Bears Blitz

Published by Bob Warja on April 28, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Much has been written and said about how badly the Chicago Bears need to improve on the offensive line. And while that is certainly true, that improvement may not come from the first round, so why not trade the pick?

Now, I’m fairly sure that the Bears will draft someone on the offensive line side of the football at some point in this draft. I’m just suggesting that spending a first round pick on a guy who is not a first round talent may not make sense, considering what may be left on the board at no. 29.

Interesting names like Mike Pouncey, Gabe Carimi, Nate Solder and Anthony Castonzo may all be gone by the time the Bears pick in the first round. Heck, even Derek Sherrod, who is a borderline first rounder in my opinion, may already be taken.

Recognizing this, some feel the natural thing to do would be for GM Jerry Angelo and his braintrust to spend their pick on a defensive lineman. It is, after all, also a position of need for the Bears.

The guy everyone claims that the team is focused on is DT Marvin Austin out of North Carolina. In fact, ESPN says that the Bears have spent a lot of time researching Austin.

Meanwhile, I say that even if Angelo likes Austin (personally, I have my reservations about the guy), why not find a team that desperately wants to move up into the late first round and then take Austin with your second round pick?

I recommend this for a number of reasons.

First, while Kevin Seifert, in his ESPN article, claims that Austin is “a classic “three-technique” tackle who could give the Bears a significant interior playmaker”, there are too many significant questions about him to spend your first round pick on.

The “improper contact with an agent” stuff aside, something for which Austin was dismissed from the team for last season, there are other issues.  

Austin has been said by scouts to have questionable work ethic and maturity. In fact, ESPN’s own Scouts Inc. evaluations say his “Motor is inconsistent and can disappear throughout the course of games.”

Is that really what you want from your first round draft pick?

The evaluation goes on to say “But when you really study his effort…he starts to quit on plays…”

I don’t know about you, but that’s not what I’m looking for in my DT. I want a high-motor guy. ‘

We’ve already had enough of the Tommie Harris experience; we don’t need to go that route again.

Second, the draft is very deep on defensive linemen. So even if you gamble by trading down and lose the opportunity to get Austin, there are others who fit the bill.

Finally, if you move down, you may get two second round picks. You could swap No. 29 with a team that has an early to mid-second round pick. The team could throw in a fifth or sixth round pick as compensation.

This way, you can get two players out of the second round and a later round pick for depth elsewhere, more than making up for the lack of a seventh round selection.

For example, say you get Austin or another DT with the first pick. Then you can come back later in the round and take a guy like Stefan Wisniewski, who could help at guard, and then slide under center once Olin Kreutz (who probably will be re-signed) is gone.

As for Jerry’s infatuation with Austin, it’s fine with me that “We feel real good about how we feel about him and knowing him,” Angelo said.

But Jerry, it doesn’t mean you have to spend your first round pick on him. Be creative and maximize your options.

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