jason

I like that draft a lot. Several names I'm in favor of: Stanley, Cash, Smith, Oakman, Nicolas (late), Aguayo. I don't like Jihad Ward though. I think he's a guy caught in between positions and will be a bust.

I used fanspeak's own board. It was quite bizarre. I could have gone a variety of ways, but BPA gave me Derrick Henry later than he should be, and Hunter Henry in the fourth/Bronson Kaufusi in the fifth is crazy.

I agree we won that one, but I'm not certain of anything right now. I really have a bad feeling that the Patriots will put him at OLB and he'll put up good stats.

I've done a bunch of mock lately on fanspeak, and I ran into this one today that I couldn't understand. I definitely don't think this would happen, or would it be normal, but this would be an insane draft for a variety of reasons. Would you be happy with it? 11: R1P11 DT- A'SHAWN ROBINSON- ALABAMA 41: R2P10 OLB- LEONARD FLOYD- GEORGIA 72: R3P9 RB- DERRICK HENRY- ALABAMA 107: R4P8 TE- HUNTER HENRY- ARKANSAS 128: R4P29 QB- DAK PRESCOTT- MISSISSIPPI STATE 151: R5P11 DE- BRONSON KAUFUSI- BRIGHAM YOUNG 186: R6P10 OT- TYLER JOHNSTONE- OREGON 207: R6P31 CB- WAYNE LYONS- MICHIGAN 231: R7P9 WR- DEMARCUS AYERS- HOUSTON

RB or TE? OK, so it's pretty obvious TE is more important, but the class isn't that great. A lot of people believe TE's are being overvalued because there just aren't good ones. So, figure the round and then go one round later. The RB class, however, has some interesting talent. So, that leads me to this dilemma: What if Derrick Henry and Hunter Henry are both available in the beginning of the third? I like both guys, but I think Derrick Henry could be one of those Earl Campbell types, a guy who is going to easily average 4 yards per carry. He won't cause a ton of missed tackles, but when he gets a head of steam going, he's going to punish LBs and secondary. And if a strong, run-blocking line is in front of him (i.e. Long and Massie), he could bust huge runs. Not only that, he's a guaranteed GL back, something the Bears don't have right now. Hunter Henry? He seems pretty good, but is he going to be better than one of the other guys in the 5th-6th round?

Two quick thoughts just to play devil's advocate: 1) Just because a coach controls chemistry doesn't mean there will be success. There was somewhat poor chemistry on the 85 Bears, where the D and O fought, and Buddy Ryan outright despised having Ditka involved in any way. But as we all know, that team won. Conversely, a guy like John Shoop could have had all the chemistry and control he wanted, and there was no way his offense was going to be successful, mostly because he was a moron. 2) So in 2 to 3 years Marshall and Bennett are going to be washed up? I think I'd take that bet.

I will boycott Bears games until Pace, Fox, and company are gone if they draft a TE in the first.

The bolded part! I completely agree! I've looked at lots of mocks and can never see the perfect scenario playing out unless the Bears reach once or twice.

A few quick questions: 1) Do you think the Bears will draft a TE? 2) Do you think they will draft him in the first four rounds? 3) What stats do you think Zach Miller, assuming he stays injury free, will have at the end of the year? The reason why I ask is, I really don't know how the Bears feel about TE and Miller. Do they trust him? Seems so since they resigned him and traded Bennett. But, as the detractors have said, he's not a spring chicken and he has had injury issues in the past. That alone should be enough reason to invest in a young TE fairly early. I honestly hope the Bears don't draft a TE early. I want to see nothing but Defense and OL for the first 4 rounds (5 picks). And I'd really like to see what Miller can do when given the true starter's role for the season.

Disagree here with the INTs. There have been multiple games and INTs analyzed in great detail, and it appears that more INTs happen when MB is in, and passes are thrown his way. Miller comes in and magically, for the most part, those issues disappear.

It's possible, if not probable, you are both right. The Bears likely needed a culture shift in the organization. Hence, it's good to get rid of malcontents. On the other hand, getting rid of probowl players for middle round draft picks isn't a great trade off. Sure, it's better than the nothing they would have gotten eventually at the end of the respective contracts, but it's essentially the lesser of two evils, not an actual great option.

Agree. This is a Bears board. Anything Bear related should be inbounds. Old players included.

Poorly written and argued article. 1. If Fox stayed in Denver last year, they still would have won. 2. There is no way the Bears do not draft a TE this year (in case Miller goes down). 3. Maybe the Bears weren't hiding Bennett? Maybe he was running poor routes? This has been hinted at before. I'm not 100% in favor of getting rid of Bennett, Marshall, or Forte, but at least the first two had sufficient enough personality clashes that keeping them was difficult.

Well, a trade has thrown us for a loop, and we have a dead-lock among board members on the first round. I don't see how TE isn't a bigger need for the Bears right now, and there are some prime candidates. As for the first round... 2 want OT in the 1st: bear trap, dawhizz 2 don't want OT in the 1st: Alaska, TD Until someone breaks that tie, we stay with the current layout. We also have the addition of a KR requirement from two. MOCK DRAFT VER 5.0 1. Ronnie Stanley, OT, ND 2. Vernon Butler, DE, LaTech 3. Jayron Kearse, SS, Clemson 4. Nick Vannett, TE, OSU 4. Eric Murray, CB, Minnesota 5. Kevin Hogan, QB, Stanford 6. Demarcus Ayers, WR/KR, Houston 6. Dadi Nicolas, OLB, VaTech 7. Dan Vitale, FB, Northwestern bear trap - (YES: OT in 1st, Buckner/Robinson at 5T, some RB depth), NO: (Lawson at 5T) dawhizz - (YES: KR/WR combo in 5-6, OT in 1st, DE early, OLB mid rounds, FS>SS) ashkum - (YES: SS higher than 6th, Can see TE early, Vernon Butler 2nd) scs787 - (YES: DE>SS, QB>RB, Vernon Butler 2nd) Alaska - (YES: QB/RB 1st), (NO: OL 1st) AZ54 - (NO: Zack Sanchez @ CB, Jalin Marshall @ WR) TD - (YES: KR/WR combo in 5-6), (NO: OL 1st) stinger - (YES: Hogan > Driskel)

Or, maybe, there is s very limited supply of people his size, and he's just a shinier turd than other turds? Maybe he's just a great locker room guy with all the intangibles and interviews well? He did go to a great academic college after all.

Nope. Everyone was happy with those picks, but there were plenty of previous F-Ups. Checkbox ring a bell?

It's OK. I like the addition of wild card, versatile players like Vitale. I also like Sharpe a lot for his sure hands and great routes. Exactly what Cutler needs.

Watch them use him as a 3-4 OLB and rack up sacks.

I am somewhat in agreement with you. Age and/or personality issues are not tolerated on the new Bears. I didn't like BM leaving because he was NOT expendable. I don't mind MB leaving because I believe he IS expendable. As for Forte, I guess he wasn't expendable because the team is trying to sign his (younger) replacement.

I can't ever remember there being a bunch of unified support for Angelo. He had too many mistakes for that. I was, however, always a fan of his salary cap management ability. Pace is doing great right now IMHO.

I'm all in. I like the way this guy operates. Compiling draft picks. Smart moves, good budget, building for future years, picks with upside. He seems to be doing everything right. Who is NOT a fan of this guy right now?

Maaaaaaaaybe Omiyale. That dude sucked.

I know Denver just won the SB, but I really hope the Bears don't just sign all former Denver players. Picking all the players up at the right time is paramount; otherwise, you just end up doing what Lovie has done in Tampa Bay (resigned Conte recently!).

Seems like we almost have this figured out, unless there is more debate about the potential of a 1st round OT. If that changes, we may have to completely restructure. Eric Murray is added in as a scrappy CB, and Tajae Sharpe, a great hands/route guy, is the new WR in the mix. MOCK DRAFT VER 4.0 1. Ronnie Stanley, OT, ND 2. Vernon Butler, DE, LaTech 3. Jayron Kearse, SS, Clemson 4. Eric Murray, CB, Minnesota 5. Jeff Driskel, QB, LaTech 6. Tyler Higbee, TE, WKU 6. Tajae Sharpe, WR, Mass 6. Dadi Nicolas, OLB, VaTech 7. Dan Vitale, FB, Northwestern bear trap - (YES: OT in 1st, Buckner/Robinson at 5T, some RB depth), NO: Lawson at 5T dawhizz - (YES: OT in 1st, DE early, OLB mid rounds, FS>SS) ashkum - (YES: SS higher than 6th, Can see TE early, Vernon Butler 2nd) scs787 - (YES: DE>SS, QB>RB, Vernon Butler 2nd) Alaska - (YES: QB/RB 1st), (NO: OL 1st) AZ54 - (NO: Zack Sanchez @ CB, Jalin Marshall @ WR)

Changes are coming soon, but I am a fan of both those guys. More Sanchez than Miller. Sanchez may be skinny, but that dude is a ball-hawk, a real play-maker. He's one of those guys who doesn't always impress, but he's got a winning, explosive quality to him. He's a fighter. As for Jalin Marshall, he is kinda slow, but he's another play-maker. I wasn't thinking of him as a punt returner.