Bears 2012 draft grades

Well NFL Christmas has come and gone and a lot of people are wondering if the Bears got a new PS3 or an Atari 2600.  Well like any drafts you won't really know for a few years down the road.  That however will not stop the Monday morning quarterbacks from chiming in on how they think that we should have done this or that.

One of the things that really stood out to me in this draft more so than any in recent memory is the lack of the "safe" picks.  It seems to me that Phil Emery unlike Jerry Angelo before him went after what he tabbed to be the best player available as opposed to reaching for an area of need that has a much lower ceiling.

Exhibit A is right out of the gate with Shea McClellin out of Boise State.  Most had him as more of a linebacker in a 3-4 defense as opposed to a hand in the dirt end in a 4-3 that the Bears run.  Emery had a vision of a very good pass rusher that can be a situational rusher till he adds about 10 to 20 pounds and becomes a three down player.  Unlike Angelo before him he drafted a player for his ability not one that best fits the system.  Systems change players are always players.  Too often that way of drafting failed and Emery is aware that football players with talent far out weigh ones who are good fits for a system.

The "safe" pick here would have Riley Reiff out of Iowa shoring up the offensive line a bit.  Full disclosure that is who I thought they should have taken and was upset that they did not at the time.  But after doing some research and looking at the upside to each pick I changed my tune a bit.  The upside on McClellin blows away that of Reiff.  In contrast the downside is equally great.  But you can not win what you don't put in the middle so we will see.

In the second round Emery continued his bold moves by adding Alshon Jeffery a big 6-4 wide out from South Carolina.  Jeffery was considered a sure fire first round pick coming out of his sophomore season, but a dip in production last year and concerns about his weight made him fall in the Bears lap after trading up five spots to get him.  His dip in production does not concern me because of the teams decision to be more run heavy due to lack of a good quarterback.  His weight seems to be under control after getting with a nutritionist and getting his eating habits in line.

The one move I find odd and made me wonder if Jerry Angelo snuck in the draft room to make the pick (thanks Keith) came in the third round in the form of Brandon Hardin a safety making 8 strait years of drafting a safety.

The Bears added a H-back/Tight end in the forth round (Evan Rodriquez) and finished the day taking two cornerbacks in the sixth and seventh rounds (Isaiah Frey and Greg McCoy) to try adding stability to the secondary.  On Sunday they added 11 undrafted free agents.

Missing was any help on the offensive line.  I guess they meant it when they said that they are happy with the group.  I am sure that you will call me crazy but I may just agree with them.  Now before you stop reading and never grace this page again hear me out.

Last year before Cutler went down this group was playing and a very high level.  If you look at the numbers they don't lie.  Cutler was sacked 23 times in ten games last year (11 in the first 2 games) Hanie and McCown were sacked 26 times in 6 games.  During the 5 game winning streak prior to Cutlers injury he was sacked only 4 times.  In two of the games during that streak he was not sacked at all.  So he was sacked only 12 times in his last 8 games not too bad.  Not to mention that the Bears rushed for over 2,000 yards last season the most since 1991.

As we sit I will give the Bears a B on this years draft.  What grade do you give?  I would love to hear from you in comments below and as always....

BEAR DOWN

Who Should the Bears take with their first pick?

A lot has happened since we last spoke.  Brandon Marshall a Bear, Peyton Manning a Bronco, the Bears made some ripples with free agent signings and more.
The Bears and new sheriff Phil Emery have done a nice job at addressing some of the holes that are on this team.  But alas there is still work to be done.

The Bears still need to get younger on defense, they still need to better protect Jay Cutler, they still need a better option opposite Julius Peppers at Defensive end and after losing a couple of players help on the interior line as well.  While they did go out and replace the players they lost at corner back ( with better players too) They still need to get someone in who is a "stud" DB who can play with and eventually replace Peanut Tillman.  Safety, who knows what we have here I think that the Bears coaching staff have no idea how to coach or evaluate this spot.  How many picks have been used on a safety since Lovie Smith has been here? Too many that's how many.  But this is an area that may need to be looked at too.

So with all that being said who do I want the beloved to take with their first pick in the draft?  Michael Floyd WR University of Notre Dame.  First, yes I know the Bears made themselves a whole lot better in stealing Brandon Marshall away from the Dolphins and second yes I know that there is pretty much no way that Floyd is sitting at 19 waiting for the Bears to call, but stay with me for a second and I will tell you why I think this is the best move and how it will work.


First lets talk about how to get Floyd.  This will take some work and a third round pick I assume depending on how high they need to jump in order to get him.  I am not saying give up the house Ala the Julio Jones trade from a year ago.  I am thinking if you can get into the 11th or 12th pick it will do.  That will cost you your third round pick and maybe even a 4th or 5th rounder in the future but it can be done.


Now for everyone who says that Brandon Marshall took care of the need.  Yes he did  fill a  huge void with a true number one that is big and makes defenses change the way they play.  But lets look at it like this.  The Bears are pretty young on the offensive side of the ball, this move would make them a bit younger allowing them to focus on defense almost exclusively the next couple of years.  That is minus a left tackle of course.  Not only that but this would make the Bears receiving corps among the best in the NFL.  Imagine what not only Jay Cutler could do with TWO stud receivers but what life would be like for the angry Matt Forte'.  Plus you could use Devin Hester correctly and not try pushing that square peg into that round hole that they have been trying to do forever.

Let me know what you think.  Am I crazy? Am I a genius? non of the above?  Tell us!
And as always BEAR DOWN!