dawhizz

This article notes that the Bears had a private workout with Oklahoma OT Donald Stephenson. http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/bears/post..._medium=twitter

This. That's where you have your coach and GM meet with them, have your minions comb though his history, and make a judgment call.

More than in other years, I'm struggling to figure out where the Bears will go this draft. So I decided to take a look at the roster to figure out where I see holes, and this is what I came up with: QBs - Jay Cutler, Jason Cambell, Josh McCown, Nathan Enderle -No worries here RBs - Matt Forte, Michael Bush, Kalil Bell, Armando Allen -No worries here either FB - Tyler Clutts -Did a good job last year. WRs - Brandon Marshall, Earl Bennett, Devin Hester, Devin Thomas, Eric Weems, Dane Sanzenbacher, Max Komar (Knox) -There's no true need here, but Komar and Sanzenbacher are expendable and Weems doesn't figure to get much time at WR. I just keep asking myself "Is Bennett a #2 on a good offense?" If the answer is "no", maybe you take a look at a guy who can be. TEs - Kellen Davis, Matt Spaeth, Kyle Adams, Andre Smith -I hope to see the Bears give Davis a chance before taking a TE high, but I can certainly see a mid-late round pick here for depth. OGs - Chris Williams, Edwin Williams, Lance Louis It's so hard with the multiple spots the linemen have and could play (CWill at LT, Louis at RT, Williams at C, Spencer at G, Garza at G, etc.) it's tempting to just have an "OL" section. There's some young guys on the team who haven't seen much action (Ricky Henry, Mansfield Wrotto, Reggie Stephens) but I do think this is a position where the Bears could really upgrade now and for the future. OTs - J'Marcus Webb, Gabe Carimi, Levi Horn Again, there's room to mix and match here (Louis at RT, Carimi to LT). Everyone wants a new LT except the Bears seemingly, though maybe they do target on of the 1st round LTs. Even so, a swing tackle who could be a good version of what Omiyale was is needed. Cs - Roberto Garza, Chris Spencer Instead of drafting a G, the Bears could try to get a true C and push Garza & Spencer to compete for a guard spot. So hard to figure the OL out. DTs - Henry Melton, Stephen Paea, Matt Toeiona, Jordan Miller As much as the Bears like to rotate on the DL, they need another body here. I'd like to see a bigger guy who can play the Anthony Adams role, since they can always rotate Idonije inside if needed. DEs - Julius Pepper, Israel Idonije, Corey Wootton, Chauncey Davis, Thaddeus Gibson There's a lot of big guys here that the Bears could probably use a smaller, pass-rushing DE, although truthfully this isn't a bad group. OLBs - Lance Briggs, Nick Roach, Blake Costanzo, JT Thomas, Jabarra Williams A young LB to push Roach and provide would be nice, but Thomas will be coming off a redshirt year and Williams has the speed to contribute in this defense. MLB - Brian Urlacher, Dom DiCicco All depends on how long you think Urlacher can hold up. CBs - Charles Tillman, Tim Jennings, Kelvin Hayden, DJ Moore, Jonathan Wilhite, Donovan Warren The Bears roll five deep with veterans with starting experience. I was sure this would be a target in the draft, but after adding Hayden and Wilhite, I'm not so sure. Ss - Chris Conte, Major Wright, Craig Steltz, Winston Venable/Anthony Walters I actually like the Conte/Wright combination if they can stay healthy and Steltz is OK as a 3rd safety. This seems like a position ripe for a post-draft veteran add like Atogwe or Melvin Bullitt, though I could see a late pick here for depth. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, with that perspective, here's where I go in the draft: **Trade down a couple spots and pick up an extra 4th** 1) Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor - I'd love Floyd, but he'll be gone. I'd love a good LT, but I don't like the OTs with 1st round grades in this draft. Truthfully, I'd even take Jeffrey or Hill here - I've come to the conclusion that it's time to really take this offense to the next level and a top-flight WR to pair with Marshall is the way to do it. 2) Amini Silotolu, OG/OT, Midwestern State - Big, powerful offensive lineman to plug in at the weakest spot on the line (maybe at LG and move CWill to LT? at RT and move Carimi?). Played LT in college and some think he might be able to stick there in the NFL. 3) Sean Spence, LB, Miami - Great fit in the Bears defense to push Roach or provide depth. 4a) Brett Roy, DE, Nevada - Pass-rushing DE who gives high effort and could even play inside on passing downs. 4b) Nate Potter, OT, Boise State - Potential swing tackle with enough experience and technique to compete at LT. 5) Akiem Hicks, DT, Regina (Saskatchewan) - At 6'4" 320, he can be the new Anthony Adams, only with some pass rush ability. Plus he and Idonije can trade Canadian football stories. 6) Rhett Ellison, TE, USC - Ellison can do a bit of everything (including special teams) and can even pitch in at FB if needed. 7) Sean Catthouse, S, Cal - Big safety to serve at the #4 safety and play special teams. I will change my mind on all of this tomorrow.

Also from TFY: - On Tuesday we reported the Chicago Bears may consider Shea McLellin of Boise State in the first round. At some point in the draft the franchise will select an undersized speed rusher to play defensive end. Another player they are very high on would be Tim Fugger of Vanderbilt, who will be making an official visit to the team’s facilities.

Caught this on the TFY Draft Insiders blog: We’ve been told there’s a very real chance the Chicago Bears use their first round selection on Kendall Wright as they are looking for a receiver that can line up in the slot. We hear worry about Johnny Knox ever returning to prior form after his back injury late last season also factors into this . The team also has an interest in Shea McClellin of Boise State, whom they would use at defensive end. http://www.draftinsider.net/blog/?p=6238

Not too surprising, since there's only 3 that are locks for the roster (Conte, Wright, Steltz). I wouldn't think they would spend a high pick on a safety, since I think Wright/Conte can be a good duo, but a veteran or 4th/5th round pick wouldn't be out of the question.

I'm pretty impressed by these signings. I saw Hayden signed for the minimum and I doubt Wilhite signed for much more, if at all. But both guys have starting experience, so they aren't just scrubs.

Wonder what this does to their draft strategy. Tillman, Hayden, Jennings, and Moore are a solid 4, but there's not much after that, unless I'm forgetting someone. I'd still like to see a mid-round pick on a CB.

Yeah, I'm starting to think the Bears will use one of their first two picks on the highest OL on the board, whether it's OG or OT, and then planning their line-up accordingly, which is much better than trying to find a LT in this draft. If the LT is there that they love, great, but I'm not high on this class at that position.

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/bears/post..._medium=twitter It's interesting to me that the Bears seem to be more focused on OGs in the offseason (Steinbach, Herrera) that OTs. I wonder what the Bears are really thinking for a line-up next year. Lovie recently said that he could see Chris Williams at any position on the line but center and even hinted that they thought Carimi might get a shot at LT if Webb struggled (http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2012/03/lovie_smith_casts_support_for_.html).

I wouldn't mind seeing a true center drafted. Garza's done an admirable job, but neither he nor Chris Spencer are young. Centers don't tend to garner high draft picks, but I actually like this crop of centers in the middle round with guys like Mike Brewster, Phillip Blake and Quentin Saulsberry. If I had to take off a need, it would probably be safety - I like Wright and Conte going forward and with Steltz already signed, I'd almost rather get a veteran after the draft (Atogwe? Sean Jones? Melvin Bullitt?) than another rookie.

I'm not really a Martin fan. There's questions about his strength and he apparently didn't impress at pro day - not sure how much of his perceived success comes from the success of Andrew Luck. I really don't like this OT crop much in general, especially at LT, where the Bears have the greater need. I also wouldn't like Allen in the second - I'd rather see what Davis can do in the new offense before we spend a high pick on another TE.

Mercilus makes me nervous. I keep flashing back to another Big Ten one year wonder at DE named Michael Haynes.

I agree with your general assessment. My only problem is that the position I think we really need help on on the O line is LT, and I don't like this class at LT at all. On the other hand, the guard crop seems really strong to me, to the extent that I think we can wait until the middle rounds and get a contributor. With that in mind, my current draft hope goes: 1) Nick Perry, DE, USC - DE depth in this draft falls off quickly, in my opinion, so I'd like to see it addressed early, if at all. 2) Brian Quick, WR, Appalacian State - Might need time to develop, but he's a young Brandon Marshall and I love the idea of having both of them for Cutler to throw to. 3) Leonard Johnson, CB, Iowa State - Great fit in a zone system who held his own against the top WRs in the Big 12. 4. Phillip Blake, C, Baylor - For an O-line that needs immediate help, a 26-year old rookie interior lineman isn't a negative, it's a positive.

There was talk of him slipping into the mid-second round, but I imagine this performance will push him back into the top half of the 2nd or back of the 1st.

I understand why he's upset, but Forte has to realize he's a RB on a franchise tag, coming off an injury, and that the previous back-up (Barber) was less than impressive and that the other back-up (Bell) was good, but remains unproven.

Lovie is at Baylor pro day. Maybe it's just cause he's a Texas guy, but worth noting because of Kendall Wright, though there's an intriging mid-round G/C named Philip Blake who might also be worth a look.

Hell yes. I brought him up in another recent thread. We need another DE and if anyone's gonna get him motivated, it's playing opposite another guy from NC who came out with similar questions about consistency.

I'm starting to think Quinton Coples might be the first round pick. I know he's being picked to go higher, but his inconsistency could very well push him below Ingram and Mercilus near our range. I'm thinking we might see something like Coples in the 1st, Zebrie Sanders in the 2nd, and a guy like AJ Jenkins in the 3rd.

I keep hearing he'll demand $10 million annually. I'm not sure he's worth that.

I say no. I guess it depends on the suspension. Certainly not if it's just a couple game. If it's longer, maybe I take a look at a 1-year deal for a veteran guy (Hines Ward?) to fill in, but it certainly doesn't push me to go WR at 19, unless your staff determines that's the best player available.

I like him, but if they went RB, I would have expected a speed guy, since Bell's a more of a banger (like Bush).

If the concern last year was that he was not yet healthy (which was my read on it), and now he is, I think this would be a great move.

Three year deal. They must be really worried about Knox's status.

Disappointing, but doesn't really chance my feelings about the trade. Worst case scenario, we lose him for a couple games and have to push through with the same team that started 7-3 last year.