Your initial draft grade

[Boston Boxer]

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.

 

that is also the key to building a team for the long haul. It's nice to make it to the Super bowl one year, but it's even better to be in the playoffs and a threat to make it to the super bowl every year. You always want to draft players that can help now, but it is great to get guys that can build depth as well.

[dawhizz]

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!!

 

I certainly understand that Williams is considered a backup at tackle. However, I'm fairly certain we are counting on him starting at guard if he's not at tackle. So if Webb gets hurt, you are moving Williams from G to T and moving a new G in. Or you're moving Carimi to LT and moving Louis into RT. The point of having a swing tackle is if a starting T gets hurt, you only have to swap the swing tackle in, instead of having to change at least two positions to account for the injury. That's why it's a valuable commodity - to minimize change on the line and maintain as much consistency as possible. If you have confidence in Horn at that position, fine, but you're putting confidence in an undrafted player who has been here two years and never played a down in the NFL. I'd rather take a guy in the draft and develop him in that role with an eye towards competing for the LT spot like Massie or even Nate Potter.

 

You say that we'll upgrade on scheme alone. Maybe that's true, but why chance it when you can also upgrade on talent? Why would you say "this new scheme will really help us out" and then just trust that that's all you needed to do before you saw it in action?

 

As for DT, there are three we can count on at DT - Melton (I assume they'll keep him at DT), Paea, and Toeaina. Izzy can play there, but is better at DE and that's where he's been most successful. I like to think he's found a home at DE and part of the problem with his production has been the Bears constantly jerking him around from DE to DT and back, having him bulk up and then slim down. Keep him at DE. The other DT listed is Jordan Miller, who I've never heard of in my life. Do you think he's going to be active on game days next year? If he makes it off the practice squad I'd be shocked. The Bears lost two veterans, Adams and Okoye, and have no one currently on the roster to replace their snaps, although I would acknowledge that they are counting on Paea to step up his involvement. So I'd argue that a 4th DT (which is what any DT drafted would automatically be) is much more valuable to this team than a 6th/7th CB (which is what you got in Frey and McCoy).

 

So while, as I said, I hope I'm wrong, sadly, I'm not. Cheers!

[jason]

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.

 

Great post! Almost exactly how I feel about the draft.

[adam]

For me the first 4 rounds are key. All of those picks were players that were rated in the top 5 at their positions.

 

It seems that McClellin will always be linked to: Chandler, Mercilus, and Perry for DE comparisons, and DeCastro and Reiff for pick comparisons (since they both were available at 19). He seems like he will be a hard worker and this is either going to work and Emery will be a genius, or fail miserably and everyone will say I told ya so. Highest level: Pro Bowl/All-NFC North DE, Lowest level: Situational Pass Rusher.

 

For Alshon, I thought it was a great pick, especially considering he was the 7th WR taken. That is pretty amazing. He dropped due to his senior year production, but SC just ran more since he was constantly doubled teamed. That allowed his stock to fall just enough for us to grab him. I laugh at the Mike Williams comparisons, Jeffery is a much better WR. Highest level: A great #2 WR/borderline #1, Lowest level: 4th WR.

 

As for Hardin, he was the 5th Safety taken, and has probably the best chance to be a steal since his skills and performance were clearly better than a 3rd round selection. People question his injured shoulder, but he did something like 24 reps at his pro day, and there is no way you are doing that many if you have an injured shoulder. Also, the year off actually makes him fresher than most guys coming off long seasons. This could be the steal of the draft if he lives up to his potential. Highest level: Pro Bowl, Lowest level: Special Teamer.

 

Lastly we have Rodriguez. He adds a new dimension to the Bears offense making it more dynamic. As Emery stated, he can force teams into keeping their base defense on the field which will cause some mismatches for the defense. I remember watching so many games where the average fan could tell what the Bears were going to do based on the players on the field (pass/run). I don't see him ever getting to the Aaron Hernandez level, but I see him as a compliment to the other players on the field. Highest level: Starting H-Back, 2nd TE, Lowest level: Practice Squad

 

So it is hard not to see these picks as filling a need, it just might not have been a need we were aware of (due to scheme changes). Only time will tell, but I think we are going to be pleasantly surprised at how well some of these picks work out. We have been so used to JA drafts that this was something we were not expecting, but either was the Marshall trade.