rounder on CB. Other than Kuechly, I don't believe we would go LB either at 19. OL, DL, or WR in the first couple of rounds.

1. Reiff -Ferentz OL translate well in the NFL

2.Coples- this pick is made with the idea that I put him at the position he played well at as a Jr DT and now I amm really young at DT with a nice 3 man rotation with Melton ,Paea and Coples.

3 Floyd-Atlanta had Roddy White and traded up for Julio Jones we don't have to do that!

4.Fletcher Cox- The Lovie 2 needs push from the inside to succeed again pair this guy with Melton and Paea and you have some force inside.

5. Jonathan Martin- I personally like his ability and since this is my Big Board I have him as my 3rd OT.

6. David DeCastro- The fact that his face is beet-red every time he works makes him my favorite player in this draft.If we want to get tough in the interior this is the guy to take.

7. Dontari Poe- The last big man I saw that was this athletic was the Fridge.

8. Melvin Ingram- He is this far down on my list because I believe he is a better fit in a 3-4

9. Stephon Gilmore- This is a big physical corner that may allow the Bears to continue to vary from their base defense if they have another big corner that can man up.

10. Chandler Jones - This kids stock is on the rise and he is what the Bears need opposite Peppers and would also send a strong message to Wooten to stop watching his fiance's basketball games and start training to save your career.

 

I have combined players whose stock is rising that aren't boom or bust plus players who have higher greades then our pick who have a downward buzz in draft stock.

[Stinger226]

1. Reiff -Ferentz OL translate well in the NFL

2.Coples- this pick is made with the idea that I put him at the position he played well at as a Jr DT and now I amm really young at DT with a nice 3 man rotation with Melton ,Paea and Coples.

3 Floyd-Atlanta had Roddy White and traded up for Julio Jones we don't have to do that!

4.Fletcher Cox- The Lovie 2 needs push from the inside to succeed again pair this guy with Melton and Paea and you have some force inside.

5. Jonathan Martin- I personally like his ability and since this is my Big Board I have him as my 3rd OT.

6. David DeCastro- The fact that his face is beet-red every time he works makes him my favorite player in this draft.If we want to get tough in the interior this is the guy to take.

7. Dontari Poe- The last big man I saw that was this athletic was the Fridge.

8. Melvin Ingram- He is this far down on my list because I believe he is a better fit in a 3-4

9. Stephon Gilmore- This is a big physical corner that may allow the Bears to continue to vary from their base defense if they have another big corner that can man up.

10. Chandler Jones - This kids stock is on the rise and he is what the Bears need opposite Peppers and would also send a strong message to Wooten to stop watching his fiance's basketball games and start training to save your career.

 

I have combined players whose stock is rising that aren't boom or bust plus players who have higher greades then our pick who have a downward buzz in draft stock.

I agree with you list except for Poe( a combine guy with NO production)refer to Gilbert. and Gilmore as we wont be drafting a CB in the first round with so many potential good players being there at a spot of need. I think at the end of the list will be Merculis. as our first round choice. I think Rieff at the first one is spot on. If coples and Reiff are there, a big debate in the war room. I think Jones is a late first round to mid second round pick, which we shouldnt consider in the first round.

 

1a Reiff

1b Coples

3 Floyd

4 Cox

5 DeCastro

6 Kuechly

7 Martin

8 Ingram

9 Glenn

10 Merculis

 

There are a couple of DB that are worth taking at that spot but simply think, they think, they could get a cover 2 starter in the 3rd or 4th round and wont draft one at 19. I think one falls from the front of that list other wise It will be from one of the the last 3 picks. I think, they think highly of Merculis, even thou there are better rated players on the board. If Reiff, Martin, DeCastro, and also Glenn are there they greatly consider drafting them do to our need to up date the talent at OL no matter what position.

[Stinger226]

I'm curious, after going through a plethora of mock drafts over the past few weeks, what our draft board should look like. I haven't really gotten that deep into it yet but there's been alot of mocks that have been posted here lately. If you were to put together a 10-12 player 'Big Board' for this team, what would it look like? Let's assume the obvious that Luck, RGIII, Blackmon, Kalil, and Claiborne are all off the table. Here is how I have mine set up. Subject to change as we get closer and closer to the draft.

 

Draft board

 

1. WR, Michael Floyd

 

+ Physical beast; powerful runner after the catch

+ Great hands catcher; plucks the ball out of the air. Reminds me of Anquan Boldin

+ Benefits from having Brandon Marshall on the field; he's a #1 who's going to get the coverage of a #2.

- Possession receiver, lacks elite speed, doesn't fully compliment Marshall's skill set. Same type of player.

- Off the field incidents. Is Marshall/Floyd together going to cause problems?

 

Analysis: Floyd is the clear cut 2nd best receiver in this draft. The Bears still need to fill the void of a #2 receiver. On paper, it looks menacing to teams that will have to matchup against us. Pick your poison between Marshall or Floyd. We also get the added bonus of having two "Big" WR's that are also extremely viable redzone targets. In terms of averaging out between best player available and need, Floyd comes in at number 1 on my board.

 

2. OG, David Decastro

 

+ One of the best guard prospects in the last 10 years. Drawing comparisons to Steve Hutchinson.

+ Good balance between being athletic and strong

- Shows inconsistency with his run blocking

 

Analysis: If there is a pro bowl offensive lineman in this draft, it's this guy. On a lot of teams, he could come in right away to a team and be their best offensive lineman the instant he steps on to the field. While guard is not a huge need for us, it's hard to pass up on a guy of his caliber if he somehow fell to 19. Being a guard is why he's not #1 on my list. Floyd fills more of a need and shows the same potential.

 

3. CB, Dre Kirkpatrick

 

+ Amazing Athlete; extremely versatile; could make the transition to FS if need be.

+ Shows great burst out of his breaks and has the instincts of an Asante Samuels.

- Brittle; needs to add muscle weight to improve durability in future.

- Off field incidents

 

Analysis: May be the best pure athlete in this draft. I love this kid's potential. I know CB has never been that big on Lovie's totem pole for his defense because DE's are generally top priority, followed by LB's. But with Peanut's age and the lack of quality depth at the position, CB is definitely a need on this team. Kirkpatrick may very well be the best CB at his position.

 

4. DE, Quintin Coples

 

+ Prototypical size for an NFL DE

+ Well rounded player; can rush the passer and play the run well

+ Has great body control; he uses leverage to his advantage

- Questionable motor

- Lacks the burst that seperates a good DE from a great one

- Doesn't seem to be as quick as he needs to be around the edge; struggles getting outside on the perimeter to bring down a ball carrier.

 

Analysis: He's been labeled as the #1 DE for a while now. But lately he's been slipping a bit because of the kind of year he had last season. Doesn't seemed motivated to be great but you have to think a former UNC Alumn like Peppers could perhaps help him along the way if he were to come here. He fills a major need on this team at DE. The best thing about Coples is you don't have to sub him out on non passing downs like you would with some other DE candidates in this draft.

 

5. SS, Mark Barron

 

+ High IQ; reads and reacts like a pro bowl level safety

+ Ball hawking player that can defend against the run as well as he can in pass coverage

- Can be careless at times tackling and on his back pedal

 

Analysis: Definitely the #1 safety in this draft. The Bears do need a legit safety, after missing with Major Wright. Or atleast, that seems to be the case. Barron would come in right away and be an impact player. We saw this defense at a Superbowl level when we had Mike Brown being our captain. Barron has that same ability.

 

6. ILB, Luke Kuechley

 

+ Best LB in the draft; tremendous athlete all around.

+ High football IQ; great in pursuit

+ sure handed tackler

- MLB; same position at Urlacher; will have to move to SLB until Lach retires.

- Not a pass rusher, not alot of impact plays other than being extremely good at finding the ball carrier and bringing him down.

 

Analysis: This one was tricky for me. Kuechley certainly doesn't fill a need because he's a MLB playing the same position as Urlacher but at the same time, he's so athletically gifted that he can probably play some strong side. He would be Urlacher's eventual replacement 3 or 4 years from now when his skills have eroded or he calls it quits. I think it's a great value pick if he's there.

 

7. OLB, Lavonte David

 

+ Good coverage skills as an OLB.

+ Great tackler who uses his athletic ability to his advantage when getting through tight holes

- Undersized

- Can get overpowered at the LOS if he has to guard somebody in man to man coverages

 

Analysis: I really like this guy alot. He seems to be rising up on teams draft boards lately. He's not the ideal size for somebody playing on the strong side, because he's going to be asked to cover alot, but that doesn't seem to be an issue with him. Normally, Urlacher is the guy that covers the TE's over the middle. Lavonte is like Kuechley in that he can run sideline to sideline with the best of them. If some of these guys ahead of him aren't available, he's my pick.

 

8. WR, Kendall Wright

 

+ Play maker, point blank

+ Great stop and go ability; makes for being great after the catch

+ Can contort his body to make difficult catches; Steve Smith like

- Undersized

- Didn't face elaborate defensive schemes

- Not a great run blocker; gets disinterested if he's not always involved

 

Analysis: Wright is a guy who's stock seems to be dropping a bit as we get closer to the draft. His 40 time wasn't as good as some may have thought but he's still an extremely productive player that you can put either inside of outside of the numbers. He'll go up and get the ball at the point of attack but it's difficult to gage how he will play in a conventional NFL offense because he's been in that spread system his entire collegiate career.

 

9. DT, Fletcher Cox

 

+ High motor athlete; drives lineman back almost routinely

+ Extremely fast off the ball

- Not as good against the run as he is against the pass

- Sometimes relies on his athleticism too much; gets taken out of plays by a double team or poor execution.

 

Analysis: Here's 'The guy' of the draft that seems to be shooting up the draft boards. Now he's being considered to go possibly in the top 10 because of his potential. Some rate him as the best DT in the draft. DT is not a huge need for this team because we already spent a high draft pick on Paea last year. Melton is coming around, this pick would be purely because of value. If he's there, he'll be tough to pass up. He'll come in and probably be a rotational player, atleast early on and sort of build his way into becoming more of a complete player.

 

10. DE/OLB, Courtney Upshaw

 

+ Uses his strength to his advantage

+ Uses hands very well in pass coverage

+ Can be overpowering at times; will be a power rusher more than finesse

- Doesn't seem to have a true position; would probably play DE here, possibly SLB.

- Not great laterally, slow feet

- Plays better in tight areas as opposed to playing in space; bodes better as a DE in our system

 

Analysis: Probably a DE if he comes here. Very talented player with great potential as a pass rusher. The issue I have with him is how he can play as a defensive end when he's probably best suited for the role of a 3-4 LB where he won't have to do anything but rush the passer. Typical high risk/high reward type of player.

You have a talented list. I dont think we consider a DB in the first round, with so many potenial good players there at a position of need. Lavonte is not a first round pick, so he shouldnt be on that list. Coples should be first, and Reiff has to be on that list. I swear I have viewed almost every mock draft put out and have never seen Lavonte drafted in the first round. I think GBND,PFW, and NFP are good at there player evaluation and they have him listed as 48,39,36 respectively. A good player thou.

[lemonej]

I agree with you list except for Poe( a combine guy with NO production)refer to Gilbert. and Gilmore as we wont be drafting a CB in the first round with so many potential good players being there at a spot of need. I think at the end of the list will be Merculis. as our first round choice. I think Rieff at the first one is spot on. If coples and Reiff are there, a big debate in the war room. I think Jones is a late first round to mid second round pick, which we shouldnt consider in the first round.

 

1a Reiff

1b Coples

3 Floyd

4 Cox

5 DeCastro

6 Kuechly

7 Martin

8 Ingram

9 Glenn

10 Merculis

 

There are a couple of DB that are worth taking at that spot but simply think, they think, they could get a cover 2 starter in the 3rd or 4th round and wont draft one at 19. I think one falls from the front of that list other wise It will be from one of the the last 3 picks. I think, they think highly of Merculis, even thou there are better rated players on the board. If Reiff, Martin, DeCastro, and also Glenn are there they greatly consider drafting them do to our need to up date the talent at OL no matter what position.

The difference between Poe and Gilbert is that too many scouts have tabbed this guy as a first rounder.Gilbert rose up as a result of a You Tube video.As far as production on the field,33 tackles 18 solo 8 TFLs,1 sack,5 hurries, 3 pass breakups and 1 forced fumble is Poe's stats at Memphis last year and at 346 he has a nose tackle body and since he is the highest rated guy at that position his value is elevated don't be shocked if the Eagles take this guy or Carolina.

[Stinger226]

The difference between Poe and Gilbert is that too many scouts have tabbed this guy as a first rounder.Gilbert rose up as a result of a You Tube video.As far as production on the field,33 tackles 18 solo 8 TFLs,1 sack,5 hurries, 3 pass breakups and 1 forced fumble is Poe's stats at Memphis last year and at 346 he has a nose tackle body and since he is the highest rated guy at that position his value is elevated don't be shocked if the Eagles take this guy or Carolina.

I hear a lot of teams like him, but dont like his lack of production for such a stud.