AZ54

He's probably better than our #4/5 WRs last year so he might be worth a look there but if he's looking to get back into a top 3 role on a team I'd say no. I really want to add some speed to our offense. Between Forte, Bennett, Marshall, Jeffrey, and Wilson, we have no real speed threat.

I always laugh at this when I think of how Green Bay's poor drafting causing them to have a $12mil cap hit for Julius Peppers this year. If we want to be like Green Bay we need to draft a top 5 QB. That covers up a lot of mistakes they've made. I still say Baltimore, with a "good" QB is the standard when it comes to reloading through the draft.

Based on what I saw at the combine I want Randy Gregory. He moves in space far better than I expected, better than Beasley, but he gets off blocks better than anyone else on this list. I don't care about the 235lb weight, he'll add 10-20lbs easily. You rarely find this line in player's draft profile: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players...0/randy-gregory "Gregory has the upside to rank among the NFL's most feared edge rushers if his current trajectory continues." 1a/b: Shane Ray or Vic Beasley and I'm not sure it matters which one. Ray is likely the more fluid athlete for coverage assignments and Beasley might be the better pass rusher right now but it's close in every aspect. I think Beasley and to a lesser extent perhaps Ray, will be the better pro in the first season or two over Gregory but if Gregory has the work ethic he'll be a stud on both run and pass plays for many years. I don't think we'll go wrong with any of the three. Beyond those guys players like Dupree will be good players for your roster but not difference makers. Dupree looks like the fast pass rusher who always gets pushed behind the QB. I don't see him getting off blocks, or around the edge the same way the top 3 do.

Nice post summarizing some good resources. I'll add that among all the available player draft profiles I like the ones I find on http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospec...rch?position=OT best.

I could see Colts going after D. Murray in FA and wouldn't be surprised to see them make this trade for BMarsh. Late 2nd Rd pick seems reasonable to me, not sure I'd want their late 3rd Rd pick or they'd have to toss in something else.

Don't see much on film that makes me think he's anything but a UDFA.

Nothing to lose on this deal.

Before I get into this, if the team decides Cutler is our best option I'm ok with that and I've long said that just cutting to get him off the roster is a bad move when there is so little talent available to replace him. Every now and then I hear that Tenn still has interest in Cutler. The question then would what is the deal? I'd give them Cutler, #7 and take their #2 and then draft Mariota. I think Mariota will be that good in a few years. Not saying he'll be elite, nobody can ever predict that, but his floor IMO is top 15 but most likely he'll end up a top 10 QB without the Cutler mistakes. That is the hardest piece of the puzzle to find on an NFL roster and if the opportunity is there you go for it. I watched the Michigan St. game where he was under pressure the entire game and he shows good decision making often taking the sack rather than risking a bad pass, and no fumbles. You see can him go through progressions and if he forces a ball into a tight area he puts it away from the defender where it can't be intercepted. It might not be caught but it definitely won't be intercepted. He's very accurate hitting guys in stride but can make plays on the run like Romo makes… but without the INTs. I've watched a lot of Oregon football games over the last 20 years and their QBs are usually 1 read and run players. Mariota is different. http://draftbreakdown.com/video/marcus-mar...-state-2014-2/-

It seems everyone still has us taking Shelton. I'm hoping Gregory falls to us and we take him.

If we're taking a flyer I'd rather do it on a younger player for exactly the reasons you listed. This team needs to get some good young players not older ones who can't make it through a 16 game season.

I need to spend some time on who is available this weekend. For now among your list I can say I'm not interested in Hillis and I think if we want a FB we can either draft one very late (i.e. 7th Rd) or find one UDFA. On Julius Thomas…I think he'll cost too much and we have Marty B. but adding Virgil Green as others have suggested is a great idea IMO. Talking with Knighton makes a ton of sense for both sides. He will likely get more money from Oakland.

Of the two I'd take Jones but that's more because he's an excellent returner. As a WR he has never done much considering how many years he's been in the league. If he had something as a WR you'd think the Ravens would be hanging onto him knowing that they are likely losing Torrey Smith. $2.5mil wasn't that much to keep him around.

I was thinking the same thing in this proposed scenario…more than SMC turning it around I think it will be Washington who gets the nod at OLB. He showed strides last year in the pass rush but he's a natural athlete and it shows on special teams. He might be a better fit at OLB than he was at DE for us.

Why so much love for Ted Ginn Jr.? I watched a few Cardinals games and saw nothing from him to make me think he's better than Mariani, and in fact I think Mariani is better. That in itself doesn't mean there aren't players better than Mariani.

http://www.chicagobears.com/multimedia/vid...57-c11c6e59eae1 Not that I see him that much these days but I have to say this is the first time I've seen him so relaxed and smiling at a media event. Great job doing something like this for kids and I like the life lessons he put in his book.

Pass on Ted Ginn. He is not a better option than what we have on the roster today.

The combine is there for a reason and measurables do count but are just there to backup the tape. Or in other cases, make people wonder why a gifted athlete wasn't more productive. Shelton isn't going to be Haloti Ngata in the NFL unless he shows later that he has more short area quickness. If you aren't that quick then you better have some long arms to help you get off blocks. I still see Shelton being a good player, he's still strong enough to hold his ground even against a double team. I just don't see him as a perennial Pro Bowl player. When you draft someone at #7 that's what you must come away with and we don't have anyone on our roster that should prevent us from doing that. There are so many good rush OLB and we need one badly. Beasley impressed me the most today. He's a more fluid athlete than Fowler but adding the weight, the strength, and running a 4.53 was pretty good.

I don't want Suh's $100mil+ contract because it comes with his attitude and poor decisions, and because we have so many needs. I think we'll be better overall if we spread that $$$ across several good players at each level of the defense.

You summed up in numbers what I was going to say about watching Fowler. Fowler has the straight line speed but he does not appear to be nearly as flexible in space (turn and run, change of direction) as Beasley. What Fowler has though is much more size and any team that values having a guy who can set the edge in the run game will most likely prefer to have Fowler among this group. For me we can have Willie Young, Jared Allen, Washington, or Jones play that role in the run game. IMO Beasley showed enough power to handle himself ok in the run game and for our roster I value the guy who is the better passer rusher. I have to add that Randy Gregory impressed me a lot. I know he checked in very light at 235lbs but his frame can easily handle another 10-15lbs. He said he had been the sick the week before the combine and lost some weight. He's not as fast as Beasley but has very long arms, and we know from video he has very quick and violent hands to get off blocks. In the open field his change of direction was unreal for a guy this tall. He can pass rush, and drop into coverage with those skills but he has the frame and arm length to develop into a very good run defender. I have to go back and watch highlights of both Beasley and Gregory. Shane Ray will put up speed agility results similar to Beasley so he's still in the OLB mix. http://www.atlantafalcons.com/media-lounge...0a-5a1305199d81 http://www.atlantafalcons.com/media-lounge...ef-7f0ccda58e17 I think Fowler has set himself as the best 4-3 DE with Gregory and Beasley showing themselves as purely 3-4 OLB. Mariota did well enough that he'll be gone before we pick. Knowing that we should have one of the two, Gregory or Beasley, there when we pick. I haven't walked away from Shane Ray either.

Reality bites sometimes. We're rebuilding a team and he'll get over it. I can't see anyone trading for him at that salary. It would have to be a deal his agent is in no where a new contract is largely in place before the trade, a contract that drops his cap hit and gives him maybe a 3 yr deal.

…and Beasley just ran a 4.53. He's added weight and kept the quickness and speed. He still had trouble with the run in college so the gamble is will that be better with the added bulk? As a speed rusher he's got it.

I don't mind if they decide to move on. Lots of money for an aging and slowing down RB. His pass protection is often non-existent and he was responsible for some of Cutler's bad plays due to the early pressure he allowed.

A few thoughts on the thread overall... If this is true, this is the perfect time to throw this rumor out there. Teams are getting a first-hand look at the rookie QB class and are likely to come away unimpressed after the top 2. Mariota does have question marks but as far as him skipping some of the pre-draft stuff it's because his shoulder was sprained badly in the championship game. He'd be a fool to throw too soon and injure it again before the draft. If he doesn't throw this weekend he'll throw at his pro day. However, all that just adds to the skepticism of this QB class and helps Cutler's trade value. I still see Mariota being taken before we pick at #7 and I don't see us trading up to get him but maybe we make a deal if he's there at #4. Oakland is not going to draft a QB so they will listen. There are just a few hundred points on the old trade value chart between #4 and #7 so the price is not that high and dropping down to #7 keeps them in position to draft one of the elite players. If we traded Cutler for a 3rd Rd pick we could toss that in and it almost balances out perfectly. I think we'd have to get to that spot ahead of Washington and maybe the Jets if we wanted him but it's also a deal that wouldn't happen until draft day because someone else could easily trade ahead of us. If this were the Bears intentions they'd likely sign someone before the draft and name them the starter.

If he doeth protest too much…he's gone. I think Allen knows that and also knows that after last year any other paycheck he could get would be much lower that what Chicago will pay him this season. He's no dummy and he'll shut up and toe the line. I also think Fox knows enough to curtail his snaps and keep him fresher for 3rd and long situations. One thing about Allen is he hustles on every play so even if he does occasionally drop into space he's headed for the ball once it's released. Plus I think he is a much better locker room presence than Lance Briggs.

Shane Ray is fast, very fast.