Bears Blitz

Published by Andrew Garda on April 2, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Like so many aspects of pre-draft analysis, attempting to set up a Draft Board for a team is an exercise in perspective. While we may agree on some of the needs of Team A, often we are far apart on which are more important and which are less so.

Of course, as is evidenced every April, we are often all far off what the actual teams think.

However, I find it a good exercise anyway, if just to examine not just what I think may be the needs of a team, but whether they can be adequately filled in the Draft. A team might need a quarterback badly, but once the first few are off the board it isn’t worth taking the risk until very late in the game, if at all.

My approach to this is pretty simple. Pinpoint needs and then rank players who fill those needs in order of worth. I’m sure we’ll take more than one crack at this so, if you feel strongly about a player, let me know in the comments and give me some firm reasons why—what are his strengths, what does he bring to the table and why choose this guy over someone else.

Tonight we look at the Chicago Bears.

I think we can all agree that offensive line is still a high priority. They didn’t address it in free agency and so it has to be the number one target in the draft. As I have said before, it doesn’t help to have a franchise quarterback like Jay Cutler if he’s on his back every snap. Cutler has been sacked more than almost any quarterback that I can recall in recent history. Mike Martz’s dismissal will help but it wasn’t all Martz.

Behind the offensive line, but still vital, is the secondary. At some point, early on if possible, the Bears need an impact player (or two) to help shut down pass-happy NFC opponents.

After that, I’d rate defensive end third, with a look at linebacker, wide receiver and quarterback for depth. Linebacker because some of that core is aging, wide receiver because despite the acquisition of Brandon Marshall (who is always a question mark anyway), they need to develop another big play receiver and quarterback because Jason Campbell, while competent, has fallen on his face too many times to trust long term.

Of course, if other positions crop up as value picks, the Bears will make them. You don’t ignore a great running back value in round four just because you have Matt Forte and Michael Bush.

As the Lions can attest, you can never have too many backs.

With that in mind, let’s break down a list of players the Bears should be looking at as high value targets. In some cases, it’s unlikely the player in question will fall but as this is the NFL Draft, strange things happen so they’ll be on the board unless they are really not a primary position of need.

For example, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III won’t be on the board because in the bizarro universe event that either is there at 19, the Bears will trade out.  On the other hand, if our number one player was there, the Bears would be crazy not to take him.

We’ll rank 50 players this week, including players from across the spectrum. The ranking of the player does not correspond to the round I expect them to get picked in. In other words, a player ranked 33rd is not someone I expect to be taken at the top of round two. He’s just the player ranked 33rd on the Bears’ board, so when the 32 players before him are gone, he’s next up whether it’s round three or round six.

Let’s get started.

1) Matt Kalil, OT, USC
2) Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
3) David DeCastro, OG, Stanford
4) Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
5) Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
6) Mark Barron, S, Alabama
7) Reilly Reiff, OT, Iowa
8) Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia
9) Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State
10) Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

11) Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
12) Malcolm Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
13) Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina
14) Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford
15) Fletcher Cox, DE, Alabama
16) Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama
17) Amini Silatolu, OG, Midwestern State
18) Michael Brockers, DT, LSU
19) Devon Still, DT, Penn State
20) Melvin Ingram, OLB, South Carolina

21) Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor
22) Nick Perry, OLB/DE, USC
23) Jared Crick, DE, Nebraska
24) Brandon Boykin, CB, Georgia
25) Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois
26) Andre Branch, DE/OLB, Clemson
27) Donta Hightower, ILB, Alabama
28) Josh Robinson, CB, Central Florida
29) Ben Jones, C, Georgia
30) Markelle Martin, FS, Oklahoma State

31) Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford
32) Lavonte David, OLB, Nebraska
33) Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech
34) Cam Johnson, DE, Virginia
35) Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska
36) Zach Brown, OLB, North Carolina
37) Kelechi Osemele, OG, Iowa State
38) Coryell Judie, CB, Texas A&M
39) Orson Charles, TE, Georgia
40) Marvin Jones, WR, California 

41) Casey Heyward, CB, Vanderbilt
42) Jarius Wright, WR, Arkansas
43) Bruce Irvin, OLB, West Virginia
44) Jeff Allen, OG, Illinois
45) Harrison Smith, SS, Notre Dame
46) Rueben Randle, WR, LSU
47) Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State
48) Brandon Washington, OG, Miami
49) Zebrie Sanders OT, Florida State
50) Malik Jackson, DE, Tennessee

As you can see I went hard on the offensive line as well as the secondary. I sprinkled in some defensive linemen and “skill position” players like Blackmon and Floyd because they would be worth that 19th pick if the situation was right. While I doubt Blackmon would fall, there is enough question as to how elite he is that it could happen.

Some thoughts on the order of the 50.

You might wonder if David DeCastro is too high, but simply put he’s the best guard in the Draft by a mile. Add to it his versatility (he has experience all across the offensive line) and I believe he is someone the Bears should be all over if he’s there at 19.

Dre Kirkpatrick may prove to be a bit high and I am considering dropping him down in any further iteration of this as a guy like Stephon Gilmore could be available later and is just as good.

There are absolutely no running backs in the top 50. Sure, if Trent Richardson were there, he might be hard to pass up, but he would be worth more in trade than in actuality. With Forte locked up for at least another year, Mike Bush in the fold and the possibility of getting a good running back later, why reach?

I love Doug Martin and Lamar Miller but there is absolutely no reason for the Bears to grab one of them.

Defensive tackles, while less of a need than offensive linemen, secondary players and defensive ends, sneak in during the late teens as guys like Still and Brockers are too good to pass up at those spots. Again, though, I believe that several of the players ahead of them will be available.

I don’t expect Coby Fleener to last until the Bears’ second pick, much less later, but the tight end class is not exciting and he could slip. If he did, the Bears could pick up a playmaker without burning a wide receiver pick early.

Marvin Jones is going to go later than he should and produce some very good numbers. He was underused and ignored in 2011 as the Cal offense shifted in a different direction. People have forgotten how good he is. The Bears should wait a bit and pick him off in the middle rounds if they can. He’d be higher if the Bears were more desperate for a wide receiver.

I threw in Brandon Weeden, though I suspect he will go long before the Bears should look at quarterbacks. Weeden could be a great backup, experienced enough from minor league baseball to withstand the stress of suddenly starting without melting down.

So that’s it—this week’s Bears Big Board. I’m sure many of you have some strong opinions on this. As always, keep it civil and throw them in the comments.

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