CrackerDog

Possible. But I think you overstate your knowledge of the talent out there. Not sure I could prove it either way but regardless I will suggest that you'd have a tough time taking your observations and putting them into the framework of a "Top 200" list or some such thing that would allow you to head into a draft in an organized enough manner to make the picks you claim to be able to make. That framework for us fans is provided by the Mayocks and Kipers of the world. So it's easy for you to say, "Gee, the Bears really need a Safety so let's see, yep, Mayock rates Dix right up there, he'd be my pick here" And then... "Damn it! I'm all in a tizzy now because the Bears didn't take my guy!" Well, maybe he was your guy and maybe he was really a guy who just fit the suit. Now you may say that the GM's on the teams have a similar framework put together for them too by the media guys, their scouts, film, etc. But I premise that without the significant resources others have invested, you wouldn't be nearly as good as you think you are. And I'll also say that it's easier being you because there aren't any consequences. Sure, you might get made fun of by some other idiot on the board but at the end of the day, a GM loses his million dollar job, his wife leaves him, his kids see him as a failure, etc.

Ha!

If they go TE in the second round I'll eat the stapler on my desk with a little salt and pepper. I see almost no way that happens. You have to balance the money on your team and to invest that much in the TE position would be very out of character for the Bears. Now I could see them going RB if someone they love falls... I wouldn't like it, but I could see them doing it. Or O Line other than TE.

My point isn't that he got more of his picks right than anyone else. There's literally no way to tell which direction a draft is going to go given all of the personalities involved, etc. The point is what you said earlier in your post, that he has more contacts and is therefore better able, or at least should be, to evaluate the talent in the draft. Of course teams are going to see things differently but his top 25 list is pretty solid as evidenced not by the fact that historically all of his picks turn into great players (as DaWhizz was suggesting I was claiming) but rather by the fact that they typically go about 80% or so in the first 25 picks. In other words, he and others like his are the "collective wisdom" of the league, a consensus if you will. And therefore, I'm not saying that there's any guarantee on any player, just that based on that matrix he's just as likely to succeed or fail as the other guys somewhat around him in the list. And in many ways it's lists like his (I personnally think he does a better job than Kiper) that guys like you, internet sites, etc start off with as a baseline when forming your own opinions as to the relative value of the players available. Nobody has the time to see every player in every game. We watch the Senior Bowl, a game or two each week, etc. Maybe look up some video on YouTube, whatever. These guys have entire networks and staffs helping them peice this stuff together. The last thing ESPN wants to do is put Kiper out there as their expert and have him listing guys at the top of his sheet who all go in the second round! They'd look like fools. In that respect, I feel good that we got a guy who should pan out. And I trust that source material more than some dude I argue (in fun) with about almost everything on the internet. The only thing I was fairly sure about in yesterday's draft was that Manziel was going to fall. I got that one right. I don't waste my time putting together mock drafts and such although I got a kick out of the one done here. That was entertaining.

Even if the rumor is true, what I saw said Atlanta was the trading partner. So we'd need to sweeten it a lot since they draft well ahead of us today. And then there's the cap issue also mentioned in this thread. I think we sit tight and pickup a DT.

Excellent post.

Mayock had him as the 13th best prospect with no DB's ahead of him, corner or safety. So as far as I'm concerned, there's no "could be" about it. Dix was at 16 and Pryor was 22. Not a huge drop in either case and as I mentioned, I like Pryor a lot. So, the point is, Mayock had him rated higher than either prospect we liked at safety, he can play any DB position and he'll ultimately become Nut's successor. Your blathering about having to draft almost exclusively based on immediate need is irritating. Think outside your little box once in a while.

Crybaby. Hey, maybe this kid moves to safety this year, Nut finishes his career at Corner like he wants to and then Fuller moves to the Nut position at CB in 2015/16? I don't know. All I know is you were talking about how happy you were with Emery yesterday morning (it was your best post in a long while) and then after the pick you reverted to Terra-level sissy bitch whiner. This D sucked donkey balls last year, across the board. I hate Conte too! But is there a chance that Emery looked at the landscape and thought Fuller was a better option not only for this year but for years to come and made this pick despite the expert advise from this board? No.... No way. Dude can play. Nut's done soon regardless and may be an injury concern for THIS year. If this was Emery's only move this off season I'd probably be scratching my head too but it isn't. Suck it up Sally.

Isn't Dix a suspect character guy? Hopefully he gets invited to a teen hot tub party and... No wait, that already happened.

I would've gone Pryor myself but I don't hate the Fuller pick.

Dudes... We needed help at every position on D before the off season. Emery hit it hard in FA and now we arguably got the best corner available with this pick. Safety is still a need but I think there'll be some good choices in the second. I can't hate this pick.

He's Tillman two.

Now to convince Nut to try safety.

Fuller

I'd trade back here if a good deal is offered.

No surprise there. I'll be flipping back and forth between NFL Network, ESPN and the Blackhawks game. Going to be a fun night! EDIT: My bad, Hawks play tomorrow. That'll make it easier on me!

I'm never real comfortable with when the "experts" say this is a deep draft, shallow draft, etc. Hell man, nobody knows! You could turn out to be totally right. Hopefully a "sure thing" slips to 14 and makes it easy on Emery.

Me neither but this is precisely the scenario I was trying to use as an example yesterday. If all three are still there and we can get something significant and still get one of them (assuming Emery rates them like we do which was your point) then we should move down.

There's no doubt this would be awesome but it'll never happen. It could embarrass GM's and coaches and also give away too much as to how decisions are made. I'd buy the Bears DVD for this every year but then again, so would the Packers!

Agree.

#3 above was your best line, ever, until #4. Couldn't agree more with you on that. Seems like every year they'd take some 5-7 douchebag from MIT or some shit.

I guess I mean conventional wisdom to use your term. If we pick a player at a position and it feels like it's a big reach (player would've been available later) or if there are several guys at the same position who are equal value to a number of others, I always feel like we should get something if we can. There was some talk about this on Long and Shea was clearly a reach. Long likely would've been gone but who knows? In any case, just because the Bears don't agree with my assessment of the situation doesn't mean I won't initially be "mad" about my perception that they didn't maximize their draft slot.

You put Matthews on this line Jay has 5 seconds to survey the field and Forte runs and catches for 3,000 yards. Who needs a defense! I think we go safety in the first but who the hell knows.

Dude, you're killing me. I let it go before but in this post alone you used the word "valve" three times when you meant value. Please stop doing that.

I'll be mad if there's 4 or 5 guys we like fairly evenly when our pick comes up and we don't drop back 3 or 4 picks and pick up a 4th or 5th rounder for doing so.