Since the NFL Draft is now complete and the Chicago Bears are my favorite team, I'm going to post my thoughts on their draft picks. As most everyone knows, the Bears traded out of the first round to land Jay Cutler from Denver. Then they traded down into the 3rd Round with Seattle on Saturday. Those of us Bears fans know that this is more like Jerry Angelo's style to trade down in the draft rather than making a splash like he did with Cutler. That said, I thought he made the right call to do that considering that he landed guys that can do key things that the team needs to be better at in 2009.
3rd Round, 68th Overall: defensive lineman Jarron Gilbert, San Jose State
As I've said to a few people online, the Bears had five games without a sack a year ago and lost all those games. Gilbert is an excellent value where he was taken, and is versatile, too. He's explosive, and can get up field after the quarterback which is what Bears defensive system is for lineman.
3rd Round, 99th Overall: wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias, Oklahoma
The Bears have had a recent history in taking Oklahoma players(Tommie Harris, Dusty Dvarocek, Mark Bradley), and that is of course my favorite college team. Anyway, Iglesias is a tough receiver that can contribute to the Bears immediately. He's not incredibly fast, but does most everything else well on the field. He doesn't solve the wide receiver problem, but still is a good pick by the Bears.
4th Round, 105th Overall: defensive end Henry Melton, Texas
As I've said, the Bears needed to bolster the pass rush and they did that with their first two out of three picks. I think he and Gilbert can be situational pass rushers in their rookie year. Besides, the Bears had many problems in third down situations a year ago, and so this pick makes more sense knowing that.
4th Round, 119th Overall: cornerback D.J. Moore, Vanderbilt
Like most people, I didn't think Moore would be here this late and thought maybe the Bears would take him higher, too. Size and speed hurt his stock, but that doesn't take away the value of this pick at all. Anyone that follows the Bears knows that health has been a problem in the secondary, so adding depth as well as someone that can develop into a starter is a good pick. Besides, the Bears run a Cover 2 scheme which doesn't require a speedy corner all the time anyway.
5th Round, 140th Overall: wide receiver Johnny Knox, Abilene-Christian
Jerry Angelo typically likes speedy players late in the Draft, and Knox is no exception. The only knocks on him were his size and that he needs to get stronger. The competition at the college level hurt his grade, too. But he played well through injuries which will always earn you respect from teammates in the NFL. He's got speed and upside, so there's nothing wrong with taking a shot here.
5th Round, 154th Overall: linebacker Marcus Freeman, Ohio State
I thought Freeman would be gone by this point, and the Bears addressed another need for linebacker depth here. Freeman is an athletic player and can cover running backs and tight ends. He has the ability to play any linebacker position and also has played on special teams before, too.
6th Round, 190th Overall: safety Al Afalaya, Oregon State
Afalaya is a fast safety so the need for speed continues to be the theme for the Bears. From what I read, the Bears gave him a private workout so they apparently thought enough of him for the selection.
7th Round, 246th Overall: tight end Lance Louis, San Diego State
This guy is an athletic freak of nature, and played on the offensive line due to injury the last two years in college. I think with where he was taken, the Bears will likely try to develop him into a tackle at the next level. He is a great run blocker and does have the attitude for the position. The upside and athleticism is there.
7th Round, 251st Overall: wide receiver Derek Kinder, Pittsburgh
Kinder's best shot is to play on special teams. Being they drafted two other receivers to go along with what they have now, Kinder's chances don't look good on making the team.
Overall Grade: B-
I think not having a pick in the first two rounds hurts them from being higher. Also, many question why a natural tackle was selected. They signed Orlando Pace, Kevin Shaffer, and Frank Omiyale which allowed them to address other needs. Although Pace is the only projected starter, they have depth at the position now. Plus, they can still develop Louis as a tackle, too.
The wide receiver position certainly isn't solved with this draft, but depth is not as much of concern now. I think they have talent and a good corps, but not a go-to guy that they've needed for a long time. However, the acquisition of Cutler should help them all.
My biggest concern was addressing the pass rush as well as depth in the secondary. Moore was an excellent value and Gilbert and Melton can be used in third-and-long situations which as I pointed out was a problem a year ago. Freeman is another athletic, versatile guy that adds depth to the linebacking corps.
Overall, I think the Bears drafted players with good upside and could see them fair well at the NFL level. I have them with this grade and I like the value they got with players on the second day after not picking the first day.
4/27/2009 11:56:00 AM
David Funk
2 comments:
Sure seems da Bears are going after defense and wide receivers. Fortunately, practice squads and part-time roles help 3rd & 4th rounders develop.
Good luck with your guys ... after all, consider yourself lucky not to be a Bengal fan.
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Frank, this has been the Bears way of drafting under Angelo. He's had a good track record drafting in the 2nd Round or later for the Bears(Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman, Devin Hester, etc). I agree that the practice squads do a lot for those mid to late rounders, and the Bears in particular have been very good about signing their draft picks on time. In fact, they've had the highest percentage of their picks before camp better than anyone else in the last 6 years. That is another key in developing players, too.
BTW, I thought the Bengals did a good job on the draft. We'll know how good in three years though.
As always, thanks for the comment!:)
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