Tim Tebow got cut. The sky must be falling in Bristol.
Look out CFL!
I am curious to see if the Vikings can make anything out of Duron Carter (Cris’ son). From what I have heard he has some of Daddy’s on-field skills but bounced from program to program due to a lack of ‘going to college’ skills and did not play much due to academics. He may excel in a situation where he can concentrate on football and the Minnesota organization probably has the best connection to him, but I think living in his father’s shadow will be more pressure than he has shown he can handle.
You’re not nearly as emphatic as that other Vikings fan was. Step it up! You didn’t even include a reference to horrible officiating, Packer favoritism or anything!
Yes, I know it is way to early to judge a draft. Yes, I know that I’m not a scout, nor do I have any particularly special skills that makes me better at this than anyone else. And yes, I know it’s kind of a waste. But I like it, so here you go:
Packers Draft Review
Overall: The Packers stayed true to their Best Player Available strategy, even when there were other needs to be filled. That led to me really loving the running back selections, Lacy could be special and I love me some Johnathon Franklin and both were excellent value with taken. I also really like Datone Jones, and I’m hoping he’ll make an immediate impact. I was hoping to come away with a starting caliber center (although rumor has it TJ Lang, our starting LG is learning to play the center position just in case), big, strong players on both the O line and D line, and a nose tackle for the future, and it seems like that happened. But, as with all things, who really knows. I think a good part of next years’ success isn’t going to be these guys, it will be getting prior drafted players back and healthy.
1st round, 26th pick - Datone Jones, DE, UCLA
I really like this pick; it’s good value at a position of need. Jones is a great fit for the 3-4 DE, but I really liked his versatility on tape. He lines up over the center, in the gaps, and even outside against the tackle as a DE. He can stop the run, rush the passer, and do the contain thing against the read/option (yes, I remember your overrated ass Kaepernick!) He eats up blocks, is rarely pushed back, and shows a great first step quickness. There are concerns that he was a one year wonder (his junior year wasn’t all that great) and I think he needs to finish plays better (make the damn tackle that your athleticism got you in position to make), so it’s not all sunshine and roses, but he was my best player available for the Packers, so I like it.
2nd round, 61st pick - Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama
Almost a reluctant pick, but it makes a ton of sense. The Packers are a “best player available” drafting team, even if that means drafting someone they clearly aren’t in love with. He was available in the first round, and they passed. He was available in the second round, they traded down 6 spots (not getting enough in return, by the way. Bad move). When he was still there, they picked him. I discussed him earlier in the thread, but the gist is he’s the best running back in the draft when he’s motivated and healthy. The problem is he’s not all that healthy and his off season work showed he may not be all that motivated. Fantastic value pick with outstanding upside (some ‘Bama people say he’s better than Richardson), but also big bust potential. Love the pick.
4th Round, 109th pick - David Bakhtiari, T, Colorado
I hate his hair. But none other than Joe Staley calls him a second round steal (Ummm, Joe, he was taken in the 4th round), so he must be good. I was pissed that they didn’t grab the versatile Barrett Jones with this pick. I only saw one game tape, and he looked very solid, but not dominant (it was against USC so there is that). I’m worried that his build isn’t great for LT and that he will have problems being on an island against speed rushers (he’ll whiff too often). He’s a hard worker, and solid player, though, and he should be fine, but I don’t see greatness here, and with the number of good not great O linemen the Packers already have, I’m not sure this pick was the smartest one. I’m also not a fan of the return on the trade downs and I would have much more liked moving up for Terron Armstead, or even staying put and grabbing Matt Barkley, Stedman Bailey, or Brian Schwenke, or, best of all, the aforementioned Barrett jones. Still, a solid O lineman in the 4th round isn’t bad.
4th round, 122nd pick - J.C. Tretter, G/T, Cornell
I don’t get this one. Tretter is a developmental player, he just started to play LT after being a TE for a couple years, and while he has some nice athleticism, is smart, and some good upside, he was a reach in the 4th round, and likely, with the dearth of O Linemen on the roster, may end up on the practice squad while he develops. There are things to like certainly, but he’s raw and a reach. I really wanted Quinton Patton here.
**4th round, 125th pick - Johnathan Franklin, RB, UCLA
Love it, love it, love it. I could take this pick out to dinner, then back to its place to fuck its brains out all night long, and then stay and cook it breakfast before asking what it is doing with the day, and then maybe spend the day going to art museums and having wine at the outdoor tables of our favorite bistro, while we watch the world go by. Johnathon Franklin is a “my guy” in the third round, and getting him in the 4th was tremendous value. Not only is he great insurance in case Lacy doesn’t pan out, I think he’s starting caliber talent all by his lonesome. He can start right away, and is much better in pass pro and catching the ball than Lacy. Great player, great value and a great pick. Well worth the trade up to get him.
5th round, 159th pick - Micah Hyde, DB, Iowa
You got your “too slow tweener who is good at zone coverage, which your defense doesn’t play much of” in my “Big 10 Defensive Back of the Year/Team Co-MVP”. Hopefully he’ll be as good as a Reese’s peanut butter cup. He’ll help on special teams and, if he can handle the athleticism of the NFL, he could be a good player. He has the smarts and understanding the game, the question is just if he’s got the elite physical skills it takes to make a difference in the NFL. Solid, if unspectacular pick, and I would have rather taken a chance on Brandon Jenkins being special than a solid DB. But he’s a football player, and that’s something important.
5th round, 167th pick - Josh Boyd, DT, Mississippi State
You remember what I said about Micah Hyde and the question being whether he’s got the physical skills to compete in the NFL? That’s this guy too. He’s a good player with a nice motor and he played in the SEC, so he’s got the basics, but he’s not huge, not super strong, and not amazingly quick (although he moves pretty well for D lineman). The best thing I can say about this pick is that he might be able to play the NT in the 3-4, which is a position of need for the Packers. Hyde and Boyd are solid players with limited upside to my eyes, which is good for building depth, but I would have liked one of these picks to be on a player who could be special.
6th round, 193rd pick - Nate Palmer, OLB, Illinois State
The Packers lost Frank Zombo and Eric Walden, two of their OLB’s opposite Clay Matthews, in free agency, and they needed a backup OLB (hopefully Nick Perry comes back healthy and good). They’re hoping Palmer can transition from small school DE to NFL 3-4 OLB. I hope so too, because I can’t find any good game tape to watch and I have no idea who he is. He came for a team visit and apparently LB coach Kevin Greene likes him alot, so that’s good enough for me. Another guy I like mostly because he fills a need.
7th round, 216th pick - Charles Johnson, WR, Grand Valley State
It’s the seventh round, so you want either high upside projects or solid backups. The Packers drafted two WR to fill needs and got one of each. Charles Johnson measureables are very nice: he’s 6’2", ran the 40 at his pro day in a blistering 4.38, and his other tests were all comparable to the top 10 at the combine. He’s been very productive at a football powerhouse (as much as a lower level college can be a powerhouse), so he has the athleticism and upside to make a difference. I worry about his smarts though, he seems like a knucklehead. Good pick here with nice upside.
7th round, 224rd pick - Kevin Dorsey, WR, Maryland
Not as fast as Charles Johnson, Dorsey had horrible production this year, despite being the #1 WR on his team (in his defense, he had a horrible QB). He’s got good size, good skills, and supposedly runs good routes, so he’ll work as a backup WR. Nothing to get too excited about, but he could develop. He’s no Andrew Datko. (Andrew Datko was a 7th round draft pick last year who I had, and still have, very high hopes for. Having that kind of emotional investment in a 7th round pick is kinda silly on my part, I know).
7th round, 232rd pick - Sam Barrington, LB, South Florida
A productive, Big East linebacker who ran a slow 40 time at the combine and is a bit shorter than I would like. I think he’ll have to move to ILB in the 3-4 because he’s not quite athletic enough to make it outside. A bit of a project, he’ll likely have to make a name on special teams to start and show the speed of the NFL isn’t too much for him. Another guy with no game tape, I can’t get too excited about him, but he’s at a position of need, so that’s something.
Strategy of the Draft: With this Packer team and in this particular draft, I’m not sure stockpiling late round picks was the way to go. I’m happy with the depth the Packers have already and adding camp bodies and more backups aren’t going to do it. I think getting more picks in the 3rd and 4th rounds, even if you sacrifice late round picks, was the way to go. I would have liked to see more talent. I am also pissed they didn’t grab Matt Barkley and Barrett Jones when they had the chance. But my God I love their running backs now and the value they got.
Overall Grade: Specific Phantom Epsilon Quakers (I hate grades)
I watched a bit of Tennessee game tape to look at Cordarelle Patterson, Justin Hunter, and Mychal Rivera. Tyler Bray garnered a huge Meh. With that much talent at WR and with that build and that arm strength, I expected big things from him. But he was nothing if consistently underwhelming. Maybe Andy Reid can unlock him, but I just don’t see an NFL QB in him.
Just cause I’m a NFC North kind of guy:
Bears Draft Review
Overall: Phil Emery’s second draft gives us a better idea what he’s looking for in the draft. Whereas some teams want “football players” or “best player available”, it seems that Emery wants to draft whoever wins his “most athletic” contest at a position of need. Hell, he even has a “athletic index score” he gives to his potential players. I’m not so sure this is the best way to build a roster, but as they say, you can’t coach athleticism. He also seems to lock into guys he wants and may not draft for value at all. I don’t think that’s the best way to draft either, but if you’re right about “your guy”, then it’s all good. The problem is when you’re not. So I greatly disagree with Emery’s draft strategy. But he’s the one with the GM job, so what do I know.
1st round, 20th pick - Kyle Long, ATH, Oregon
Drafting a developmental guard in the first round would be just stupid, so I’m giving Emery the benefit of the doubt and assume he thinks Kyle Long will develop into a tackle. And he has the athleticism to do so. He’s huge, with great speed, a nice build, and good movement skills. A ton of upside. Of course in his case, it’s almost all upside because he’s got very little experience playing football and, in the past, he was kinda a head case. The game tape I watched on him made me thrilled that he is a Bear, because for all his athleticism, he still wasn’t very good at football. A very risky pick, and a big reach in the first round. If he gets/keeps his head on straight, he could be very, very good at a position of need, but his little experience, his bust potential, and his value makes this a bad pick in my book. Especially with Shariff Floyd and Tyler Eifert on the board.
2nd round, 50th pick - Jon Bostic, LB, Florida
Can we shut the fuck up about him being Brian Urlacher’s successor? Urlacher was great in his time, and while Bostic could be good, he’s still a rookie draft pick. Bostic is another guy that Emery loved on his athleticism scale, but at least he has experience playing in the SEC. He seems like a solid player, but I don’t see the athleticism that Emery does. Bostic may have some versatility playing each of the linebacker positions too. I think he was a reach with the 50th pick in the draft, and there was a ton of players with more talent available. But he’s a leader and it is a position of need, so he has that going for him.
4th round, 117th pick - Khaseem Greene, OLB, Rutgers
Finally, a value pick. Greene is a two time Big East Defensive Player of the Year and could have gone a round earlier. He’s talented and productive and, most importantly, he’s been a turnover machine with nice punch and strip abilities. He’ll fit best as the weakside linebacker, and showed he can be very successful there. My concerns would be that while he is very good in space, I’m not so sure he’ll get off blocks and work through traffic to make a play. A good selection.
5th round, 163rd pick - Jordan Mills, OT, Louisiana Tech
A small school kid who fills a position of need along that rapidly improving Bears O Line. I don’t think he has the quickness and movement skills to be a LT in the NFL, so he might have to play RT or even move inside. He’s also got a bit of versatility, playing RT and LG in college. He’s a big boy with good frame, but not a knockout athlete. He’s strong like bull and a big help in the running game. Questions about playing against weaker competition remain. I do think Clay Matthews would make him look silly and that he’ll have trouble with speed rushers in the NFL. Good value in the 5th.
6th round, 188th pick - Cornelius Washington, DE/OLB, Georgia
Is Phil Emery planning on moving the Bears to a 3-4, because between Washington and last year’s Shea McClellin, he seems to really like drafting small college DE’s who project as OLB in the NFL. He’s another athletic specimen, but he has never lived up to the hype. He has skills getting to the quarterback, but disappears for games at a time and doesn’t add much beyond that one skill. With some maturity issues and lack of production, I don’t see him succeeding in the NFL, but in the sixth round, he’s a good high upside player.
7th round, 236th pick - Marquess Wilson, WR, Kicked off team
A head case with nice height (6’3"), leaping skills, and deceptive speed, he’s definitely worth a flier in the 7th round. He was very productive until he got kicked off the team and threw everybody under the bus, and he could be a steal this late. He needs to get stronger and get off the line against press coverage better. And he drops way too many balls. There’s hope with this guy, but I think the odds of him succeeding in the NFL are slim.
Recap: The Bears needed help on their O line and in their linebacking corp, and they drafted accordingly, getting 2 linemen and 2 linebackers with their first 4 picks. The biggest problems I have with their draft is that the Bears got bad value for their picks, they took a lot of risk, and they left a shitload of talent on the board for other teams. There is some nice upside here, but each guy seems to have a major flaw or a question about them that could also make this draft all but worthless. There was also almost no building of depth at other positions, which may hurt this team in a couple years.
Grade: Purple Anger Method Washing Tightropes.
It’s another Packer with bad hair.
This is the guy that intrigues me the most. Packers have great experience at coaching up receivers, this guy could be special, IMO.
We will see, but I hope so. I think it’s great that they got him in the 7th round while other teams try to grab these size/speed guys much earlier in the draft. I love it that a guy like Aaron Dobson goes at pick 59 and the Packers get Johnson at 216.
Round 1: (trade) Darrelle Revis, CB, NYJ
Okay, so this isn’t a draft pick, but the team did a superb thing by effectively trading out of the first round of a bottom-heavy draft. Even if Revis plays at 80%, he’ll still be better than all of the cornerbacks taken in the first round. Yeah, it’s gonna cost, but the team has cap space to spare and needed to upgrade the secondary in the worst way.
Round 2: Johnathan Banks, CB, Mississippi State
See? Banks kind of reminds me of Ronde Barber - a do-anything kind of corner who is best in a short zone but won’t be a liability in any scheme, and fucking tackles. He’s a bit bigger than most defensive backs, and I suspect he’ll be lining up across from the Y receiver on opening day while Eric Wright (who the team spent big bucks on last year) covers the slot. With Banks, Revis, Wright, free agent signing Dashon Goldson, and last year’s top pick Mark Barron, the worst secondary in the league last year is now the best in 2013, at least on paper.
Round 3: Mike Glennon, QB, N.C. State
Still not really sure about this pick. The team thinks Glennon is a good backup for Josh Freeman because he excels at throwing the deep ball, and thus fits well with what the offense is geared towards in the event Freeman gets hurt… However, Freeman is maybe the fifth or sixth most athletic QB in the league, and Glennon… won’t be.
Round 4: Akeem Spence, DT, Illinois
I would have preferred to spend a few picks next year to trade back into the first for Sharreef Floyd (or Tyler Eifert), but Spence isn’t a bad alternative. He’s incredibly strong, and will draw blockers away from Gerald McCoy, but incredibly slow, and will probably never sack anyone. Basically, he’s a straight swap for Roy Miller, who left in free agency. I don’t know why we didn’t just re-sign Miller, who was the key to the #1 rush defense in the league last year; he signed with the Jags for small money.
Round 4: William Gholston, DE, Michigan State
Round 5: Steven Means, DE, Buffalo
I don’t know anything about these guys, except that neither had particularly impressive college numbers. Gholston apparently played in a scheme where he was doubled teamed on every single play, though. They’re insurance for oft-injured DaQuan Bowers and once-injured Adrian Clayborn, who will be the starters this year at end. I wish we’d re-signed Michael Bennett, who had a career year replacing Clayborn in 2012, but he has a torn rotator cuff and $5 million is too much for a guy who might not even play this year.
Round 6: Mike James, RB, Miami
Don’t like this pick much. We needed RB depth, but James wasn’t particularly impressive at Miami as a starter and I doubt he’ll do much at the NFL level. On the other hand, he can pass protect and catch the ball, and we really need someone to spell Doug Martin.
**49ers
2013 Draft Class
**
1st Round, #18 - Eric Reid, FS, LSU
The 49ers traded a 3rd Round pick to move up to take Reid. I’m not sure that was entirely needed to get him, but we had picks to burn. At first I was lukewarm at best about Reid, preferring Cyprien. I went back and watched some more tape, and he looked much better. Combined with his great measurables (tall, long arms, jumping ability, etc.), intelligence (4.6 high school GPA, called defensive plays at LSU), and all the rest, I like this pick now. He’ll win the starting free safety job before the season starts.
2nd Round, #40 - Tank Carradine, DE, Florida St
When the 49ers were linked to Carradine at the #31 spot, I was not on board. At #40, after getting an extra 3rd Rounder in 2014, too, it’s a great pickup. The team has time to let him rehab his knee if necessary, but is the heir apparent to Justin Smith (once he builds up some more muscle weight).
2nd Round, #55 - Vance McDonald, TE, Rice
I figured the tight end chosen would be Travis Kelce. McDonald has the body of a blocking tight end, but effectively played slot receiver in college, and has nice hands and long arms. Needs some development to round out his game, but should immediately contribute in the passing game, particularly in the Red Zone.
3rd Round, #88 - Corey Lemonier, OLB, Auburn
Under-the-radar pick. I think Lemonier will provide valuable pass-rushing depth. He was vaguely on my radar because a fan I respect mocked-drafted him, but I didn’t really read much about him. Mike Mayock thinks he was an early-2nd Round talent.
4th Round, #128 - Quinton Patton, WR, LA Tech
How the hell did Patton last until the end of the 4th Round? Sure he racked up the yards in a gimmick offense, but he still knows how to run good routes, has good hands, and can run after the catch. He’ll compete to be the primary slot receiver against Jenkins, Manningham, and Williams. Gold, Jerry!
4th Round, #131 - Marcus Lattimore, RB, S. Carolina
Not exactly a big surprise. I’m very happy to get Lattimore. I’m confident modern medical technology will allow him to fully recover from the knee injury. He had the same surgeon that Gore and Peterson had for their knees. He’ll likely sit this whole year, but can learn from Gore and eventually take over as the top of a three-headed rushing monster.
5th Round, #157 - Quinton Dial, DT, Alabama
More Defensive Line depth. The second Quinton will compete to make the team as a backup all along the line, maybe even nose tackle, but would be best suited at 5-technique.
6th Round, #180 - Nick Moody, ILB, Florida St
Tank’s teammate with the Seminoles. He should be able to make the team as a core-special-teamer and be groomed to back up Willis and Bowman at ILB.
7th Round, #237 - B.J. Daniels, QB, S. Florida
If he wants to make the team, Daniels will have be more than the #3 QB. he’ll compete with UDFA Marqueis Gray of Minnesota to play special teams and be lined up as a Swiss Army Knife guy on offense. In practice, he’ll be a stand-in for Russell Wilson.
7th Round, #246 - Carter Bykowski, OT, Iowa St
Bykowski wil compete with UDFA Luke Marquardt of Azusa Pacific to be the backup swing tackle. The team didn’t have any backups at tackle last year, and guard Alex Boone would have moved outside, meaning the line would have gotten worse at two positions.
7th Round, #252 - Marcus Cooper, CB, Rutgers
It took this long for a corner to be rated where the 49ers’ brass wanted vs the pick. I doubt he’ll make the team at first, but should land on the practice squad to develop. He has good size at 6’2" and could help as practice foil when prepping for Seattle.
UDFA - Darryl Morris, CB, Texas St
Undersized, but was clocked at a 4.33 40 time and has some ball skills. Could fight to make the team, which is why I mention him.
I like your measured response, because I have been hearing a lot of people get all wet about this pick, sating it is the steal of the draft, etc. Could be of course, but I think that is presuming a lot. Keep in mind, his injury was worse than APs. Having said that, I think he will recover quite well and agree with your assessment.
Because the Packers may need a safety, I took a good long look at him for their pick at 26. I thought he was a good safety, but no way would I have wanted him in the first round, let alone trade up to 18 to get him. I love his height, measureables and flow, but he just doesn’t make enough plays for me. He is a good tackler (he’ll occasionally go for the big hit and not wrap up properly, but what college safety doesn’t?), and fine at playing single deep coverage, but outside of a couple nice hits, I didn’t see him make a play. His interception in the South Carolina was a horrible throw that went right to him. And a couple times, he got burned by play action, giving up a big play. I also worried that he doesn’t have the recovery speed to get to passes unless he’s already on his way. I thought he was overrated thanks to the LSU name. He’ll be fine, I think, playing deep safety or maybe as a strong safety in the box, but I don’t see the special player that would cause me to give up a third round pick to go get him in the first round.
As to the rest, I think Carradine was a reach, because of the injury, lack of experience against top teams, and the fact he wasn’t even a starter until Jenkins went down, but I can certainly see the upside with him. McDonald is more of a massive WR, he’ll need a lot of work on blocking. He also hasn’t had the production I would want from someone with his measureables; too much a one trick pony. I also thought he was a reach.
You know I love the Quinton Patton and Marcus Lattimore picks, great value for high upside players. Patton has a bit of an attitude, but I like his game and Lattimore’s health is the big issue. If he told me he was on HGH in interviews, I’d be more than happy to draft him there. The rest of the guys, I’ll plead ignorance.
All in all, the Niners had a good draft with a nice blend of high upside players and depth. I think they didn’t have the best value based draft, but with the number of picks they had, it may not kill them. I’m not sold on Reid though.
Willis McGahee.
Cadillac Williams. Daunte Culpepper. Terrell Davis. KiJana Carter. Olandis Gary. Domanick Rhodes. Yantil Green. Robert Edwards.
When the pick was made I felt like Long had tons of potential and I was glad that they are trying to build the OL for the long term. Like everyone else I was pissed the Bears didn’t trade back and grab him in the 30s or 40s. But, hearing news reports the last couple days it looks like they probably did the right thing. There seems to be a pretty strong thread that the Cowboys tried that exact strategy and got burned. Supposedly they were hot for Long and traded back to get him at the proper “value” only to have the Bears pull the trigger 2 picks later. The Rams, Packers and Colts all supposedly were considering him in the first as well. Clearly this could be nothing more than politicking after the fact, but seeing the Cowboys reach wildly for a Center makes it pretty believable.
Of course Long had better live up to the hype and realize those athletic gifts, if he doesn’t it wouldn’t matter if they drafted him at 20 or 50, he’d still be a disastrous bust.
You’re right that Emery is treading into workout warrior territory with his draft strategy. I don’t love it since he seems to zero in on a guy and isn’t as open minded as he’s supposed to be, apparently. Then again, I’ve watched years of Angelo and Lovie grabbing try-hard guys who project as solid backups and special teamers so my appetite to swing for the fences is pretty fierce. Emery just needs to hit a few of those out of the park, I feel much, much better about Long’s ability to realize that potential than I do McClellin.
Full draft review to come.
I do believe every single player you’ve cited here aside from maybe Cadillac Williams had surgery prior to the more “modern era” of surgeries. And Cadillac was going to be a bust anyway (don’t tell RNATB!) Yes, the surgical repairs HAVE in fact advanced that much. Not that Lattimore might never recover…he might not. Everyone is different and recovers differently, if at all. I pointed to SF’s draft of Lattimore and McGahee (whom was drafted in the first round) as an example of the increased prospect of recovery.
ETA: And also the fact that both have been/were drafted by teams that could afford the luxury of being without them for their first year to allow them to recover.
**1.20 (20) Kyle Long, T, 6-7, 311, Oregon **
I have already covered all the high points for this pick, but I’ll summarize. The Bears top need was an OG and their second or third need was a OT. In Long they think they have both, a OG in the short term and a future LT in the long term. Long is my type of OL, long, lean, strong and agile. I’m not a huge fan of the super thick Loadholt types. It’s easy to knock the pick as a reach, but there wasn’t another OL on the board after him worth even a second round pick and Long is far more gifted physically than your typical late first round OL. He doesn’t have a lot of tape, but according to reports he made big strides towards the end of the year. That will need to continue.
**2.18 (50) Jon Bostic, ILB, 6-1, 246, Florida **
The Bears had 7 players they were targeting entering the second day. Bostic was the 4th one on their board. My hunch is that the 3 before were Banks, Minter and Alonso. I suspect that the Bostic selection might signal the start of a scheme change for the Bears. Bostic is a downhill player, better coming forward to than back into coverage. If I’m right this could mean that Tucker expects to do a lot more blitzing than Lovie and that the MLB may not be asked to take on the deep middle as often. Arthur Brown was a popular option and was mocked to the Bears at #20 many times, that they passed on him here tells me that they want to be physical in the middle. Brown’s tape sucks when he get caught in traffic and he plays catch with runners, but he’s a perfect deep middle, sideline-to-sideline guy. Choosing Bostic means they aren’t looking for Urlacher v2.0, they want something different. More Singletary like, I do like the way Bostic attacks QBs and RBs but in today’s NFL I worry he won’t be able to cover TEs. We shall see.
**4.20 (117) Khaseem Greene, OLB, 6-1, 230, Rutgers **
I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Greene was the 5th guy on that list from day 2. The Bears clearly were planning to build the LB corps up and many people had Greene as a 2nd round grade. It was no secret the Bears liked him predraft, so this pick wasn’t a shocker. Was a little surprised they went back-to-back with LB but Greene and Bostic are very different players. I don’t love Greene’s tape, I see a guy that was very active but often out of position. That said, I think I tend to be overly critical of LBs on film. His active hands and aggressiveness make him a nice pairing with (and eventual replacement for) Briggs. Between Greene and Bostic, one of these guys should be a major contributor early on and we’ll get more physical in the box immediately.
5.30 (163) Jordan Mills, T, 6-6, 315, Louisiana Tech
I was glad the Bears were able to trade back and regain a 7th rounder, they needed another wildcard to bring to camp and I don’t think they missed out on anyone critical. Mills sounds good on paper, a devastating run blocker with a chip on his shoulder but he’ll probably be a liability in pass pro. He doesn’t seem to use his hands well and he doesn’t get much of an angle with his kick-step. The Bears are expected to work in a zone blocking scheme which isn’t a great fit for him. However if he develops into a solid starter on the right side the Bears will be very fortunate, like with Greene it was a slight surprise that they picked a second OL but you can’t say it wasn’t needed.
**6.20 (188) Cornelius Washington, LB, 6-4, 268 Georgia **
I’m a little fired up about this pick. He’s a steal when you look at where he was projected, top 10 DE, Round 2-3 grade, etc. There’s some amazing tape of him destroying SEC OTs and walking them right into a QBs lap, but then again he absolutely sucked against Mizzou. Not sure why he was primarily projected as a 3-4 OLB, the Bulldogs lined him up all over the place. 5-technique, wide 9, 4-3 DE from both a 2-point and 3-point, but he seemed to play most of his snaps with a hand in the dirt as a classic DE. I love his physical gifts, he looks like Peppers in pads. The problem is that he seems to have no discernible moves, struggles a little against double teams and he’ll let himself get taken out of plays by giving away the edge. If they can coach him up they might have something, he could become the perfect guy to rotate with Peppers and Wootton.
7.30 (236) Marquess Wilson, WR, 6-4, 185, Washington State
I put zero stock into the “character” concern. Based on what I’ve read he reacted badly when Mike Leach tried to run his guys into the ground after a loss and threw them under the bus to the media. After what happened in Texas Tech with him I’m inclined to give Wilson the benefit of the doubt there. Clearly the handled it poorly, but I wouldn’t automatically assume he was in the wrong. On the field his production was exceptional and I love his size. Would like to see him beef up a bit, and as a 20 year old he can still probably put some meat onto his frame. He’s a better than average route runner and he seems willing to attack the middle of the field. For a 7th rounder I think the Bears may have found a gem if he toughens up a little mentally and physically. Worse case scenario he pushes Jeffery to be better.
Already discussed the Bears UDFAs a bit. Brought in another athletic freak WR who underachieved badly as a senior, a couple fat bodies to compete at DT, and the consensus 6th ranked Center from LSU who very likely could beat out Garza in a year.
Surely I’m far too sunny about these picks, but this draft makes logical sense to me. Emery probably reached a bit early when forced to, focused on need over BPA, over-emphasized physical traits vs. a proven track record but captured huge upside with almost every pick and avoided guys with obvious medical red flags, an issue for the previous regime. I get it, the Bears need difference makers not role players right now and that seems to be the tack Emery is taking.
Cadillac rushed for 1,178 yards in 14 games as a rookie and was OROTY. Some bust. His career was derailed by injuries, and that’s it.
Daunte Culpepper was injured in 2006. Pretty modern.
Williams’ injuries occurred at about the same time, but he tore both patellar tendons, not the cruciate ligaments. The patellar tendon injuries are much harder to come back from.
Not sure what he meant about Dominic Rhodes. He never really got hurt, though he did rush for 1200 yards after replacing Edgerrin James post-ACL tear.
The only players I know of with the Lattimore injury - torn ACL, PCL and MCL - are McGahee and Culpepper. Culpepper actually did recover from his injuries; he outran Stanford Routt (a CB) in an ad hoc race during a practice in Oakland. He just wasn’t any good without Randy Moss.