VenomSox Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 http://espn.go.com/chicago/columns/blog?name=dickerson Leading up to the draft, Jeff revisits Jerry Angelo's hits and misses as Bears GM. April 18, 2009, 10:25 PM By: Jeff Dickerson US Presswire We are officially a week away from the NFL draft. Now that you're up to speed on many of the prospects, let's focus on Jerry Angelo's draft history with the Bears. We assume safety will be addressed next weekend. Don't be surprised if the Bears double dip at that spot, selecting one early, and one late. Angelo's track-record at the position says it all: 2002: Round 5 -- Bobby Gray, La. Tech 2003: Round 4 -- Todd Johnson, Florida 2005: Round 6 -- Chris Harris, La.-Monroe 2006: Round 2 -- Danieal Manning, Abilene Christian 2007: Round 5 -- Kevin Payne, La.-Monroe 2008: Round 4 -- Craig Steltz, LSU Wide-receiver should happen at either No. 49 or No. 99. Can the Bears find the right guy? Trust me, you can get an excellent receiver in the second or third round this year. But since selecting Bernard Berrian in the third round in 2004, it hasn't been pretty. 2005: Round 2 -- Mark Bradley, Oklahoma 2005: Round 5 -- Airese Curry, Clemson 2008: Round 3 -- Earl Bennett, Vanderbilt (the jury is still out) 2008: Round 7 -- Marcus Monk, Arkansas With the exception of Chris Williams and Marc Colombo, Angelo usually looks for offensive line help in the mid-to-late rounds. Some notable examples: 2002: Round 3 -- Terrance Metcalf, Ole Miss 2006: Round 6 -- Tyler Reed, Penn State 2008: Round 7 -- Kirk Barton, Ohio State Expect more offensive line help to again come in the mid-to-late rounds. Unless there is a can't miss tackle at No. 49 or No. 99, the Bears can afford to wait now that Orlando Pace, Frank Omiyale and Kevin Shaffer came on board. Defensive end is a major issue for two reasons; (1) As we previously stated, Adewale Ogunleye, Mark Anderson and Izzy Idonije are entering the final years of their deals (although Anderson's status could be effected by the on-going collective bargaining agreement issue in the NFL) and (2) Dan Bazuin was a bust. Since hitting a home run (in my estimation) with Alex Brown in the 4th round back in 2002, Angelo hasn't had much luck with defensive end. 2003: Round 1 -- Michael Haynes, Penn State 2004: Round 5 -- Claude Harriott, Pitt 2006: Round 5 -- Mark Anderson, Alabama (so far a one-year wonder) 2007: Round 2 -- Dan Bazuin, Central Michigan 2208: Round 7 -- Ervin Baldwin, MSU (jury is still out) Moving inside the defensive line, the Bears do a terrific job targeting defensive tackles. Just one DT in the Angelo era failed to make significant contributions to the team. 2003: Round 4 -- Ian Scott, Florida 2003: Round 5 -- Tron Lafavor, Florida 2004: Round 1 -- Tommie Harris, Oklahoma 2004: Round 2 -- Tank Johnson, Wash 2006: Round 3 -- Dusty Dvoracek, Oklahoma 2008: Round 3 -- Marcus Harrison, Arkansas Now if those defensive tackles could just stay healthy. Tomorrow we'll look at quarterback, cornerback, linebacker and running back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowlingtwig Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 http://espn.go.com/chicago/columns/blog?name=dickerson Leading up to the draft, Jeff revisits Jerry Angelo's hits and misses as Bears GM. April 18, 2009, 10:25 PM By: Jeff Dickerson US Presswire We are officially a week away from the NFL draft. Now that you're up to speed on many of the prospects, let's focus on Jerry Angelo's draft history with the Bears. We assume safety will be addressed next weekend. Don't be surprised if the Bears double dip at that spot, selecting one early, and one late. Angelo's track-record at the position says it all: 2002: Round 5 -- Bobby Gray, La. Tech 2003: Round 4 -- Todd Johnson, Florida 2005: Round 6 -- Chris Harris, La.-Monroe 2006: Round 2 -- Danieal Manning, Abilene Christian 2007: Round 5 -- Kevin Payne, La.-Monroe 2008: Round 4 -- Craig Steltz, LSU Wide-receiver should happen at either No. 49 or No. 99. Can the Bears find the right guy? Trust me, you can get an excellent receiver in the second or third round this year. But since selecting Bernard Berrian in the third round in 2004, it hasn't been pretty. 2005: Round 2 -- Mark Bradley, Oklahoma 2005: Round 5 -- Airese Curry, Clemson 2008: Round 3 -- Earl Bennett, Vanderbilt (the jury is still out) 2008: Round 7 -- Marcus Monk, Arkansas With the exception of Chris Williams and Marc Colombo, Angelo usually looks for offensive line help in the mid-to-late rounds. Some notable examples: 2002: Round 3 -- Terrance Metcalf, Ole Miss 2006: Round 6 -- Tyler Reed, Penn State 2008: Round 7 -- Kirk Barton, Ohio State Expect more offensive line help to again come in the mid-to-late rounds. Unless there is a can't miss tackle at No. 49 or No. 99, the Bears can afford to wait now that Orlando Pace, Frank Omiyale and Kevin Shaffer came on board. Defensive end is a major issue for two reasons; (1) As we previously stated, Adewale Ogunleye, Mark Anderson and Izzy Idonije are entering the final years of their deals (although Anderson's status could be effected by the on-going collective bargaining agreement issue in the NFL) and (2) Dan Bazuin was a bust. Since hitting a home run (in my estimation) with Alex Brown in the 4th round back in 2002, Angelo hasn't had much luck with defensive end. 2003: Round 1 -- Michael Haynes, Penn State 2004: Round 5 -- Claude Harriott, Pitt 2006: Round 5 -- Mark Anderson, Alabama (so far a one-year wonder) 2007: Round 2 -- Dan Bazuin, Central Michigan 2208: Round 7 -- Ervin Baldwin, MSU (jury is still out) Moving inside the defensive line, the Bears do a terrific job targeting defensive tackles. Just one DT in the Angelo era failed to make significant contributions to the team. 2003: Round 4 -- Ian Scott, Florida 2003: Round 5 -- Tron Lafavor, Florida 2004: Round 1 -- Tommie Harris, Oklahoma 2004: Round 2 -- Tank Johnson, Wash 2006: Round 3 -- Dusty Dvoracek, Oklahoma 2008: Round 3 -- Marcus Harrison, Arkansas Now if those defensive tackles could just stay healthy. Tomorrow we'll look at quarterback, cornerback, linebacker and running back. I don't recall Ervin Baldwin being taken in the year 2208. lol. just kidding. Nice post though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VenomSox Posted April 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Part 2 Leading up to the draft, Jeff revisits Jerry Angelo's hits and misses as Bears GM. April 19, 2009, 7:15 PM By: Jeff Dickerson In five of his seven drafts in Chicago, Jerry Angelo has taken a running back. Will it happen again this year? The odds seem low, since Kevin Jones was re-signed to back-up incumbent starter Matt Forte. Plus, it's time to see if Garrett Wolfe was worth being a third round selection in 2007. Will Ron Turner find a way to use Wolfe in the offensive game plan? Finally, Adrian Peterson remains a rock on special teams, but it's getting increasingly difficult for the Bears to keep four backs active on game days. If Peterson or Wolfe is on shaky ground, then maybe Angelo takes a running back late. His track record at the position has been hit-or-miss: 2002: Round 6 -- Adrian Peterson, Ga. Southern 2003: Round 6 -- Brock Forsey, Boise State 2005: Round 1 -- Cedric Benson, Texas 2007: Round 3 -- Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois 2008: Round 2 -- Matt Forte, Tulane Ever since the Roosevelt Williams debacle, cornerback has been another strong area in terms of the Bears talent evaluation process. However, there are some major issues at the position; Can Nathan Vasher bounce back after two injury-plagued seasons? Can Charles Tillman stay healthy? Is Corey Graham capable of taking over the job on a full-time basis if Vasher falters? What's the status of Trumaine McBride and is Zack Bowman officially a free safety? All these factors lead me to believe that Angelo will likely grab a corner next weekend. If his track record holds true, the man he drafts will probably turn out to be a decent player. 2002: Round 3 -- Roosevelt Williams, Tuskegee 2003: Round 2 --Charles Tillman, La.-Lafayette 2004: Round 4 -- Nathan Vasher, Texas 2004: Round 7 -- Alfonso Marshall, Miami (Fla.) 2006: Round 2 -- Devin Hester, Miami (Fla.) 2007: Round 5 -- Corey Graham, New Hampshire 2007: Round 7 -- Trumaine McBride, Ole Miss 2008: Round 5 -- Zack Bowman, Nebraska Probably the best pick in the Angelo era was Lance Briggs back in 2003. Not bad, when you find a future four-time Pro Bowler in the third round. But as good as the Briggs pick turned out to be, what in the world were the Bears thinking taking Michael Okwo in the same round in 2007? Because Okwo busted out, the depth at linebacker remains suspect. Expect the Bears to address the position with one of their eight selections. Besides Briggs, Angelo hasn't exactly lit the world on fire at LB. 2002: Round 5 -- Bryan Knight, Pitt 2003: Round 3 -- Lance Briggs, Arizona 2003: Round 6 -- Joe Odom, Purdue 2005: Round 7 -- Rod Wilson, South Carolina 2006: Round 4 -- Jamar Williams, Arizona State 2007: Round 3 -- Michael Okwo, Stanford 2008: Round 7 -- Joey LaRocque, Oregon State (quality special teams performer) Trading for Jay Cutler solved the Bears generational issue at quarterback. At some point, the Bears will need to add a fourth arm to the equation for training camp purposes. Maybe the extra QB comes via an undrafted free agent, like Caleb Hanie last season. In the past, Angelo has been reluctant to pull the trigger at the spot, drafting only three during his tenure at Halas Hall. 2003: Round 1 -- Rex Grossman, Florida 2004: Round 5 -- Craig Krenzel, Ohio State 2005: Round 4 -- Kyle Orton, Purdue For the last two seasons the tight ends have been the most productive unit on offense. Remember when the Bears could never get this position fixed? Still, there was a major issue last year with short yardage blocking from the No. 3 tight end Kellen Davis. Some feel Fontel Mines provides a better alternative to Davis, but draft status still plays a role in playing time. It wouldn't come as a shock if the Bears look to upgrade at tight end to better compliment to receiving skills of Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark. However, like quarterback, Jerry Angelo has taken only a handful of tight ends since 2002. 2002: Round 6 -- Bryan Fletcher, UCLA 2007: Round 1 -- Greg Olsen, Miami 2008: Round 5 -- Kellen Davis, MSU Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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