Your initial draft grade

[adam]

Draft Picks:

1st - Shea McClellin, DE

2nd - Alshon Jeffery, WR

3rd - Brandon Hardin, S

4th - Evan Rodriguez, TE

6th - Isaiah Frey, CB

7th - Greg McCoy, CB

 

I am going with a B, actually B-. I think it was slightly above average with a few intriguing players. We could potentially see 4 impact players or as low as 1. I really don't count on the 6th or 7th rounders to do much other than provide depth or PS material.

[azbearsfan]

My thoughts are this.

 

I am encouraged that it appears Emery has a much better plan than JA ever did regarding the draft. I joked about the "Patriots way" in an earlier thread, but Emery has his own methods, evaluations, and thoughts about what will work for our schemes. I know people will start bitching about how the Patriots have won this and that and blah, blah, blah. But even they started somewhere. One of the biggest issues for why JA was let go was a clear lack of athletes/talent. I feel like that was addressed today.

 

The other thing I like about Emery is, just like Honey Badger, he does not give a f***. Not about the writers, internet, Mel Kiper, etc. Thats a good thing. Some will bitch and say"he wont be here very long drafting like that". Maybe not, but I like that he is willing to put it on the line.

 

This was not the draft I would have done, but I am not employed in the NFL, so it doesn't matter much (I still can't believe we didnt take a DT, lol).

 

 

Anyways, I am excited to see what these guys can do, I am intrigued on how the DT and Oline positions will be addressed.

 

 

BTW I gave it a C

[scs787]

wheres the incomplete/its pointless option?

[bear trap]

My thoughts are this.

 

I am encouraged that it appears Emery has a much better plan than JA ever did regarding the draft. I joked about the "Patriots way" in an earlier thread, but Emery has his own methods, evaluations, and thoughts about what will work for our schemes. I know people will start bitching about how the Patriots have won this and that and blah, blah, blah. But even they started somewhere. One of the biggest issues for why JA was let go was a clear lack of athletes/talent. I feel like that was addressed today.

 

The other thing I like about Emery is, just like Honey Badger, he does not give a f***. Not about the writers, internet, Mel Kiper, etc. Thats a good thing. Some will bitch and say"he wont be here very long drafting like that". Maybe not, but I like that he is willing to put it on the line.

 

This was not the draft I would have done, but I am not employed in the NFL, so it doesn't matter much (I still can't believe we didnt take a DT, lol).

 

 

Anyways, I am excited to see what these guys can do, I am intrigued on how the DT and Oline positions will be addressed.

 

 

BTW I gave it a C

the only thing about the patriots way is the fact that they have a pretty good offensive line... so they can afford to draft like that

[Pixote]

The way I see it the off-season preparation for the year is in three phases:

 

Phase I

 

You start with Free Agency and try and fill at least 1 major need, realizing money may restrict you from making more than one HUGE acquisition. In this case although I think they wanted Mario Williams big time, they realized they could not afford 100 Million to get him. So they moved onto their second on the wish list and got a great deal in Brandon Marshall.

 

Once you get the "Big Fish" you wanted to land, you start adding key backups and role players. The 2 key ones we picked up was Campbell & Bush. If we had had these 2 on our roster last year, we would have been in the playoffs. Then you add depth at positions of need and to replace free agents that you lost to other teams. Of course, you have to be somewhat on the fence as you do not know what you may be able to get in the draft.

 

Phase II

 

The Draft. To me it seems like Emery is one who will choose who he feels, not Smith, not a Bears Forum, but who he feels is the Best available player. This is what most of us wanted. Now if he feels that player also fills a need and he might not be there when the Bears are on the Clock, he trades up, like he did with Jeffery. If he feels he has a winner that he can get by saying put (McClellin), then he does so.

 

Now he refuses to bend to needs just to fill it unless the player grades out to his system of grading. ie, OL was a concern of ours and probably his but we needed a LOT, that is our biggest need on the OL, and there was just a lousy crop of LOTs in this draft. Reiff, Massey, etc... were all considered ROT or G prospects, not LOTs. So he passed.

 

Instead of "reaching" for a need, he stayed with BPA and rolled the dice in a few cases, which every GM needs to do in later rounds.

 

Then, of course, undrafted free agents.

 

Phase III

 

Which leads to Phase III, you come out of the draft, see what you have done in Phase I & II and talk things over with the coaches and see what needs to be done to finish off the preseason before Training Camp opens up.

 

As an example, you know they wanted DTs, no secret there. We are the thinnest there that we have been in some time. So look for us to find a few FAs to bring in.

 

I like what he did in Phase I

 

I am a little nervous about Phase II simply because of the last decade of drafts under Angelo but need to wait to make judgement. Potentially, it could be a great draft. There is no way to tell at this point.

 

Now let's see what he does in Phase III. I want to see some more needs filled in Phase III and still keeping my fingers crossed that we can have a happy Forte signed to a long term contract at a reasonable price for the Bears and a good deal for Matt.

 

The only way a GM is going to make a fan base happy is if he takes a poll of the fans and gets their picks for the draft. Al Davis is the only Owner/GM that I know of who use to actually go on the internet and read fan pages to get their take. I think that is why some of his drafts were so bizarre. However, he was one crazy guy in the draft room. I kind of miss him, which I never thought I would say when he was alive.

 

We need to give Emery a chance, he has not even had a chance to finish preparations for year 1 of his regime, I am willing to give him some time to prove his skills as a GM, I think he has had a good start.

 

 

 

[azbearsfan]

the only thing about the patriots way is the fact that they have a pretty good offensive line... so they can afford to draft like that

 

 

Actually, the point is, the Patriots draft according to their own personal ratings, evals, etc.

 

Their drafts typically as weird as this one, hell, this year they drafted a dude that didn't even start for their college team. Can you imagine the meltdown on this board if our GM did that?

 

I just wonder if their fans freaked out as much, before Billy B started winning. Now its just Bill being Bill.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

I can't go any less then a B. I think it has a shot at being A. We got some guys with upside and who filled need positions. TO be honest, I could see this turning into a great draft. It also has some pretty high bust potential though. The fact that we took two cb's great is nice too cause we have a need there and Emery has had a history of finding some good corners later in the draft.

['TD']

Actually, the point is, the Patriots draft according to their own personal ratings, evals, etc.

 

Their drafts typically as weird as this one, hell, this year they drafted a dude that didn't even start for their college team. Can you imagine the meltdown on this board if our GM did that?

 

I just wonder if their fans freaked out as much, before Billy B started winning. Now its just Bill being Bill.

Mark Bradley?

[rockren]

F

 

Rose is done for...the glass is half empty and I hate sports.

[madlithuanian]

Simply not knowing enough about this years' crop of talent, I give it a C. Lots of room for it to be a huge A or a fail depending on how it shakes out. SImply not knowing how Emery works yet and what kind of results he usually gets makes it hard to determine. We'll know much more next year.

 

Draft Picks:

1st - Shea McClellin, DE

2nd - Alshon Jeffery, WR

3rd - Brandon Hardin, S

4th - Evan Rodriguez, TE

6th - Isaiah Frey, CB

7th - Greg McCoy, CB

 

I am going with a B, actually B-. I think it was slightly above average with a few intriguing players. We could potentially see 4 impact players or as low as 1. I really don't count on the 6th or 7th rounders to do much other than provide depth or PS material.

 

[adam]

The other thing I like about Emery is, just like Honey Badger, he does not give a f***. Not about the writers, internet, Mel Kiper, etc. Thats a good thing. Some will bitch and say"he wont be here very long drafting like that". Maybe not, but I like that he is willing to put it on the line.

Emery's new nickname, Honey Badger?

 

[azbearsfan]

Emery's new nickname, Honey Badger?

 

 

 

haha, Thats Great!!!!!

[dawhizz]

C and close to D. Listen, obviously every team has their own method and draft board and if we wanted to excuse everything that way, everyone would get an A. What you look at is needs addressed, the qualities of the players drafted, and the value of the picks, and when I look at it that way, this draft looks as bad or worse than any JA draft. Even JA drafts had at least one second day pick where you said "that was one of the best guys on the board and fills a need." Looking at the picks

 

- McClellin - I'm OK with it, but seemed a little high.

- Jeffery - I admittedly really like this pick.

- Hardin - At least a round too early and at a position where we already have two young starters we seem to like. Plus couldn't stay healthy in college. You don't draft a guy in the third round and justify by saying "he will compete for 3rd or 4th safety and play special teams, especially on a team with already great special teams. This team doesn't gain any wins by going from "really good special teams" to "really really good special teams." We did need depth at safety, but not this early.

- Rodriguez - Maybe he's the next Aaron Hernandez, but, again, he's a reach in the 4th round, short for a TE, and will apparently push Clutts at FB, even though Clutts did a great job last year. I thought this team was high on Kyle Adams to fill this exact same role before he got hurt last year, and Adams at least has legit size. Character issues here as well.

- Frey - Another player many had going undrafted, so I question value. Plus this team currently rolls 5 deep at CB (Tillman, Wilhite, Hayden, Moore, Jennings), so he seems at best practice squad material.

- McCoy - Same as above, only moreso. I guess he's a great returner, but we have Hester and Weems already. How does he ever see the field, let alone make the team?

 

Meanwhile we have only 3 DTs who figure to get playing time and no swing OT, two positions you had multiple chances to address. Emery apparently said after the draft that they took players they could see helping this team win games next year. After the first two picks, how is that even remotely possible?

 

I certainly hope I'm wrong. I hope these guys are great. I will root hard for them. But if you're asking for a grade right now, I'm not impressed.

[Bears4Ever_34]

I actually didn't mind this draft. I didn't like the 1st round pick but I'm over it and I'm rooting for McClellin to succeed. I actually feel bad for being as upset as I was when I heard his name. It's not fair to the kid. I just didn't like that particular pick at that particular time. I felt he was better served as an OLB in a 3-4 scheme and there were other DE's available that would have been better selections. But it is what it is.

 

With that said, I loved the Alshon Jeffery selection for obvious reasons. He can catch, he can run after the catch, big body in the redzone etc.. He's going to be a weapon in this offense whenever teams decide to put bracket coverage on Brandon Marshall. He'll have every opportunity to succeed because he's going to get single coverage and he's coming in to be the #2, not the #1. Less pressure to be great early on. Give him 2 seasons and he'll be a pro bowl candidate.

 

The 3rd round pick I didn't like, only for this reason. The guy has been injured 3 out of his 4 seasons he spent playing for Oregon St. We've been burned by this sorta stuff year after year, with injury prone college players, thinking that they somehow will not be injury prone at an even higher level. Other than that though, if this kid can stay healthy, he's a very talented prospect. Has ideal size for a safety and has the quickness and athleticism I think to be a decent player. Sound tackler from what I've seen.

 

My favorite pick other than Alshon Jeffery might be this Evan Rodriguez. I know nothing about the guy, never saw him play but from the looks of it, we may have gotten a potential steal in the draft. Reminds me of an Aaron Hernandez type or maybe even a Marcel Reece, who can flex out in certain situations and be a dual threat as a FB and TE. Love this pick if he can stay out of trouble. I think this kid may end up being a starter and could become a weapon in the passing game in just his first season.

 

And then I can't even comment on the other two picks because I wasn't watching the draft at the time and haven't even looked into who they are. Too busy being on suicide watch from witnessing Derrick Rose tear his ACL in a playoff game..

[scs787]

C and close to D. Listen, obviously every team has their own method and draft board and if we wanted to excuse everything that way, everyone would get an A. What you look at is needs addressed, the qualities of the players drafted, and the value of the picks, and when I look at it that way, this draft looks as bad or worse than any JA draft. Even JA drafts had at least one second day pick where you said "that was one of the best guys on the board and fills a need." Looking at the picks

 

- McClellin - I'm OK with it, but seemed a little high.

- Jeffery - I admittedly really like this pick.

- Hardin - At least a round too early and at a position where we already have two young starters we seem to like. Plus couldn't stay healthy in college. You don't draft a guy in the third round and justify by saying "he will compete for 3rd or 4th safety and play special teams, especially on a team with already great special teams. This team doesn't gain any wins by going from "really good special teams" to "really really good special teams." We did need depth at safety, but not this early.

- Rodriguez - Maybe he's the next Aaron Hernandez, but, again, he's a reach in the 4th round, short for a TE, and will apparently push Clutts at FB, even though Clutts did a great job last year. I thought this team was high on Kyle Adams to fill this exact same role before he got hurt last year, and Adams at least has legit size. Character issues here as well.

- Frey - Another player many had going undrafted, so I question value. Plus this team currently rolls 5 deep at CB (Tillman, Wilhite, Hayden, Moore, Jennings), so he seems at best practice squad material.

- McCoy - Same as above, only moreso. I guess he's a great returner, but we have Hester and Weems already. How does he ever see the field, let alone make the team?

 

Meanwhile we have only 3 DTs who figure to get playing time and no swing OT, two positions you had multiple chances to address. Emery apparently said after the draft that they took players they could see helping this team win games next year. After the first two picks, how is that even remotely possible?

 

I certainly hope I'm wrong. I hope these guys are great. I will root hard for them. But if you're asking for a grade right now, I'm not impressed.

 

 

Just picked up a UFA DT and might even add another

[selection7]

Weren't Hardin's injuries of the broken bone nature? Unless he's suffering from osteoperosis, those are the best kind. Bones heal stronger than they were to begin with. It's ligament injuries that potentially leave a guy injury prone in the future and with a loss of speed/quickness. I'm not worried about his injury history at all.

 

And from that light, and the possibility he might be good enough in coverage to play CB, I'm fine with waiting it out to see what Emery saw in him.

[Stinger226]

Weren't Hardin's injuries of the broken bone nature? Unless he's suffering from osteoperosis, those are the best kind. Bones heal stronger than they were to begin with. It's ligament injuries that potentially leave a guy injury prone in the future and with a loss of speed/quickness. I'm not worried about his injury history at all.

 

And from that light, and the possibility he might be good enough in coverage to play CB, I'm fine with waiting it out to see what Emery saw in him.

From the outside the draft looks like a C-, but what I like is it looks like he has a plan, and that was to get some weapons for Cutler and has done that with the offseason and draft. I didnt like that we didnt address the OLine, but the picks were suprizing and interesting. As we know we cant grade this draft for a couple of years, but am interested in how better our team can be going forward. Emery is suppose to be a draft guru so I will have to say, I think he show balls for the moves he has made.

[GrizzlyBear]

Weren't Hardin's injuries of the broken bone nature? Unless he's suffering from osteoperosis, those are the best kind. Bones heal stronger than they were to begin with. It's ligament injuries that potentially leave a guy injury prone in the future and with a loss of speed/quickness. I'm not worried about his injury history at all.

 

And from that light, and the possibility he might be good enough in coverage to play CB, I'm fine with waiting it out to see what Emery saw in him.

Yep they were all bone and , but the plus was he palyed through a broken wrist and hand. Missed only last year. Tough guy

[AZ54]

C...first off I had three WTF moments in this draft and that is equal to or higher than most JA drafts. We'll get contributions from Rds 1 and 2 but after that I don't see anyone else helping us this year. A 3rd Rd Safety who was a CB and didn't play last year is going to need time to learn his job as in a season or two. When I saw we drafted a FB (now listed as TE) I just put my head down and went back to sleep. Two CBs late ...I don't usually care about anyone after the 5th Rd they are happy to make the practice squad unless it was a former star player who is recovering from an injury. I really felt we had to get 3 players to help out this year at our need positions...CB, OT, DE, DT, and to a lesser extent after adding Marshall WR, and/or add some LB depth.

[GrizzlyBear]

Meanwhile we have only 3 DTs who figure to get playing time and no swing OT, two positions you had multiple chances to address. Emery apparently said after the draft that they took players they could see helping this team win games next year. After the first two picks, how is that even remotely possible?

 

I certainly hope I'm wrong. I hope these guys are great. I will root hard for them. But if you're asking for a grade right now, I'm not impressed.

 

Williams C will be backup tackle if things stay the same, His POS was changed already on the bears site. If he starts at tackle then webb becomes swing along with Horn. We signed Chilo at guard in FA.

It will much better then last year just on play calling alone.

DT is another story of yours. we have 3 DT's yes, However there are 2 others listed as DL, Melton and Izzy, Both can play tackle or End.

 

So as far as I am concerned you are wrong, and we will be fine with our current rosters as it is. Cheers!!

[AZ54]

Yep they stuck a "T" on his position. Sorry, I had to check this one out. They just updated the roster too with all the draft picks. Apparently if you are a Rd 1-3 picks you get a number and Alshon will be wearing #17. SMC #99 and Hardin #35

 

http://www.chicagobears.com/team/roster.as...y&sort_by=3

Williams, Chris 74 G/T 6-6 320 Vanderbilt 5 26

[Mongo3451]

I gave this draft a C. It was strange to see we drafted players that no one thought we should draft, outside of Jeffery. Also stranger that we drafted no OL, DT or LB. It means they really do trust the OL to be better, they plan on utilizing offensive weapons in new ways and our great linebackers are ageless. I think they drafted the safety with Megatron in mind.

 

All told, I like what I see on offense. Indifferent about the D.

[bradjock]

I give it a B+. Here's my reasons:

 

1. Shea McClellin--We decided in order to get to the QB we needed an undersized speedy DE. This is different from the typical cover 2 thinking. Getting to the QB was priority #1 and we addressed it.

2. Alshon Jeffery--If we hadn't pick up Marshall, we'd be saying, "Jeffery is our new #1 WR." Great pick.

3. Brandon Hardin--The league is becoming TE driven and we picked up a guy with the size to match up with TE's.

4. Evan Rodriguez--All last season we asked why the Bears didn't have a TE who can make high-light reel plays.

5. Isaiah Frey--see below

6. Greg McCoy--we have a lot of mediocre & aging CB's on the roster. Hopefully one of these guys can stick. At worst, they can probably play special teams.

 

 

 

[Boston Boxer]

Actually, the point is, the Patriots draft according to their own personal ratings, evals, etc.

 

Their drafts typically as weird as this one, hell, this year they drafted a dude that didn't even start for their college team. Can you imagine the meltdown on this board if our GM did that?

 

I just wonder if their fans freaked out as much, before Billy B started winning. Now its just Bill being Bill.

 

being from Boston and a Patriots fan...i can say that we have some moments that make us go "WTF?". But in the end we trust what BB does because it works. The Patriots tend to draft guys who are team captains on their college team. Guys who are team players and leaders. They take chances on guys who fall in the draft and if they dont pan out, they can just let them go and not care because they got him in the 6th or 7th rounds. Look at Dennard, CB from Nebraska. 14 days ago he was projected 1st-2nd round guy...3 days ago he was in jail for punching a cop. The Pats took him in the 7th round. That is a risk they can afford to take. Low risk high reward.

 

The Pats drafted Tom Brady in the 6th round. He was a hard worker and a leader at Mich. Dumb luck of Bledsoe getting hurt and Brady was forced to play. The rest is history and he is one of the greatest QB of all time. Why, because he is a hard worker. He is always first to show up to workouts. He is always at non mandatory workouts. He leads by example. Those are the players the Bears need to draft. Guys who are smart, hard working football guys.

 

BB does not care what anyone thinks about him or his approach to the draft, FA, news conf etc. And why should he...the Pats are consistenly winning 10-12 games a year.

 

With that said, the Bears are going in the right direction. They have a top QB, top RB, and in my opinion they have a solid WR corp. They have a top 5 defense. What they need to do is build the oline into a solid unit. If you give any QB enough time, he will pick apart any D. Cutler is a top QB and when given time to throw, he is spectacular. solid oline play and dline play would give the Bears many solid years of 10 or mor wins without a doubt.

 

What Emery needs to do is stick to his plan. HIS plan, not anyone else. The Bears are on the right track!

[AZ54]

being from Boston and a Patriots fan...i can say that we have some moments that make us go "WTF?". But in the end we trust what BB does because it works. The Patriots tend to draft guys who are team captains on their college team. Guys who are team players and leaders. They take chances on guys who fall in the draft and if they dont pan out, they can just let them go and not care because they got him in the 6th or 7th rounds. Look at Dennard, CB from Nebraska. 14 days ago he was projected 1st-2nd round guy...3 days ago he was in jail for punching a cop. The Pats took him in the 7th round. That is a risk they can afford to take. Low risk high reward.

 

The Pats drafted Tom Brady in the 6th round. He was a hard worker and a leader at Mich. Dumb luck of Bledsoe getting hurt and Brady was forced to play. The rest is history and he is one of the greatest QB of all time. Why, because he is a hard worker. He is always first to show up to workouts. He is always at non mandatory workouts. He leads by example. Those are the players the Bears need to draft. Guys who are smart, hard working football guys.

 

BB does not care what anyone thinks about him or his approach to the draft, FA, news conf etc. And why should he...the Pats are consistenly winning 10-12 games a year.

 

With that said, the Bears are going in the right direction. They have a top QB, top RB, and in my opinion they have a solid WR corp. They have a top 5 defense. What they need to do is build the oline into a solid unit. If you give any QB enough time, he will pick apart any D. Cutler is a top QB and when given time to throw, he is spectacular. solid oline play and dline play would give the Bears many solid years of 10 or mor wins without a doubt.

 

What Emery needs to do is stick to his plan. HIS plan, not anyone else. The Bears are on the right track!

 

 

One thing I will say about Emery and his draft...in the later rounds he is definitely drafting guys for longer horizon than Lovie would like. I'm sure Lovie felt that getting some DT help would make his chances of getting a new contract better but Emery grabbed a FS in 3rd Rd that needs time to develop and learn how to play the position and won't contribute much this season. Toss in an HBack/TE in Rd 4, who although he's different than the guys on our roster, doesn't figure to contribute that much this year.