Essentially there are 4 positions where the Bears need help. Early in the process I had a huge hard-on for Vernon Davis and at the time it seemed remotely possible they could land him somehow. The result of that was that I presumed they would go with the best TE available at their spot once Davis rocketed up draft boards into the top 6. The ESPN mock draft guys just shook me out of that mindset and I’m of the opinion that all the other TEs would be a reach anywhere in the first round. Mercedes Lewis isn’t as good as Heath Miller was last year and I like Leonard Pope’s size better, but he’s not a reliable route runner. There’s some depth at the position meaning the Bears 2nd or 4th round picks might be a better TE value spot.
Here’s where I’m revising my Bears targets with the 26th overall pick, in order.
WR - This isn’t a shock, but going into the off-season I had a level of confidence in our depth here. Moose Muhammad sucked last year and dropped balls repeatedly. Then he showed some character flaws when Orton struggled. Mark Bradley showed flashes of brilliance before his injury and he’ll come back strong. Bernard Berrian stepped up and earned himself a starting role as the guy who stretches the field opposite Moose. Of course this confidence was totally unfounded and was overly optimistic based on a playoff appearance. As a result the Bears should look to WR here.
The choices: Santonio Holmes, Sinorice Moss. Holmes probably won’t be there, but stranger things have happened. With Walker possibly going to one of the few teams in the middle of the draft targeting a first round WR the chances of his sliding increase a bit. Moss will definitely be available and frankly he’s a slight reach, but he fits wonderfully for what we need. The most glaring hole on the Bears roster was at PR/KR. We muffed kicks frequently and it was more than a little costly. Both of these players excelled in the return capability in college and should be expected to step right in an improve us and give us a threat. Even if they lack prototypical size for an NFL WR the crossover skills on special teams and elite speed make them perfect fits for the Bears.
S - This position has emerged as a huge need position with the loss of Mike Green and the regular injuries suffered by Mike Brown. Chris Harris and Todd Johnson both played well when asked to, but they didn’t prove themselves to be of the caliber that is expected in a elite Bears defense. The Cover-2 relies on fast, hard-hitting safeties and there’s a great crop of them available this year. The ugly experience of getting torched by Steve Smith punctuates this need.
The choices: Donte Whitner, Jason Allen. Both have good speed, size and tackling ability. Both were playmakers who were all over the field and would be an ideal fit next to Mike Brown in the Cover-2 look. Both might come off the board just before the Bears pick, if either is still available they may need to take him ahead of a WR regardless of need. Best player available as always.
CB - Not quite the need position it was before the Manning Jr. signing but you can never have enough talent at this position. The Bears are in pretty solid shape with Tillman and Vasher, both ball hawking, shutdown type CBs, but both lacked the speed and strength to handle Steve Smith one-on-one. I’m fine going into the season with these three guys, but the retirement of Azumah inclines you to address it. The fact that the draft is loaded at CB means that you can get a hell of a value at 26th overall at this position.
The choices: Jonathan Joseph, Ashton Youboty, Antonio Cromartie. I’m not in love with any of these guys. Each are projected to be gone before the 26th pick and all would be viewed as solid values. These players each have questions but they all have ridiculous speed which is one thing the Bears DBs lack. If one of these guys are here and both Safeties are gone I think you make the pick, I’m not sure I address this ahead of WR though unless one of these guys has return skills. Cromartie seems like the most versatile and might have that kind of talent.
LB - This is a position where the Bears are strong but Briggs is into the final year of his contract (and extension talks have stalled, thanks Rosenhaus, you prick) and Hillenmeyer is unsigned as of yet and isn’t a superior athlete. Depth is an issue. Drafting a LB would give the team leverage in contract talks and it would provide excellent depth. Essentially it all comes down to value. I don’t think you focus on this position unless there’s a outstanding value there. I’m not sure many guys behind Sims and Wimbley on the depth chart are worth bypassing need spots. Carpenter and Lawson would be nice to have, but not at the expense of overlooking WR and S.
The choices: Not going to list any guys. If Holmes and all the DBs are gone, then you address it since that’d essentially mean an elite LB had to slide down. If a top LB is here and you’re forced to choose between Moss and a group of second tier DBs you have to make that pick, but it’s probably a long shot. Incidentally, I don’t think Greenway is a very good pick here. He reminds me of Hillenmeyer, and we’ll probably already have him. Greenway isn’t an immediate star, though the Bears could probably afford to wait on him to bulk up and improve.
