What about this

[fudgeripple2000]

Till now I have been on board with drafting defense in the first. But with the additions thus far on the line and on defense I have been thinking:

 

1st Tavon Austin WR

2nd Best corner available

 

My logic is that a Marshall and Jeffery split out and Austin in the slot with Bennett at tight end would give us a group of receivers that would be hard to stop. There are people on this board that will say that weapons are useless with Cutler on his back. I have to have faith that Kromer with the additions the line will improve. The quick catches I saw Austin make are very similar to the ones dropped by Hester last year. Austin gives us threats at every position in the receiving corp.

 

Most of the mock drafts I have seen have only St. Louis as the team in front of us that is likely to take him to replace Amendola. There is also other mock drafts that have them taking Patterson out of Tennessee, giving them a more legit number one reciever.

[Stinger226]

Till now I have been on board with drafting defense in the first. But with the additions thus far on the line and on defense I have been thinking:

 

1st Tavon Austin WR

2nd Best corner available

 

My logic is that a Marshall and Jeffery split out and Austin in the slot with Bennett at tight end would give us a group of receivers that would be hard to stop. There are people on this board that will say that weapons are useless with Cutler on his back. I have to have faith that Kromer with the additions the line will improve. The quick catches I saw Austin make are very similar to the ones dropped by Hester last year. Austin gives us threats at every position in the receiving corp.

 

Most of the mock drafts I have seen have only St. Louis as the team in front of us that is likely to take him to replace Amendola. There is also other mock drafts that have them taking Patterson out of Tennessee, giving them a more legit number one reciever.

He will never be there, they are talking about people drafting him in the top 10 now. I would love him, but noway he is there.

[dawhizz]

I have a really hard time spending a #1 pick on a WR who is 5'9" 174. That's one of the lightest WRs in the draft. I know he blazed the 40 and was very productive, but if you're going to work in the slot in the NFL, you're going to get pounded and you need to be able to hold up. So either he puts on a little bit of mass, which probably means he loses speed, or he stays at his current weight and you take you chances. I would much rather wait a round or two and get whoever's left of Robert Woods, Stedman Bailey, Ryan Swope, or Markus Wheaton (in that order), all of whom are nearly as dangerous in the slot and have at least 15 pounds on Austin.

[Stinger226]

I have a really hard time spending a #1 pick on a WR who is 5'9" 174. That's one of the lightest WRs in the draft. I know he blazed the 40 and was very productive, but if you're going to work in the slot in the NFL, you're going to get pounded and you need to be able to hold up. So either he puts on a little bit of mass, which probably means he loses speed, or he stays at his current weight and you take you chances. I would much rather wait a round or two and get whoever's left of Robert Woods, Stedman Bailey, Ryan Swope, or Markus Wheaton (in that order), all of whom are nearly as dangerous in the slot and have at least 15 pounds on Austin.

There is definite risk there, but he is going to be so good. He has not missed anytime in college over injuries and injuries can happen to anybody. You just have to roll the dice and see what you get.

[Bears4Ever_34]

I would be thrilled with Austin in the first, but It's hard for me to see him slipping all the way to 20, given he's the best WR in this class.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

From the "sound" of things, I think an offense with a two TE (pass catching variety) is on the horizon. And if the Bears don't go that route, despite the 'rumors' I'm fairly the other Bennet, Earl, should still be considered in the SR position. He's more than reliable over the middle. Not so much outside...but capable.

[Wesson44]

I have a really hard time spending a #1 pick on a WR who is 5'9" 174. That's one of the lightest WRs in the draft. I know he blazed the 40 and was very productive, but if you're going to work in the slot in the NFL, you're going to get pounded and you need to be able to hold up. So either he puts on a little bit of mass, which probably means he loses speed, or he stays at his current weight and you take you chances. I would much rather wait a round or two and get whoever's left of Robert Woods, Stedman Bailey, Ryan Swope, or Markus Wheaton (in that order), all of whom are nearly as dangerous in the slot and have at least 15 pounds on Austin.

I understand what you are saying but speed kills. From my playing day the fast guys got hurt less because youi cant catch them. Looking at Austin and his moves out of the slot position he is going to be a nightmare

[jason]

I have a really hard time spending a #1 pick on a WR who is 5'9" 174. That's one of the lightest WRs in the draft. I know he blazed the 40 and was very productive, but if you're going to work in the slot in the NFL, you're going to get pounded and you need to be able to hold up. So either he puts on a little bit of mass, which probably means he loses speed, or he stays at his current weight and you take you chances. I would much rather wait a round or two and get whoever's left of Robert Woods, Stedman Bailey, Ryan Swope, or Markus Wheaton (in that order), all of whom are nearly as dangerous in the slot and have at least 15 pounds on Austin.

 

Completely agreed. It's just one of the reasons I hate the idea of Tavon Austin to the Bears in the first round.

[dawhizz]

I understand what you are saying but speed kills. From my playing day the fast guys got hurt less because youi cant catch them. Looking at Austin and his moves out of the slot position he is going to be a nightmare

 

I agree that this team needs a speed WR. But Austin isn't the only speed WR in the draft. Swope, Goodwin, Stills, and Boyce all ran sub 4.4 and Wheaton's not much farther behind. Plus, guys like Woods and Bailey are really elusive in the open field, which helps them to avoid hits just as much as someone with straightline speed. I watched some highlights of these guys, and I don't see where Austin is worth an entire round (or two) above the other guys I've mentioned.

[Mongo3451]

Completely agreed. It's just one of the reasons I hate the idea of Tavon Austin to the Bears in the first round.

Agreed as well. Austin is a luxury pick. We need the cake before the icing...

[Stinger226]

Agreed as well. Austin is a luxury pick. We need the cake before the icing...

You could take him in the first and still add a OLine in the second, and a OC later. We can fix the OL and add Austin, It isnt my first choice but I would have no problem at all.

[adam]

Austin reportedly scored a 7 on the Wonderlic. I know this is not the end all be all, but this is not a guy you want in a complex offense.

[jason]

Austin reportedly scored a 7 on the Wonderlic. I know this is not the end all be all, but this is not a guy you want in a complex offense.

 

If that's true, scratch his dumb ass off the list.

[AZ54]

I was somewhat on the Austin bandwagon a couple months ago but now I'd rather have Eifert than Austin at #20. He'll bring more versatility to the offense plus TE is the most injured position in football (ask the Patriots) so if the TE is a staple to your offense it is important to have two very good pass catchers in this role. Plus 175lb football players have a short shelf life during the season. Look at how Hester has fared in his role as a WR, he's always beat up and half the time he runs out of bounds. As we all know, the NFL is not like college where just being fast works. This league has quite a few CBs like Patrick Peterson who are just as fast as Austin but outweigh him by 45lbs. That adds up over 16 games. You can find little fast players later in the draft if that's what you want.

 

I think Bucky Brooks summed it nicely although he's talking about him as a top 10 pick I still think these points must be considered at #20. At #30 it's a bit different.

 

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/0ap10000001...rated-prospects

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, I definitely see the similarities in playing styles, but neither Harvin nor Jackson has made a significant impact as a No. 1 receiver in the NFL. (Harvin has never posted a 1,000-yard season, while Jackson has surpassed that mark just twice in five years.) And there haven't been many 5-foot-8, 174-pound receivers who have taken the league by storm. That's why I can't fully endorse Austin's rise as a potential top-10 pick, even with his ability to score from anywhere on the field. The NFL remains a big man's game, and it's hard for a diminutive pass catcher to function as a legitimate No. 1 receiver. I believe Austin can be an explosive complementary player, but you don't take role players early in the draft.

[Bears4Ever_34]

Lmao. We're scratching players off the list now because of Wonderlic scores? Good to know we're pretending to believe those things matter now,

[AZ54]

Lmao. We're scratching players off the list now because of Wonderlic scores? Good to know we're pretending to believe those things matter now,

 

 

For anyone who remembers teammates having to tell Hester where to line up on plays, yes, it is a factor. Perhaps moreso now than with our last couple offenses:

 

 

http://www.chicagobears.com/news/article-1...f3-1248af4292da

Great start: New coach Marc Trestman was impressed with how sharp the players on the Bears offense looked in the team's first minicamp practice Tuesday.

 

"Their ability to learn a complete language, line up in the right spot and keep practice moving fluidly, I think that was apparent," Trestman said. "There wasn't a lot of stop, get-back-in-the-huddle and re-dos, and that's a real credit to our coaches and our players for being able to assimilate so much information in a short period of time.

 

"[but] it's not over. [On Wednesday] we're giving them a whole other game plan and they've got to learn another 100 plays and another 20 runs and come out here and do the same time. We're really trying to stretch them as much as we can, particularly offensively. I think they've shown they can handle the information and we'll see what happens [Wednesday]. [Wednesday] is a new day."

 

[Stinger226]

I was somewhat on the Austin bandwagon a couple months ago but now I'd rather have Eifert than Austin at #20. He'll bring more versatility to the offense plus TE is the most injured position in football (ask the Patriots) so if the TE is a staple to your offense it is important to have two very good pass catchers in this role. Plus 175lb football players have a short shelf life during the season. Look at how Hester has fared in his role as a WR, he's always beat up and half the time he runs out of bounds. As we all know, the NFL is not like college where just being fast works. This league has quite a few CBs like Patrick Peterson who are just as fast as Austin but outweigh him by 45lbs. That adds up over 16 games. You can find little fast players later in the draft if that's what you want.

 

I think Bucky Brooks summed it nicely although he's talking about him as a top 10 pick I still think these points must be considered at #20. At #30 it's a bit different.

 

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/0ap10000001...rated-prospects

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, I definitely see the similarities in playing styles, but neither Harvin nor Jackson has made a significant impact as a No. 1 receiver in the NFL. (Harvin has never posted a 1,000-yard season, while Jackson has surpassed that mark just twice in five years.) And there haven't been many 5-foot-8, 174-pound receivers who have taken the league by storm. That's why I can't fully endorse Austin's rise as a potential top-10 pick, even with his ability to score from anywhere on the field. The NFL remains a big man's game, and it's hard for a diminutive pass catcher to function as a legitimate No. 1 receiver. I believe Austin can be an explosive complementary player, but you don't take role players early in the draft.

So does this mean we are giving up on Evan Rod.? If we draft another TE in the first, our 4th round could end up being a wasted pick. It is not I dont like Tyler, but I dont think Emery is giving up on him yet.

[adam]

Lmao. We're scratching players off the list now because of Wonderlic scores? Good to know we're pretending to believe those things matter now,

Players have overcome low scores, but 7 would be one of the lowest scores ever.

 

Subjects with average intelligence are expected to score in the area of 20 points, and those who can't muster double-digits are considered to be illiterate.

[Bears4Ever_34]

For anyone who remembers teammates having to tell Hester where to line up on plays, yes, it is a factor. Perhaps moreso now than with our last couple offenses:

 

 

http://www.chicagobears.com/news/article-1...f3-1248af4292da

Great start: New coach Marc Trestman was impressed with how sharp the players on the Bears offense looked in the team's first minicamp practice Tuesday.

 

"Their ability to learn a complete language, line up in the right spot and keep practice moving fluidly, I think that was apparent," Trestman said. "There wasn't a lot of stop, get-back-in-the-huddle and re-dos, and that's a real credit to our coaches and our players for being able to assimilate so much information in a short period of time.

 

"[but] it's not over. [On Wednesday] we're giving them a whole other game plan and they've got to learn another 100 plays and another 20 runs and come out here and do the same time. We're really trying to stretch them as much as we can, particularly offensively. I think they've shown they can handle the information and we'll see what happens [Wednesday]. [Wednesday] is a new day."

 

So Tavon Austin is now Devin Hester because of a bad score on a meaningless test? Gotcha.

 

Didn't really see him have much trouble lining up all over the field for West Virginia while he was there.

 

Players have overcome low scores, but 7 would be one of the lowest scores ever.

 

Yeah I guess that means Frank Gore would have been a bad draft pick then. After all, he only scored a 6. How is he able to play in such a complex offense with the 49'ers after scoring so low on the Wonderlic?!!

 

There has never been a study that shows how a Wonderlic score will translate to any sort of advantage on the football field or make any determinations about a player's success at the next level. There are a lot of people that think it's useless.

[scs787]

So does this mean we are giving up on Evan Rod.? If we draft another TE in the first, our 4th round could end up being a wasted pick. It is not I dont like Tyler, but I dont think Emery is giving up on him yet.

 

Once again, if Trestman utilizes the FB position like he did in San Fran (112 rec for 802 yards over 2 years) then I wouldn't call him a wasted pick at all. In hindsight would the pick have been a reach? yes. But they can still get solid production out of him as a FB which wouldn't result in a total waste of the pick.

 

In comparison with the numbers I posted about the SF FBs, Bears TEs the last 2 years had 513 yards on 50 receptions. Evan could very well still be a productive player as a FB. If he does indeed keep the same offensive philosophy then I would actually like to see Evan at FB.

[Bears4Ever_34]

AJ Green scored a 10 on his wonderlic test. Bad pick by the Bengals.

[adam]

Yeah I guess that means Frank Gore would have been a bad draft pick then. After all, he only scored a 6. How is he able to play in such a complex offense with the 49'ers after scoring so low on the Wonderlic?!!

 

There has never been a study that shows how a Wonderlic score will translate to any sort of advantage on the football field or make any determinations about a player's success at the next level. There are a lot of people that think it's useless.

Gore is dyslexic so his score validates his condition. AJ Green also had a learning disability. A bunch of players score low when they have a learning disability, but the ones that don't and score low has to draw some concern.

[bradjock]

I have a really hard time spending a #1 pick on a WR who is 5'9" 174. That's one of the lightest WRs in the draft. I know he blazed the 40 and was very productive, but if you're going to work in the slot in the NFL, you're going to get pounded and you need to be able to hold up. So either he puts on a little bit of mass, which probably means he loses speed, or he stays at his current weight and you take you chances. I would much rather wait a round or two and get whoever's left of Robert Woods, Stedman Bailey, Ryan Swope, or Markus Wheaton (in that order), all of whom are nearly as dangerous in the slot and have at least 15 pounds on Austin.

 

True. But what I keep going back to is that last year we made our first round pick ASAP to take an undersized DE who could only be used on passing situations. Shea looked good at times last year and he's gained 7 pounds. He still won't be able to stop the damn run. He's a weapon we can utilize but I don't see how he was worth the #19 pick.

 

I mention this because I could see us using the #20 pick on a 3rd down WR/return man like Austin. Early indications are the Rams would love to take Austin at #19.

[Stinger226]

True. But what I keep going back to is that last year we made our first round pick ASAP to take an undersized DE who could only be used on passing situations. Shea looked good at times last year and he's gained 7 pounds. He still won't be able to stop the damn run. He's a weapon we can utilize but I don't see how he was worth the #19 pick.

 

I mention this because I could see us using the #20 pick on a 3rd down WR/return man like Austin. Early indications are the Rams would love to take Austin at #19.

Size is a concern, but not always a complete measuring stick. There are several smallish players in the league. His game is best compared to Randall Cobb, and as a weapon, he would get plenty of use in our offense. I think it is a mute point, he will never fall to us at 20.

[AZ54]

AJ Green scored a 10 on his wonderlic test. Bad pick by the Bengals.

 

I said "it's a factor" I didn't say it was the only thing a team will consider. Vince Young had a 6 but you can keep cherry picking players for which it may not have been a sign of poor future performance. Blaine Gabbert had a 42, what's that doing for him?

 

This might just shock you but there is a reason teams likw to interview players they are interested in and this is one of them. Great math skills, or English skills, don't have a perfect correlation to great skill reading defenses, or diagnosing offensive plays at the snap. It may (notice that word "may" http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/may?s=t) indicate work ethic on and off the field, and the ability to assimilate information in a short amount of time (i.e. learn a new playbook) and that is a factor for every team at any pick. College grades do not necessarily indicate success in business world but companies still want to know what your grades were. The question is how much weight does it deserve?

 

 

Explain why you like to take one small word and then extrapolate the meaning of it all the way to extreme position, a position which is clearly not being argued? It's a straw man argument (http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-a-straw-man-argument.htm). And my comparison to Hester was not just based on his early lack of knowing where to line up and what route to run, it was also based on the smaller stature of both players.