jackie hayes

Nor the 2nd fastest. Nor the 3rd. Nor the 200th. Nor...

My least favorite pick so far.

We traded down 5 spots to move up 17 spots later (from the 6th to the 5th round). Pretty good.

What time does the 3rd round start? Anyone?

Where do they rank Nicks? (Just curious.)

Forte in the second might have been a reach a while ago, but after he excelled in the workouts, it's really not that surprising. His stock went up quite a bit.

Nicks is a guy I noticed, too. He has big character issues, but it's a nice risk-reward pick. And even though he's been a tackle, I don't think he'd be out of place playing inside. An athletic 341 lb guard sounds pretty useful, then a few years down the road, if everything goes well, he can transition to rt when Tait leaves. In any case, I'd like to see a high-upside lineman taken in the middle rounds (no Beekmans). Nicks in the third, or maybe Tony Hills at some point. Lord knows we need the depth.

From KissingSuzyKolber: http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2008/0...l-contract.html

And I thought this thread would be a bunch of middle school girls swooning over Rashard Mendenhall. I gotta say, that would have been a lot funnier.

Briggs still upset? Water still wet?

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/mulligan/90...-bear18.article Noone believes him, but, still, it's Urlacher, so it's news. Key anonymous quote:

Basically, I just assume someone's making it up unless they give a cite/link. I'd read this article earlier today, but I don't read every Bears article every morning, so it'd be nice to know if something's credible. Whatever, forget it, I guess I just didn't understand how astonishingly difficult it is to write "From the Trib" while copying and pasting. Carry on.

I just like to know if something is coming from a Chicago area Bears beat writer, some speculating Tampa Tribune columnist, or your ass. It ain't that difficult.

Aww... I'm so sawwy...

The bolded part is from the ChiTrib. When you're quoting a published source, please cite it.

Mike Mayock has Mendenhall above McFadden, too. There's a group of people who think, for all of his speed, McFadden simply doesn't run with enough power, that he goes down pretty easy. And, to be honest, every time I saw him play, that's about what I saw. He'd explode between two linemen into the open field and outrace everyone the rest of the way, which is great stuff, but he wouldn't run over anyone in the secondary. So, jmho, but I think it's a legit concern.

Wow, I didn't know Benson averaged 10+ yards per carry last year.

Sure, a wr has a lot to learn, but my point is that it's mostly his own stuff. He will adjust his route based on zone/man, jamming, etc, but he won't run a different route because the other wr got jammed, or because the defense sent the mike on a delayed blitz. A lineman has just as many adjustments, depending on the defensive alignment/blitzes, but he also has to consider what everyone around him is doing. That's the really hard part -- not knowing your job, but knowing everyone else's, too. And while the center & qb will call out assignments, but they're not mind-readers, they don't know who's blitzing or stunting. Those adjustments have to be made without communication, instantly, by every person on the line. Plus, again, it really hasn't seemed to hurt Harrison and Wayne.

Look at the Colts in that link I posted -- Harrison and Wayne both had abysmal Wonderlic scores, so I'd say it's not important for a wr. Really, you're not interacting as much as a wr, you're just sort of out there on your own, running your route, blocking the cb. (An oversimplification, but more or less true.) A lineman needs to know not only how to run a play, he needs to know how to react to every possible defensive shift/blitz/etc, and, just as important, he needs to know how everyone around him will react. There's a lot more complexity.

No. The trade value chart overvalues the top picks. We have good value at 14, we should stay there or perhaps trade down (depending on what happens on draft day).

How Bears players did: http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=560664 The roster's not up-to-date, but it gives you some idea. Edit: Hester got an 18.

The latest nfldc mock has him going in the 2nd. To the Packers, whose fans find that a ridiculous pick, which I tend to agree with. Still, his stock is high enough that it's looking possible he'll go in the 2nd.

Matt Ryan's pro day -- not so good. http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patr...on_matt_ry.html

From rotoworld: If he falls into the 2nd...

I just keep wondering in these discussions, how is Wolfe going to fit in? Are we ready to give up on a 3rd round pick already? If we draft someone high, I would think he'd be Benson's replacement (at least next year). But if we're just looking for a change-of-pace back -- isn't that Wolfe's purpose? As for Jones, I dunno. Health is a big issue, probably too big.