ASHKUM BEAR

For all those that think we'll either take Mendenhall, or let him slip to the Lions, you might reconsider. I'll agree with Madlith that he is Top10 material, I watched him quite a bit and he will be the real deal. If he does make it to our pick at 14, JA will be on the hot seat to make the right decision, but IMO he'll luck out b/c Mendenhall will be long gone and there Bears will get the best player for there team. Here's my prediction. 1 Miami- Needs DE, DT, QB, WR, and OL. Chris Long DE-Long will be an ideal fit for Parcells to build his 3-4 D. With the face of there franchise J. Taylor being slowly pushed out the door, they will bring in a new face in Howies boy Chris. 2 St. Louis- Needs DE, DT, OL, DB Vernon Gohlston DE- Everyone has Jake Long slotted here b/c they need to replace the aging O. Pace and protect Jackson/Bulger. Pace will still contribute and they have Barron who can slide over if necessary, also Long is probably going to be a RT in the NFL, so is that really the right player to spend 25mil or so on? 3. Atlanta-Needs QB, OL, DT, CB Jake Long OT- Matt Ryan is a possiblity, and I know Atl has a ton of picks in the first three RD's, so I see them taking the same route as Cleveland and drafting there franchise OT and then there QB by either trading up or waiting to RD2. 4. Oakland- Needs RB, WR, DT, OL Darren McFadden RB - They do have other needs that are bigger than RB, but the just signed there DT to a record amount of money, so I don't see them locking up more $$ at the same position with the first pick. McFadden and Russell will rejuvenate the offense with excitement as long as Russell can stop eating for a while. 5. Kansas City - Needs OT, DT, QB, DB Sedrick Ellis DT- There just isn't a OT slotted high enough that fits the Chiefs bill. Clady/Otah/Albert/Williams are all going to be worthy, but DT is also a need and Otah/Alberts will be slight reaches if taken at 5. 6. New York Jets- Needs DE, CB, RB, QB, WR, OL Rashard Mendenhall RB -Thats right! They upgraded there oline with Faneca, they could use a QB, but are not in love with Ryan, and theres really not a DE they want at #6 either. Mendenhall will be a beast running behind De'Brickenshaw and Faneca and Bears fans will be crying. 7. New England- Needs LB, CB, S, OL Dominique Rogers-Cromartie CB- It's between McKelvin or DRC, because CB is there biggest need now that Samuel is gone. 8. Baltimore- Needs QB, OL, CB Matt Ryan QB- Ryan stays close to home and the Ravens hope they have there franchise QB. 9. Cincinatti- Needs DT, LB, OL, RB, WR, CB Glen Dorsey DT- The Bengals need to bring leadership and good quality to there franchise. Dorsey was a leader at LSU and will fill there hole at DT which they tried to fill prior to the draft in FA. 10. New Orleans- Needs LB, CB, DT, Keith Rivers LB- The Saints have one of the highest scoring offense's in the NFL, there D is the complete opposite and allow the most points. LB has been on the top of the Saints wish list for years, and now they make the right choice. 11. Buffalo- Needs WR, CB, DE, LB Leodis McKelvin CB-The Bills want to continue building the cover-2. They really consider bringing in DE Harvey, but have CB McKelvin higher on there board. 12. Denver- Needs DT, OT, DB, WR, RB Ryan Clady OT- Clady is a perfect fit for Denvers ZBS. He won't have to adjust much, so his wonderlic won't affect his abilities too much. 13. Carolina- Needs DE, RB, LB, QB, DB, OL Derrick Harvey DE- Carolina just signed there two OT's and have signed G's Milford Brown and Keydrick Vincent, so oline is not a priority. They are hoping Mendenhall falls to them, but he was gone. Harvey will fill a big need at DE for the Panthers. 14. Chicago- Needs OT, RB, WR, QB, S Chris Williams OT- Don't be suprised if they go B Albert here if they believe he'll be the better OLT in the future. Williams is the best guy who will only truely fit at LT, this will allow Tait to slide to the right side giving the Bears two strengths in one move. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I won't go any further The Bears rest of the draft should go: 2-trade down some how (too high Forte, Henne) maybe w/ Miami @ (57=330 + 64=270)=600 for (44=460 + 90=140)=600 1-14 Chris Williams OLT 2-57 Chad Henne QB 3a-64 Matt Forte RB 3b-70 Mike McGlynn G/OT 4-110 Josh Barrett SS 5-142 Keenan Burton WR 6-175 Barry Booker DT 7-222 Dennis Dixon QB 7-243 Steve Johnson WR 7-247 Cole Bennett TE 7-248 Pierre Garcon WR

That's all it is. You don't know who will be available this year when we draft or even next year, but the number of quality players at certain positions next year is what I'm looking at. I would definately be looking for my QB of the future this year b/c I would cringe at the the thought of taking Tebow next year. Next year has some quality as of right now at G, WR, SS, and LB, which I can see us taking either WR/SS next year with our top pick, b/c there should be good odd's a player at that position will be available. Knowing that, JA may consider taking Flacco QB over someone like K. Phillips S if they were both available when we select in RD2(doubtful). This time of the year is like being a little kid going through the Toys R Us ad and making your wish list for Santa. Some of us want the Ferrari remote control car b/c it's red and fast and some of us want the Monster truck remote control car so we can run over that Ferrari

It is too early to do Mocks for 2009, but I put this out to show what the 2009 draft is gonna look like. As a GM, especially one that would rather build through the draft instead of FA, you have to take into account what future prospects will or won't be available. If I'm JA, I'm noticicing there's not going to be a deep talent pool next year for QB, RB, or OT. Those would be areas I would address early this year, which does have better talent. Next years crop looks to be deep w/ G, LB, and WR's. With that in mind, we may opt to take a WR/G a little later this year and bring in a RD1-RD3 player next year. Rumor is, next years talent pool will be a down year. Since 2008 is supposed to be decent down to RD's 3-4 I wouldn't mind trading away next years RD1 to jump back into the high 2nd RD if we can get a player we covet.

Next years draft is not a deep one for our current needs, except for maybe WR which may work out for us. The 2009 draft will be known for LB's. There are also a few SS listed top 25 and some CB's. Walters 2009 mock draft OL 1. Michael Oher OT Ole Mis top 5 2. Alex Mack C, Cal top 20 3. Duke Robinson G, Oklahoma top 25 4. Herman Johnson G, LSU top 25 5. Phil Loadholt OT, Oklahoma top 25 6. Andre Smith OT, Alabama top 25 RB 1. Chris Wells RB, Ohio St. top 10 2. Knowshon Moreno RB, Georgia top 15 3. C. J. Spiller RB, Clemson top 25 QB 1. Tim Tebow QB, Florida top 5 2. Matt Stafford QB, Georgia top 20 WR 1. Mike Crabtree WR, Texas Tech top 5 2. Darrius Heyward-Bey WR, Maryland top 15 3. Jeremy Maclin WR, Missouri top 20 4. Percy Harrin WR, Florida top 25

Terra, I believe the Bears will bring in a RB and if there is a way to get Mendenhall and also add two quality linemen with potential to start I'm all for it. This draft is rich in RB and OL this year. Which one will help the Bears more overall all, we all have different opinions. IMO, we are in dire need for OL and I blame this on JA who I normally applaud. He avoided this side of the football to bring in redshirt defensive/ST players for the last couple of years. With Kreutz 30, St. Clair 30, and Tait 33 we will be needing to address the o-line for the next 2-3 years. Our entire offense is in dire need of rebuilding as most of the offense is down to 1/2 years on contract. I really believe in building your team from the Lines out and if we can get Williams/Albert/Otah and then add F.Jones/Forte/Ray Rice our team would be better off, that just MHO. Is Forte really that far off from Mendenhall in talent? compare Rashard Mendenhall Illinois 5-10 225 40-4.45 Rashard Mendenhall profile year---gp----att----yds-----avg----td----rec----yds---td 2005---10----48----218-----4.5-----0-----13----82----2 2006---12----78----640-----8.2----5------12----164---1 2007---13---262----1681---6.4-----17----34----318---2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Matt Forte Tulan 6-1 217 40-4.46 Matt Forte profile year---gp----att----yds----avg----td----rec----yds-----td 2004---11---140----624---4.5----4-----20-----180-----2 2005---11---169----655---3.9----4------23-----163----1 2006----9----163----859---5.3----8------28----360-----2 2007----12---361----2127--5.9---23-----32-----282----0

One reason why we went from Superbowl to 7-9 is partially b/c the oline. Reuben Brown was our best G playing with 1 arm. Miller at RT was taking naps and practicing for his new job at Wal Mart as a door greeter. Tait played most of the season with a bad ankle. Our O-line depth was so pathetic, we played these injured players until the season was lost. The injuries to the defense also hurt our chances as well. Mike Brown, Dusty, Tillman, Vasher, Harris, Urlacher, Walker, Payne, Briggs, Archuletta. Almost our entire D suffered an injury were they either missed games or it hampered there play. We have 8 picks for sure in this draft with possibly 3 more compensation picks. #1 priortiy needs to be replacing our RT and LG that were let go. Our secondary needs are finding competition for RB, QB, WR, S, and DT. Only 2 real holes to find starters and then were drafting for depth/competition.

I'm with you on this one Bearsox. Take Emmitt Smith for instance, even though he was a first RD pick, he didn't have the tools as the top RB's did (size, speed) he played with a big heart and good vision. He also played with one of the biggest and most dominant offensive lines. If he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Bucs, he would of been considered a bust averaging 3 yds/carry (Reggie Cobb), but he is considered one of the greatest up there with Walter. I'd love to have Mendenhall. I'd buy his jerseys, autographs, and stalk him at Bourbonnais. But the best interest for the Bears is to shore up the O-line. It won't be long and Kreutz and Tait will be joining Brown/Miller in the retirement home. Benson looked good two years ago when the line was still decent. Last year he got blasted and deservingly so, but the hole offense looked like crap also.

RD1 1. Ryan Clady OT ...... Most likely gone but some mocks have teams taking Otah higher now 2. Chris Williams OT....Teams may also pass on him as he is noted to be more of a pass blocker w/ short arms 3. Branden Albert OG/OT....Versatile, will be a dominant G, with potential at playing LT 4. Jeff Otah OT.....Will be a good RT, has some potential to move to LT but didn't show much at combine/senior bowl 5. Rashard Mendenhall RB....Could be the next LT, Bears only take him if Benson injury is as bad as some say 6. Matt Ryan QB.....Bears need a future signal caller, but not as there top need. Only take him if the top OL are gone RD2 1. Brian Brohm QB....Doubtful he'll last, but on the top of Bears 2nd RD board 2. Joe Flacco QB.......Most mocks have Bears taking him at 44 3. Sam Baker OT......Albert RD1 and Baker RD2 would be a good start at rebuilding the house 4. Andre Caldwell WR...6' 205, w/ 4.37 speed. Berrian who? 5. Earl Bennett WR......great route runner, great hands, tough, plays hard. Possesion WR 6. Mario Manningham WR....deep threat with good routes, hands. Smaller in size 7. Trevor Laws DT.....insurance of Harris/Dusty 8. Felix Jones RB.....Bears have shown interest in him RD3 1. Matt Forte RB......Bears brass are already in love with this guy 2. Kevin Smith RB. 3. Ray Rice RB 4. Roy Schuening G 5. Tony Hills OT 6. Andre Woodson QB 7. Mike McGlynn G 8. Jon Greco OT 9. Jordy Nelson

Below is my Mock with the SF pick. Included with my picks are Scouting reports from NFL Draft Countdown. 1-14 Branden Alberts OG Virginia Branden Albert info Between Otah and Alberts, Alberts can start out LG before trying the move outside. 2-44 Joe Flacco QB Deleware Joe Flacco info Flacco falls into Bears lap as Miami passes on QB, Atl moves up to get Brohm, and Balt. takes Ryan RD1. 3-71 Matt Forte RB Tulane Matt Forte infoThe move up of 5 spots helps ensure that the Bears get there choice at RB on day 2. Forte will be a force 3-91 Josh Barrett S Arizona St Josh Barrett info Barrett has all the athletic tools the Bears look for at S, they just have to keep his head inline for him to flourish 4-107 Barry Richardson OT Clemson Barry Richardson info Richardson will compete with St. Clair for the RT spot as he is a big physical run blocker, but needs to work on his pass blocking. 5-137 Zachary Bowman CB Nebraska Zachary Bowman info Bowman jumped back on the radar after his blazing 40 time at the combine. Injury concerns have kept him out of the spot light, but if he can overcome them, he has RD1 skills. 6-169 Kennan Burton WR Kentucky Kennan Burton info Burton will develop into a good possesion WR, with Booker not getting any younger, Burton can learn under a Bear favorite. 7-207 Andre Fluellan DT Florida State Andre Fluellan info Another prospect DT that has the tools to be elite, but couldn't get rid of the injury bug. Has great burst, but is a little tall for DT. 7-COMP Pedro Sosa OG Rutgers Pedro Sosa info 7-COMP Adam Bishop TE Nevada Adam Bishop info 7-COMP Carl Stewart FB Auburn Carl Stewart info

That's somewhat good news, they have their two OT's for the season. That gives them the option to find a player in RD1 that can contribute right away and drafting OT will not fill that void. IMO, I thought Mendenhall was there target. They just released RB D. Foster and will need another RB. If they go OT in RD1 they are drafting for the future, if they draft RB or Defense, they are looking for a player to step in and contribute right away.

If you were the GM, and the players in the poll were available at our selections, who would you take. I don't want to here that he won't be there when we pick either. Ya never know, and this is a silly mock. My choices were. 1-Ryan Clady OT I believe the Bears will be looking to change blocking schemes to a Zone Blocking Scheme and Clady is the best fit for that type of offense. 2-Malcom Kelly WR Even though he's falling on draft boards b/c he hasn't ran yet for scouts, if he's available at 44, the Bears cannot pass him up. A big possesion receiver that would fit nice in the WCO 3a-Ray Rice RB Even though the Bears like what they see in Forte, he is not a back that can take it to the distance. Rice does have the ability to make the cut and break it away for a score. Rice/Benson will compliment each other very well, kinda of like TJ/Benson did in 2006. 3b-Colt Brennan QB Brennan should fit in nicely with the WCO. He can make quick reads in the pocket and connect on all the throws. He also has the ability to buy time in the pocket or evade the pass rush. Brennans quicker feet will make him a more attractive pick for the Bears than Flacco IMO

Agree, if we can fill our greatest need (Oline), I wouldn't mind for a little reach. In a perfect situation, Dallas would trade us there two first rounders and we land both Albert and Otah/Cherilus. I was down on Otah for a little bit, but now I think he still has potential for the OLT since he is so raw and at least can be a great RT. He would be a road grader for any RB to run behind. As for RB/QB, yes they are needs, but we do have players there capable of playing. At Oline, we lost 2 of our 2007 starters. I do not want to end up like Kenny Williams with the 2nd base situation.

We definately need to wait to see what shakes out up to 11, but I'd hate to get stuck missing out on Clady, Williams, Mendenhall. And I'd hate to reach for Otah/Albert

Free Agents RB's still available Ron Dayne Hou Kevin Jones Det Musa Smith Bal Anthony Thomas Buf - ****Why not-I want to bring out my #35 jersey again***** Michael Pittman Tampa Mike Anderson Bal

Check out this mock draft...walterfootball.com 14-Clady OLT 44-Brohm QB 75-Earl Bennett WR 90-Matt Forte RB

I have a bad feeling about this years draft. Maybe winning the GB & NO hurt us? I think most of us will be disappointed unless we either trade up or trade down. If we stay at 14, it would be a miracle to have Clady, Williams, or Mendenhall be there. Otah should be there, and I believe he'll be a great run blocking RT, but I'd rather go w/ a LT prospect. We can make Buffalo an offer to move up with our extra 3rd as I think they would be better off getting the extra pick and getting the guy they wanted at 14 all along. We can then leap frog Denver/Carolina for a shot at Clady/Williams. A lot of mocks have Clady sliding b/c he won't fit KC O-line and Williams/Otah may be a better fit there. NE may surprise us by tacking a OLT. trading down=more bodies/prospects trade up=maybe a sure thing? trade up w/ Buffalo 11=(1250) , 14=1100 + 91=136 + 169=23.8 (1259.8) 11-Chris Williams OLT 45-Joe Flacco QB 76-Kevin Smith RB 107-Josh Barrett SS 137-Darius Reynard WR 207-James McClinton DT Another option is trading down. Maybe Atlanta will trade there 38, 49, and 69 for our 14 and 107. We can then get multiple prospects. 38=520 + 49=410 + 69=245 (1175) 14=1100 + 107=80 (1180) 38-Gosder Cherilus OT 45- Joe Flacco QB 49-Roy Schuening OG 69-Earl Bennett WR 76-Kevin Smith RB 91-Tony Hills OT 137- Jamar Adams SS 169-Peyton Hillis FB 207-James McClinton DT

Deshaun Foster signed with the 49ers. Below are the teams and the RB's ** bigger need at RB, * depth Buf-M Lynch Mia-R. Brown* NE-L. Maroney NYJ-T. Jones ** Bal-W. McGahee Cincy-R. Johnson ** Cle-J. Lewis Pit-W. Parker * Hou-C. Brown,A. Green, R. Dayne, D. Walker ** Ind-J. Addai Jax-M. J-D, F. Taylor Ten-L. White* Den-T. Henry, M. Bell, S. Young K.C.- L. Johnson Oak-J. Fargas ** S.D.-L.T. NYG-B. Jacobs Dal-M. Barber * Phi-B. Westbrook Was-C. Portis Chi-C. Benson ** Det-T. Bell ** G.B.-R Grant Min-A. Peterson Atl.-M. Turner Car-D. Williams * N.O.-R. Bush, D. McAllister TB-C. Williams, E. Graham* Arz-E. James ** Stl.-S. Jackson SF-F. Gore, D. Foster Sea-J. Jones, TJ Duckett

If Henne is what we'd get in RD2 at QB, then I'd pass. I'd rather have: Brennan, J. Johnson, Dixon, or even Woodson in RD3 or after. As for RB, we don't need another version of Wolfe like you said. Bring in someone who can be an everydown workhorse to compete with Benson.

Nice job on the poll, I did the last one just to see who people would pick without a name attached. The two guys I like the most are Brohm or Brennan. Flacco is the hype and though I wouldn't mind him he seems like a mix of Orton/Grossman.

I think if a topic like "Shaun Rogers traded to Cincy" shows up, then yes it should be transferred. Even though it was a division rival losing a good player. A topic like Jake Scott or Kevin Jones may not need to be transferred if they are bringing in discussions related to the Bears. I understand you'd like a concrete solution so everyone is happy, but this can't be handled as black/white but rather GRAY. Whatever decision is made, we just need to respect your decision and live on. PS- having links added to the web site to sites like KFFL hot wire, Hailedredskin.com, rotowire, PFW would be nice since they are very informative sites.

Who said we gave up on Tait? I think most of us have said we'd like the Bears to draft a potential OLT and shift Tait back to the right side. That may give us two added strengths. RT Tait, RG Garza, C Kreutz, LG St. Clair, LT Williams. Lately, the OLT coming into the league have been pretty good lets hope we can find that same luck.

I just used them as a scenerio of what we could look at if some team wanted to leap us/Detroit for Mendenhall if he's still there at 14. The trade was off by 230ish on the point chart, so we'd have to throw in our 2nd instead of our 3rd to make it closer. If Clady/Williams are both off the board, I'd rather trade down than take a RB. If we couldn't find a trade partner, then I'd take Mendenhall. 14 IMO would be too early for Brohm/Flacco, Otah/Albert, Sweed or Phillps. I'd rather trade than reach b/c the talent from the mid 1st to the mid 3rd are pretty close IMO.

No need to be so down about things yet. Our O-line will get a boost when we add a potential stud OLT. At G, we have Garza and most likely St. Clair (competing w/ Beekman, Metcalf, and draft pick). St. Clair will be better than most give him credit for, he always filled in nicely when he stepped in at OT. Our WR is iffy, but I think Booker, Bradley, Hester & Loyld will be just fine especially if we use Clark/Olson as main threats (Gates/Gonzalez). Benson will have to man up, or his NFL days are done. I think he'll be fine with a stronger line that can drive off the ball. At D, we have Mike Brown coming back. These guys just need to stay healthy and they'll be elite once again. Just b/c we see all these holes written out on paper doesn't mean these are real holes. They are worth the concern, but nothing we need to be unloading cap space on especially if we want to keep our some of our own. If a good deal comes along, you will see a signing. Otherwisse we will go with our group and bring in some draft picks.

Supposedly Sirius Radio said Johnson was close to signing with the Bears? I can't find a site linking this rumor, but I caught it on other message boards. Wouldn't this be a pleasant surprise. Bryant Johnson to Bills, Bucs or Skins? Joel Segal, the agent for free-agent wide receiver Bryant Johnson, said Wednesday night that he is in negotiations with three teams -- not including the Bears -- and anticipates having a deal done by the weekend. Interest in Johnson, a former first-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals, had appeared to cool because of a high asking price. The only team he is known to have visited is Buffalo, though Tampa Bay and Washington are reported to be interested. After Berrian signed a $42 million deal with Minnesota on March 1, Johnson was considered at the top of the next tier of wideouts. -- Chicago Sun-Times Link of Moose discussing the Bears Moose on the Bears

Awesome news, if Clady/Williams are gone before 14 then we can trade down b/c Mendenhall's stock just went through the roof. Teams that had Stewart on there radar may think twice now, meaning more interest trading up for Mendes services. I love to see Mendenhall in a Bears uni, but if we can aquire more picks we may be able to get a lot more value. scenerio: trade with Dallas 22 Branden Albert OG 28 Brian Brohm QB 45 Jonathan Stewart RB 76 Tony Hills OLT 91 traded to Dallas 107 Craig Steltz/Tom Zbikowski SS 137 Adarius Bowman WR 169 traded to Dallas