Chicago Bears Draft Possibilities: One Last Look
Published by Bryan Dietzler on April 17, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The 2010 NFL Draft is upon us and the Bears are preparing to draft not only to build a solid winning team but also to help save the jobs of its coaching staff and upper management. The Bears will be looking for players that can help them right away as opposed to drafting project players and while they will be drafting later on in the 2010 NFL Draft they still won’t be drafting too late to find some decent players.
In our final look at some players that the Bears should consider drafting, we will take a look at two prospects that could interest the Bears a little bit later on in the draft (fifth to seventh rounders).
These guys will be players that could develop in a year or two and contribute in more than just a special teams role in the near term. There will be one for offense and one for defense and they are guys that should gain some late round interest by the Bears.
Myron Lewis-CB-Vanderbilt
Lewis is a bit difficult to figure out (in terms of where he might end up going in the 2010 NFL Draft). Some say he might go as high as the second round while others feel that he could go undrafted. The safest bet is that he could go somewhere between the fourth and sixth round.
What Lewis does well is that he has the ideal size to match up with some of the taller receivers in the league and is very physical. He has the size to be a safety and depending on where he ends up (even if he ended up in Chicago) he could end up switching to the free safety position. Lewis also has great intelligence and has been solid at creating turnovers.
On the downside, Lewis doesn’t have the ideal speed to compete at the cornerback position so he might get moved to free safety. He doesn’t hold up in run support that well (this may turn the Bears away from him) and his last season in school wasn’t his best. He also needs to work on his mechanics but is a quick learner.
Chicago may keep an eye on Lewis as the draft moves on in the middle to later rounds and could have some interest in him especially if they think that he can be moved to free safety. This would help them out a lot as they need a free safety and someone that could fill in at the cornerback position if there was an injury.
Joe Hawley-C-UNLV
The Bears have actually brought Hawley in for a workout so their interest in him is high. In being a center, the Bears could be thinking that Hawley could be drafted to be the heir apparent to aging Olin Kreutz who is expected to retire soon. Hawley, as it stands right now, looks like a guy who could end up being a late round pick (fifth, sixth, or seventh) or could even go undrafted. The Bears will keep an eye on him as the draft progresses.
The upside to Hawley is that he is big enough for the center position and is flexible enough to play both the center and guard positions. He is a good interior blocker and does all of the things that a good blocker will do such as use his hands properly and get low (below the defenders pads). Hawley also has decent speed and could be successful in an offense where linemen are required to pull out to block.
Hawley isn’t as strong as the ideal interior lineman will be and he lacks some of the refinement in his mechanics that picks higher up in this draft will have. He also needs to get stronger at the point of attack and can get pushed around at times. He needs to move his feet better as well as he takes unnecessary extra steps sometimes.
The Bears might end up considering Hawley either later in the draft or as an undrafted free agent possibility. He can play guard or center which is a plus and could be the heir apparent to Kreutz if they feel that he is good enough to play at the position. Strong interest may not necessarily mean that he will get drafted but it’s at least some indication that the Bears are thinking about taking him at some point in the 2010 NFL Draft.
While these two guys may not be the kind of guys that would be instant starters on the team they could quite possibly contribute at some point during the 2010 season. Lewis could be a real find in this draft and his ability to play both the cornerback and safety position could mean a lot to the Bears. Hawley is a bit of a project player but may have a promising future in Chicago. Let’s see what the Bears do in less than a week from today!
Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com
