DG Update on 06/29

After a week for the Cubs that was kind of a downer, I didn't feel like posting much.  However, there were two important items this week that were worth checking in on.  First of all, the NBA Draft went down on Thursday night from the WaMu Theater in New York's Madison Square Garden.  In that draft, the Bulls selected Memphis' Freshman PG Derrick Rose with the very first pick.  Rose is expected to be a special player who can lead the franchise to success, just like Deron Williams (Jazz) and Chris Paul (Hornets) have done with their teams in recent years.  As expected, Michael Beasley went second to the Miami Heat, followed by a flurry of other NCAA and International stars.  In some of the more notable picks, SoCal freshman stars O.J. Mayo and Kevin Love swapped spots at #3 and #5 ending up in Memphis and Minnesota, respectively.  Portland also landed top PG talent Jerryd Bayless to lead their young nucleus of Roy, Aldridge, and Oden.  On the Bulls front, Rose is expected to be the starting PG (in spite of GM John Paxson's comments that he'll have to earn his spot), meaning that Kirk Hinrich is expendable.  He could be traded for another big-man up front.  Denver has been mentioned as a possibility (Nene? Camby?).

In other news, Indy Racing was under the lights Saturday in Richmond, where Tony Kanaan ran away with the checkered flag.  Helio Castroneves finished a distant second, as Marco Andretti finished ninth.  After the race, Kanaan commented about his first win this season, how they're charging up the standings, and how "I feel bad about Marco.  I think he has as strong a car as I had."  Said Helio about finishing second: "I wasnt' the fastest, but second is pretty darned good."  Andretti Green Racing had a good race, as winner Tony Kanaan led 166 of the 300 laps, Marco led 90 laps, Danica finished sixth, and Hideki Mutoh was competetive until DNF'ing on lap 220.  The drivers will be back at it next Sunday from Watkins Glen at 2:30 PM CT on ABC.

DG Live: NFL Draft '08-Part II

The Bears finished off their 2008 Draft with a nice crop of 12 players at positions of need.  In the later rounds, they did take some chances on guys that could bring high reward.  Among them were TE Kellen Davis from Michigan St, who at 6'6 1/2"/262 lb could provide a red-zone threat for the Bears at 3rd string tight end; as well as WR Marcus Monk from Arkansas who could challenge for a roster spot.  This draft saw many big-name college players go to teams that could potentially have a spot for them.

Among the QB prospects, there were many big names who are expected to push their way into starting jobs in 2008, as well as many project prospects who will try to make the team in camp.  In the early rounds, many top tier players went to teams where they were needed.  Matt Ryan, the top QB in the draft, went to the Atlanta Falcons 3rd overall.  Joe Flacco was also picked in the first round by the Ravens.  In the second round, the other two top tier guys were picked up, with Brian Brohm going to Green Bay to challenge Aaron Rodgers the heir to Favre's job, while Chad Henne was drafted by the Miami Dolphins.  In the later rounds, Pittsburgh (who had a nice draft of big-name players) picked 2007 Heisman contender Dennis Dixon, the Giants got Andre Woodson to try and back-up Eli Manning, and Washington chose Hawaii's Colt Brennan and his big-time arm.

On the RB side of things, the loaded class seemed to go in order.  Al Davis couldn't pass up on Darren McFadden at #4, while Jerry Jones took the other Arkansas back, Felix Jones, at #22 in the first round.  Pittsburgh used their first-rounder on power-back speedster Rashard Mendenhall to be the ying to Willie Parker's yang.  The second round RBs started with the Bears' pick of Matt Forte out of Tulane, and the rest of the backs filed out from there; names like Rice, Charles, Slaton, and Hart were all chosen to be given a shot in the NFL-ranks.

The second round might as well be renamed the round of the wide receivers, as most of the elite ones went there.  Washington picked up both Devin Thomas and Malcom Kelly in that round, while Pittsburgh (one round after bringing in another top RB) brought in another WR in Limas Sweed to complement Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes.  Donovan McNabb's team also got him California speedster DeSean Jackson, as well.  In round 3, the Bears picked up Vanderbilt's Earl Bennett to try and bolster their thin receiving corps.

Other teams did a great job just by bringing in some big, NCAA star power.  The Kansas City Chiefs used their top picks to draft Glenn Dorsey, Branden Albert, Brandon Flowers, and Jamaal Charles, who can all probably contribute right away.  The Steelers got three big names in Mendenhall, Sweed, and Dixon, while the Washington Redskins got three receivers in Devin Thomas, Fred Davis, and Malcom Kelly, along with Brennan's arm to throw to them all.  The Arizona Cardinals, meanwhile, shored up three positions of need with big-name guys: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie at CB, Calais Campbell at DE, and LSU's Early Doucet to bolster their Pro-Bowl receiving corps.

Overall, this was a pretty good draft, deep in prospects that can contribute on many NFL teams starting next year.  The Bears, for one, shored up many areas of need.  They got their young Offensive Tackle to protect the QB, and try and create more space for the running game.  They picked up another RB to shore up a weak running game, and they drafted a WR to try and make-up for the losses of Berrian and Moose.  Only the games will tell how smart each of these picks was, but by first look they aren't bad.  Sure, they could have done some things differently (tried to get Mendenhall, drafted a QB somewhere?!...)but bottom line is they took care of the places they needed to, they took some gambles late like you should, and hopefully it will all payoff.

Here is Mel Kiper Jr.'s review of the Bears draft; very reassuring.  Check out ESPN.com's coverage of the draft.

DG Live: NFL Draft '08

The first day of the 2008 NFL Draft is now over, as teams are flying through rounds 3-8 at this very moment.  With the first six picks, all six prospects invited to New York were selected.  Miami, as expected, picked Jake Long (OT, Michigan) with the first pick.  Following that, other marquee names like Chris Long, Matt Ryan, and Darren McFadden all came off the board.  With the 14th pick, the Bears found themselves staring at a plethora of Offensive Tackles; the position they were in most need of drafting.  They took Chris Williams, from Vanderbilt.  Now, I believe that this was a good pick: it is what they needed most and Williams was one of the top rated guys.  Jeff Otah(Pitt), Branden Albert(Virginia), and Gosder Cherilus(BC) were still available, but it is really hard to distinguish a big difference between them and Williams.  After this pick, however, is when the interesting moves started happening.  Most experts had power RB Rashard Mendenhall, from the University of Illinois, going to either Detroit, Arizona, or even Carolina; however, he fell out of the Top 20 to Pittsburgh at #23.  This, while a great pick by Pittsburgh, was a place the Bears could have jumped in.  Between the Bears #14 pick of Chris Williams and Pittburgh's #23 pick of Mendenhall, there were five teams trading up or down.  With these teams so willing to trade, the Bears should have traded one of their 3rd rounders, and whatever else necessary, to move up and grab that elite, power back they wanted.  Instead, they stood pat and waited to Rd.2 to get Matt Forte, from Tulane.  Now Forte may be a good pro, and all of these moves cannot be judged until they perform in the NFL, however there were better options available.  Now, to Rd.2 is where some other big moves (or lack therof) happened that could come back to bite the Bears.  When the Bears selected Forte at pick #13 in Rd.2, can you guess who else was on the board?  What is the Bears biggest weakenss, and glaring hole?  If you said wide receiver, then you are correct!  At the Bears second round pick, many elite, first round talents were still on the board.  Among them, DeSean Jackson (the California speedster with Devin Hester-syle elusiveness and return game), Malcom Kelly (the OU prospect), and Limas Sweed (the 6'3" wideout who was Vince Young's favorite toy at Texas).  So while I think Willimas was a solid pick, even though there might have been other options available, the Bears could have done so much more the rest of the day.  They had the option to take Mendenhall, Sweed, Jackson, Kelly, or even Brian Brohm (who went to the Pack) or Chad Henne.  Now we look forward to a good second day, where the picks are flying in.  The Bears have 7 more picks today, possibly allowing them to take a chance on a couple big name guys that performed in the NCAA-ranks.

First, here is what I would have done on Day 1:

Rd.1-Chris Williams, OT Vanderbilt (Jeff Otah, Gosder Cherilus, Branden Albert all would have been good picks here, too)

Rd.1-Rashard Mendenhall, RB Illinois (trade a 3rd rounder and whatever else-late rounder, pick next year...to get an elite back who fell a bit)

Rd.2-Limas Sweed, WR Texas (with Mendenhall already taken care of, the Bears could have taken a great WR prospect in Rd.2 to really shore up that offense.  Having a speedster like Hester on one side, and a 6'3" receiver on the other would have been great...also could have picked DeSean Jackson for two Hester types which is not a bad thing)

Now, here is what the Bears actually did so far today:

Rd.3-Earl Bennett, WR Vanderbilt

Rd.3-Marcus Harrison, DT Arkansas

Rd.4-Craig Steltz, S LSU

Some key players the Bears should be taking a look at today are prospects at Safety and Quarterback.  At safety, guys like DJ Wolfe(OU), Marcus Griffin(Texas), DJ Parker (VA Tech), and Joshua Barrett(ASU) are all guys from big name schools, who performed at the NCAA-level.  At QB, there are some interesting options for the Bears.  When picking in the later rounds, you can get a guy that you won't need to be committed to for the long-term, so they can take more of a chance.  In my opinion, they should take a chance on guys like Andre Woodson, Dennis Dixon, or Colt Brennan.  These guys put up big numbers, and led their teams far in the college football season.  Dennis Dixon has been rehabbing in Oregon's spacious training facility, sponsored by Nike, and was a Heisman front-runner before getting injured.  Andre Woodson had Kentucky in the BCS picture late in the season, and is a big-arm guy, while Colt Brennan set records for NCAA touchdown passes, and knows how to win.  We'll see what happens today, but regardless, the draft can get you some big-time NFL players and help fill your holes very efficiently.  Here are some teams that I think got it right in the first few rounds:

Kansas City Chiefs--Glenn Dorsey, Branden Albert, Brandon Flowers, and Jamaal Charles

Pittsburgh Steelers--Rashard Mendenhall, Limas Sweed (give Ben some new weapons, in addition to Willie Parker, Hines Ward, and Santonio Holmes)

San Diego Chargers-Antoine Cason, Jacob Hester (very productive getting a marquee corner and backup RB to fill their losses)

Washington Redskins--Devin Thomas, Fred Davis, Malcom Kelly (gives Jason Campbell three receiving weapons that are all top-rated prospects)

Atlanta Falcons--Matt Ryan, Sam Baker, Curtis Lofton (fill a lot of needs with top-tier players...get a new face at QB and someone to protect him...by the way, when Michael Vick comes out of jail, the Bears should sign him for low-risk, high-reward)

Arizona Cardinals--Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Calais Campbell, Early Doucet

 

Looking Ahead: Mock Draft 1.1

Back with another edition of the Bears Mock Draft.  Now, this obviously is very early for large, multi-round projections, but let's have some fun.  Have a look at the previous version of the Bears Mock Draft, and now let's move on in light of some recent developments.  Here's what has happened since the last mock draft:

-Bears re-signed QB Rex Grossman, and extended QB Kyle Orton...they traded QB Brian Griese to Bucs for a '09 draft pic

-Re-signed LB Lance Briggs

-Lost free-agent WR Bernard Berrian to Vikings, AND released WR Moose Muhammad

So obviously, with the above news the Bears will be looking for a #3 quarterback, and all of a sudden are in dire need of wide-receiver help with Devin Hester the Bears number one receiver currently.  When it comes to the draft, there are a few areas of need that include:

-a stud RB from this year's deep class to challenge Benson and share playing time

-a #3 QB that could be groomed for future; includes many interesting sleepers

-a WR that can make an immediate impact as a #1/#2 if a free agent is not signed (Javon Walker is still out there)

-Offensive Tackle is a key positional need that could be addressed in the first round, definitely the 2nd!

-two positions that could use some shoring up include safety and defensive tackle

-final note to include: as of today, we have the following number of picks in each rd...1,2,3,3,4,5,6,7 and an unspecified pick from the Patriots (for Dante Wesley trade)

So, what do we do in the draft?  Here's my take; first, analytically:

In round one, there are three possible directions we can take: 1)we select a stud RB, such as Rashard Mendenhall(Ill), Jonathan Stewart(Ore), or Jamaal Charles(Tex), 2)we address the offensive line and draft the best available OT like Ryan Clady(Boise st), Jeff Otah(Pitt), or Chris Williams(Vandy), or 3)we decide that WR is the most pressing need and pick a #1 guy like Limas Sweed(Tex)/Malcom Kelly(OU)

In round two, we then can address our second biggest need that was not addressed in Rd.1, and pick a WR or OT.

In round three, we have two picks.  Here would be a perfect spot to pick our QB, like Joe Flacco(Del.), Chad Henne(Mich), or John David Booty(USC).  There are many other interesting options at QB that can be picked up in later rounds like Dennis Dixon(Ore), Josh Johnson(SD St), etc.  It was also mentioned on chicagobears.com that we could sign an undrafted free-agent as a #4 guy if the need arises.  With our other Rd. 3 pick, we could again address one of the needs above that hasn't yet been(WR or OT).  There could be many intriguing options still available here.

In round four, we could choose to solidify the safety or DT position.  Possible prospects that could be available here are defensive tackles DeMario Pressley(NC State) and Frank Okam(Tex), or safeties DJ Parker(VT), DJ Wolfe(OU), and Caleb Campbell(Army).

In round five we can address the other need we didn't fill in Rd. 4 (S/DT)

In rounds six, seven, and the other pick we may get from NE, there are numerous things we can do.  We can continue to solidify the O-line, get another WR, etc.  These needs for these picks will become a little more apparent as we near the draft and free agency has gone on a bit.

So, finally, here is Mock Draft 1.1:

Rd.1-Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois

Rd.2-Gosder Cherilus, OT, BC

Rd.3-Joe Flacco, QB, Delaware

Rd.3-Early Doucet, WR, LSU

Rd.4-DeMario Pressley, DT, NC State

Rd.5-DJ Parker, S, VT

Rd.6-

Rd.7-

Looking Ahead to NFL Draft: Mock Draft 1.0

It's that time of year, again.  The Pro Bowl just finished with rookie Adrian Peterson and Cowboy T.O. leading the NFC to the comeback win, and pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in about a day.  Football action may be over, but now is the time where team's focus on rebuilding for next season.  The Bears really do have some work to do.  Here's the initial outlook on the offseason and some possibilities:

Ranked Team Needs: OT, QB, RB, DT, WR, FS, LB

Ranked Team Options:

QB-Flacco(Delaware), Woodson(Kentucky), Dixon(Oregon), Brennan(Hawaii), Ryan(BC)...(McNabb/Anderson)

RB-Mendenhall(Illinois), Jones(Arkansas), Charles(Texas), Choice(GT), Slaton(WV), Hart (Mich)...(Turner)

OT- Clady(Boise St.), Otah(Pitt), Williams, Cherilus (BC), Baker (USC)

WR-Kelly(OU), Sweed(Tex), Manningham(Mich), Doucet(LSU), Reynaud(WV), Monk(Arkansas)

FS-Phillips(Miami), Parker(VT)

DT-Pressley(NC St.), Okam(Tex)

LB-Leman(Illinois)

Draft Projections:

Scenario 1-

Rd1 Otah,OT

Rd2 Brennan, QB

Rd3 Charles, RB

Rd4 Pressley, DT

Rd5 Parker, FS

Rd6 Leman, LB

Rd7 Reynaud, WR

Scenario 2

Mendenhall, RB

Cherilus, OT

Dixon, QB

Okam, DT

Parker, FS

Leman, LB

Monk, WR

Scenario 3

(resign Bernard Berrian, WR)

(trade 1st rd pick for Donovan McNabb, QB)

Rd2 Otah, OT

Rd3 Cherilus,OT (or backup QB in Flacco, Brennan, Dixon)

Rd4 Pressley, DT

Rd5 Parker, FS

Rd6 Hart, RB

Rd7 Leman, LB

Scenario 4

Jeff Otah, OT, Pitt

Jamaal Charles, RB, Texas

Joe Flacco, QB, Delaware

DJ Parker, FS, Virginia Tech

DeMario Pressley, DT, NC State

J Leman, LB, Illinois

Darius Reynaud, WR, West Virginia