dawhizz

First of all, I don't quite understand why a run-first offense means we need a good defense. We need a good defense regardless. And most of us are hoping that the additions, plus the coaching and scheme changes, will make that happen. It almost has to. Well, if we are talking about using the #7 pick, there's no safety or CB worth that pick. DL is a possibility at #7 (and if Williams is sitting there, I think it's a no-brainer), but the only DT potentially worth the #7 pick is Shelton, though, as has been discussed in other threads, Fangio hasn't tended to use the huge DT in his scheme. I do still think it's a possibility though, and if we went for a defensive player at #7, he might be my preference. Which leaves 3-4 OLB. The Bears big off season acquisition was an OLB (McPhee) and the money they are paying him suggests he'll be on the field most of the time and he's here long term. Although admittedly he can move around a bit, he'll play the vast majority of his snaps at OLB and was brought into be that big time pass-rusher. That leaves one other OLB spot. Drafting on OLB at #7 suggests to me you have no confidence in any of the other guys on this roster. I personally am a believer in Christian Jones. I'm not ready to give up on the potential of Young and Houston in the 3-4 and I think Acho can contribute. Even David Bass might be a good fit there. So you have candidates in-house, some new some old, that can play there. Contrast that with WR. We have Jeffery, a guaranteed starter on the outside. Then we have Royal, who is best in the slot. Right now Marques Wilson is the other starter outside, and he is a former 7th round pick who was a big fat disappointment last year. And we have zero depth beyond that. Like, no one. Teams usually keep at least 5 WRs on their roster. After our top three, we have one that has ever caught an NFL pass (Marc Mariani - 5 career catches). So to me, it's not just about BPA. It's what's the biggest upgrade we can make that is worthy of the selection? And personally I think the upgrade from Wilson to Cooper or White is a bigger upgrade than from Jones/Houston/Young/etc. to Beasley/Ray/Gregory. Then again, maybe I'm just being blinded by the impact that the rookie WRs made last year.

I also saw him late helping on a lot of throws to White in the WV game.

That would be a good draft, but it appears completely unrealistic.

Interesting note for the "trade down" people in this article, saying that SF loves Cooper and would consider a move up if he got past 4. 7 for the 9ers 1st and 2nd round picks are pretty much even on the ol' trade value chart. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2417922...outing-notebook

Noteworthy perhaps only because that leaves us with just three safeties on the roster with workouts coming up. Maybe we have our eye on a FA and this is a precursor to that move (Jeromy Miles would make some sense to me), or maybe it's just clearing guys out we don't see a future with. As it stands though I would expect a safety in the draft somewhere. I've been on record as not much of a fan of this safety class. Anyone have someone they really like? I'd personally prefer a good coverage guy over a big hitter, so I'm partial to a mid-round pick on a guy like Adrian Amos or Damarious Randall.

That's my conclusion as well, as I've stated in other threads (barring a trade of course). Biggest need is safety, but like you said, there's no safety worth the #7 pick, and this is a pretty awful S draft. Other supporting evidence includes the fact that Fangio DTs tend not to be huge NTs (which lessens the need for Shelton type) and the glut of potential LBs (which lessens the need for a pass-rushing OLB). Meanwhile, we have only three (and perhaps only two) NFL caliber WRs on the roster, one legit #1 (Jeffery), one guy who's best in the slot (Royal), and Wilson, who I'm still not convinced is very good and who we know the last regime loved, but have no idea how the new regime feels about him. If we don't want Jeffery double-covered all next season, we need another threat, and this is a draft with two great WRs at the top, at least one of whom figures to be BPA at #7 (barring something crazy like both White and Cooper going in the top 6). Is this a deep WR draft? Yep. But I still think that White and Cooper are clearly a round or two better than guys you could get in the 2nd/3rd like Devin Smith, Nelson Agholar, Sammie Coates, etc., whereas there are other positions (like CB, for instance) that I don't feel that way about. So I'm all in on White or Cooper and have no problem with either one.

Kind of surprised they didn't keep Garza around for a little while, at least to see what shakes out in the draft. He could still be a useful back-up at G and C, two positions where we don't have a ton of depth, and there's something to be said for his leadership and chemistry with the guys that are here. Case in point, Kyle Long on twitter: LXXV @Ky1eLong · 14m 14 minutes ago I understand that it's a business, but this is family I'm talking about. He took a broken dumb kid and turned him into a man. Grateful 4 him LXXV @Ky1eLong · 16m 16 minutes ago I promise to carry the torch with the same charisma and dedication that @Roberto_Garza63 did for so long in Chicago. LUCKENBACH TEXAS ✊ LXXV @Ky1eLong · 18m 18 minutes ago All the time. First man in, last man out. A lot of people claim that kind of thing but he lived it. Luchadores for ever brother. Love ya bro LXXV @Ky1eLong · 19m 19 minutes ago From the first day I got to the Bears he showed me and told me what it took to be accountable and respected in the NFL He did it right(cont) LXXV @Ky1eLong · 20m 20 minutes ago Some things are hard to believe. Can't say I've been around a more humble hard working guy. @Roberto_Garza63 will always be a legend.

Sounds like he helped out the Denver O-line in a pinch last year and Fox as a fan, so this isn't much of a surprise: http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_27128...os-running-game

My thing is, if FA has put us in a BPA position, it's hard for me to see how Cooper or White wouldn't be the BPA at 7.

Also interesting that not one of them came from the saints, where our GM used to work, or Denver, where our coach used to work.

I'm quickly becoming convinced that White or Cooper will be the 1st round pick. I look at our depth chart and I feel like the biggest hole is a starter opposite Jeffrey. I've been a big Grayson guy, I just wonder if it's worth using a pick in a bad QB draft when you can wait a year, hopefully Cutler has either stepped up or is gone and you can get a better guy with an earlier pick. I looked at Eskridge too, but Fangio defenses tend to have more speed at S. I'm also surprised at no OL help. Barring trades, I would try for: 1) Kevin White, WR, WV 2) Byron Jones, CB, UConn 3) Cedric Ogbuhei, OT, Texas A&M 4) Marcus Hardison, DE, Arizona State 5) Andy Gallik, C, Boston College 6) Adrian Amos, S, Penn State

Sounds like Wisniewski is making the rounds. Has visited the Pats and Jags this week.

You got your wish, or part of it anyway. McManis just resigned.

This seems to make a pass-rushing LB in the first even less likely.

I remember liking him coming out of college. He's a 3-4 OLB in our scheme (I think that's where he played in Arizona). He had 7 sacks his first year, but production has declined. Sounds like he's a smart guy, if this profile is any indication: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/foot...nebackers_N.htm

Hoping they hand Sidd Finch the starting gig.

Would make sense. Not a long term solution, but probably an upgrade over Senorise Perry.

Bears sent their DB coach to the UConn pro day. Byron Jones really fits the Fangio CB mold - 6'1" 199 lbs, reportedly ran a 4.36 40 today (he didn't run at the combine). Someone to keep an eye on, maybe as early as round 2.

I agree that this off-season is a bit better, but I think they are more similar than you think: - We signed one player right out of the gate to a big contract (Houston/McPhee). - We signed one older player for a mid-level contract at a position of need (Mundy/Rolle). - We signed one player in his prime with moderate production to a reasonable deal (Young/Royal). - We signed a bunch of players to 1-year contracts that projects as lower-end starters or bench depth (Hixon, Jennings, McCray/McDonald, Jenkins, Ducasse). Gafford isn't really an indication of anything besides the fact that we don't have a long snapper. Foster is probably the biggest difference, as he figures to be an average/above-average starter that we got on a one year deal, but other than that, these seem like similar strategies.

I would not be pleased. That doesn't seem like a draft likely to make us much better next year. Beasley would be the biggest potential impact, but even he's going to likely be a part-time pass rusher his rookie year. Coates is one of the most talented, but least pro-ready, WRs in the draft we certainly can't pencil him in as an immediate starter with Jeffery. I'm also getting increasingly less inclined to draft a safety this year unless we go with Cooper. t's a bad safety class, but next year's is potentially much better. I would just as soon give Vereen the starting reps at safety next year so we can really see what we have. I personally don't see any safety we would get outside of the first round or maybe two being a better option that Vereen.

Coates is the only one I have a real problem with. I watch his highlights and even in those, he's a body catcher. I know he has a ton of physical talent, but I don't see him as ready to contribute as a WR this year much if at all and get a major Stephen Hill vibe from him. My dream is that Jaelen Strong lasts to the 2nd, but I'm not sure that happens. If we take a WR in the 2nd, I'd rather it be Devin Smith or even Nelson Agholar.

I like how this roster is starting to shape up, but let's not forget that we were saying very similar things about Emery's off-season this time last year. He was plugging holes in the roster, a lot of which were one-year deals, and leading us to believe it would give us the roster flexibility to be a BPA kind of draft, and we all saw where that got us. Let's just hope these guys work out. As much as Emery's draft failed to make a big impact last year, I do have to give him some credit that everyone he drafted remains on the roster (for now) and all played and didn't look like they were completely lost. Ferguson, Vereen, and Sutton weren't dynamic, but they made some plays and looked like the belonged. Carey did well with limited work. O'Donnell was a starter all year. Fuller wore down a bit with injuries and having to match up with the other team's #1 WR every week as a rookie. Even Leno saw some action and seems like a keeper as a potential swing tackle. Look at other teams' drafts from last year and you see a lot of high picks who never played, mid or late-round picks who got cut, or guys whose years were lost to injuries. Some of that is luck, but if you judge it against the Bears' past drafts, it seems better than most, which isn't saying much, but still.

I'm not a big fan of this safety class, but Landon Collins is one of the few that I think would be an immediate and significant upgrade (because I'm not a big fan of our existing safeties either), so here's another way we could go Trade down ten sports or so in the first, pick up a 2nd and 5th: 1) Landon Collins, S, Alabama 2) PJ Williams, CB, Florida State 2) Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M 3) Nelson Algholar, WR, USC 4) Marcus Hardison, DE, Arizona State 5) Andy Gallik, C, Boston College 5) Jake Ryan, LB, Michigan 6) Marcus Murphy, RB, Missouri

29 years old and has started in the past. Fits the Fangio CB type - 6'2".

While it really shouldn't matter, I can't but help think that with the draft in Chicago , the Bears might opt toward a more recognizable/dynamic playmaker in the first. It's hard for me to envision them going with an O-lineman or even Collins. Someone like Cooper, Mariota, or even one of the stud pass rushers would get a positive reaction from the crowd, I would think.