Okwo and Baziun cut

So even if Bazuin had turned out well, you have a problem with his draft pick as a matter of principle because it nevertheless had a low percentage of success (due to us being stacked at DE). OK. I can somewhat accept that. I think need and best player available is a balancing act. Just remember that even if A.Brown had been sure to stick around, at this time last year he was coming off a poor season.

One. Yes, I do believe there are bad picks that work out and good picks that don't. I think few here would agree w/ taking a kicker in the 1st round. But what if, years later, history showed every other 1st round option would prove to be a bust, while that kicker became the greatest ever. Would that mean it was a good pick? I personally would say it was a bad pick that worked out great. Similar, you have plenty of situations where a team takes a player, who most any scout would agree among the best available, and who fills a position of need, but for whatever reason, it doesn't workout. The player may be a bust, but that doesn't always mean the pick was wrong.

Two. Agreed BPA and need are balancing acts. I do not believe in big reaches for need. However, if you enter the draft w/ a grouping of needs, I think you can usually matchup need w/ one of the top BPAs. It may not be the next name on your list, but if your BPA is a MLB, and your next BPA is a LT, grab the LT.

Three. Brown was coming off a poor season? He may have been out-shined by Anderson that year, but Brown was coming off a career high 7 sacks, 3 FFs and 2 interceptions. All stats that matched or bettered career highs. In fact, Brown was coming off such a good season, he wanted a new deal. Bears, on the other hand, were looking to demote him in favor of Anderson. That isn't because Brown played poorly, but because we had a rookie that looked like Dwight Freeney.