Grading The Bears Draft

Posted by Eric Cook on May 1st, 2008 filed in Bear Insight, Cook's Corner, Draft, Features, Inside The Bears, Main, Opinions, Recap

Well, now that the smoke has begun to clear, and the dust is settling, I think it is timethat I begin to grade the Bears Draft.

I think there are two key points of critical criteria you need to look at when initially grading the draft:

1) Were needs met at critical positions?

2) Was there good value in the talent drafted?

With that said, I think the answer to the first question is a resounding yes. The second question is where it gets a bit more difficult/troubling to grade.

I think as do many NFL analysts, that at least three of these picks will be starters for the Bears this season( OT Williams, RB Forte, WR Bennett). But I think there is a chance you see at least 2 more of these guys if someone, (PLEASE NO) goes down with an injury. (S Craig Steltz, DT Marcus Harrison). So at least as far as these picks are concerned the answer to the second question is yes.

I do not disagree with any of the first three picks. What I, and many others are scratching our heads about, is that the Bears didn’t select a quarterback to develop for the future this year. The closest they came to selecting a quarterback occurred in the fourth round, but general manager Jerry Angelo explained that he “didn’t want to pass up a player that was a starter to take a quarterback that maybe could be a good backup.” I could only hope that we do not live to regret this decision. When was the last time the Bears were able to “groom” a quarterback for the future?

The Bears have used all 3 quarterbacks on their roster a total 5 times over the last 8 seasons, and only 1 season did the they use same starting QB (2006, Rex Grossman) throughout the entire 16-game season! Which means, if you are a rookie on the Bears roster, their is no chance to be “groomed”, you most likely will start. If history repeats itself, we could see Nick Hill (Southern Illinois) or Caleb Hanie (Colorado State) under center. I myself believe - this may be one of those rare years where we only use 2 starters (Rex Grossman starts, gets benched, insert Kyle Orton, vice versa). This could have been one of those rare years in Chicago Bears recent history, where a rookie QB could come in, watch, and be “groomed”. But hey, what do I know? I am just a “schmuck” behind a keyboard, your typical everyday “Monday Morning Armchair Quarterback”, per say. But what I do know, is that this draft was a “poor” draft for QB talent, but a 5th round pick isn’t too much a reach (ex. Josh Johnson, Andre’ Woodson) - All I can say is this: Only time will tell!

So I like our first five picks: Williams, Forte, Bennett, Harrison and Steltz at the least give GM Jerry Angelo & Co the grade of a B+.

I will break the rest of this draft down by Defensive and Offensive picks.

OFFENSIVE PICKS:

Kellen Davis, a 6′7″ 262-pound Tight End out of Michigan State Round 5 Pick 142.

Did I put him in the right category? I am not sure, he played both Tight End and Defensive End at Michigan State. He ran a 4.59 40 at the combine. My guess is Tight End, a replacement for departed TE John Gilmore. I think he is a good value pick here.

Chester Adams 6′4″ 331lbs OG out of Georgia Round 7 Pick 222

He is big and we need lineman, I hope not to just add another name to the roster like Tyler Reed.

Kirk Barton 6′5″ 310lbs OT The Ohio State University Round 7 Pick 247

I watched the Buckeyes a lot over the years, Kirk Barton is tough and plays mean, and he knows how to run block. I hope that he makes the roster.

Marcus Monk 6′4″ 222lbs Wide Receiver out of Arkansas Round 7 Pick 248

He ran a 4.42 40 at the combine, his size makes him a red Zone threat to go along with Greg Olsen. He was projected to go as high as the third round in 2007, but injuries and inconsistent quarterback play hurt him in 2007. Let’s hope he is this year’s Marques Colston.

Grade B +

DEFENSIVE PICKS:

Zackary Bowman 6′2″ 197lbs CB out of Nebraska Round 5 Pick 142

Ran a 4.43 at the combine and was another high projection in 2007 (round 2), and opted to return for his senior year, where he played but never to the level of 2005. If he is not injury prone and stays healthy, he could be a steal in round 5.

Ervin Baldwin 6′2″ 258lbs DE out of Michigan State Round 7 Pick 208

He is small for Defensive end and many project him at linebacker in the NFL. This makes sense because the Bears are loaded at Defensive End.

Joey Larocque 6′2″ 226lbs OLB out of Oregon State Round 7 Pick 243

Adds depth to the Linebacking core but most likely a special teamer.

Grade without Bowman D, w/ Bowman C+.