The NFL draft is one of my favorite parts of the NFL season, if
not my favorite. For teams that are coming off a 4-12 season a year ago or for
a team like the Bears that finished 8-8, the draft gives its fans a chance to believe this upcoming
season is the year, even if it isn't. Despite being a Bears fan, I have to say I
really liked what the Bears did in the 2014 draft and am leaning towards
putting them down as the front runner to win the NFC North.
Before the draft started, I looked at what
positions I thought the Bears needed to address. First and foremost, the defensive backfield, specifically safety. Chris Conte, Major Wright and Craig Steltz
clearly didn't get the job done and in my opinion were the the worst safety
tandem in the NFL. Obviously losing defensive tackles Henry Melton and Nate
Collins, linebackers Lance Briggs and D.J. Williams and cornerback Charles
Tilliman didn't make their job any easier, but to be kind, their production was
far below par.
The next position I thought the Bears
desperately needed to address was the defensive line. While signing star
defensive ends Lamar Houston and Jared Allen give the Bears a whole lot more
options in how they blitz opposing teams, two defensive ends can't make up an
entire defensive front, depth is a must.
And finally, offensive line. The Bears O-Line was as good as I've ever seen in my years as a
Bears fan, and I think head coach Marc Trestman and offensive
coordinator/offensive line coach Aaron Kromer had a lot to do with that. But
the bottom line is center/guard Roberto Garza isn't getting any younger and
neither are Matt Slauson nor Jermon Bushrod.
The Bears first round draft pick (14th)
was cornerback Kyle Fuller, arguably the second best cornerback in the draft
behind Justin Gilbert, who was taken No. 8 overall by the Cleveland Browns.
Personally, I thought the Bears were going to trade back and obtain two extra
picks but instead general manager Phil Emery saw the man he wanted and took
him. While I'm not an expert by any means and haven't seen much film on any of
the Bears choices, I have done my fair share of research on how scouts have evaluated
the majority of the players selected in last week’s draft. Fuller won't start
this year unless either Tillman or Jennings go down but wouldn't be surprised
to see him compete for the nickelback spot. Kalvin Hayden was solid in 2012,
but missed all of last year and isn't getting any younger while Isiah Frey was
a disappointment as the nickelback this past year. It should be a good battle
and ultimately see Fuller working his way into the nickel spot as the regular
season progresses.
Fuller can tackle, and is a bigger corner
than most, a growing trend now in the NFL, especially with the league being a
pass first league. While I don't see Fuller being a shutdown corner against the
top teams No.1 WR, I see Fuller forcing a lot of turnovers. He hits hard, takes
good angles, wraps up when he has to and goes for the ball when he can,
something he'll get even better at having the opportunity to learn from Tillman
and pro bowl corner Tim Jennings.
In the second and third round, the Bears
selected a pair of defensive tackles in LSU's Ergo Ferguson and Arizona State's
Will Sutton. Both are extremely big and will have an opportunity to compete in
the defensive line rotation. While the Bears say they're a 4-3 base defense, I
can't help but wonder if that'll remain intact after this year.
Ferguson and Sutton should be better than
expected rushing the passer due to playing alongside Allen and Houston, but
where I think they'll stand out is against the run, as the 3-technique. In
today's ago for DT's if you can't take out the fullback against the run, trip
up the runningback, or shed off a double-team you're going to have a tough time
remaining on a NFL roster. But this is where I think Ferguson and Sutton will
be most successful at. Stephen Paea and Nate Collins have been injury prone
over the course of their NFL careers and Israel Idonjie is simply too small to
line up over the center consistently, giving Sutton and Ferguson their fair
share of opportunities to play DT.
In the fourth round the Bears moved up to
take Minnesota safety, Brock Vereen at 131 and selected Arizona runningback
Ka'deem Carey. Let me first start with Vereen, an average sized safety who has
played against multiple offenses ranging from the I-formation and the spread
throughout his Big Ten playing career. That will help Vereen a lot, who flashes
good athletic ability from time-to-time but struggles against the deep due to
his poor hip flexibility. This is something Vereen must improve in order to
find himself in the mix at safety and on special teams. As for Carey, let me be
honest, I'm not in love with the pick but I understood it. Carey is a big
runningback at around 215 pounds, but is slow and has had character issues in
the past. That being said, I see Carey as a goal line back and someone who'll
be in the backfield on 3rd and long to help protect Cutler against the rush.
While the Bears really only have Matt Forte and Michael Ford at runningback as
of now, I'm not convinced Carey is a lock to make the Bears 53-man regular
season roster.
Due to trading up to select Vereen in the
fourth round, the Bears didn't have a fifth round pick, but did possess two
sixth round draft choices. With those two picks, the Bears drafted San Jose
State quarterback David Fales and Miami punter Pat O'Donnell. Fales fits
Trestman's offense as good as well as late round quarterback in this year's
draft.
While Fales doesn't have the strongest arm
or quickest feet, Fales is extremely accurate, reads defenses and his
progressions well and aware in the pocket. Trestman's offense is predicated on
getting the ball out quickly and hitting the Bears weapons in stride, something
Fales has shown he's been able to do over the course of his collegiate career.
As for O'Donnell, it'll be interesting to see if he wins the starting job. Adam
Podlesh has been a disappointment since replacing Bears great Brad Maynard.
O'Donnell isn't your typical "scrawny punter." O'Donnell benched 225
pouns 23 times, just one less rep than Bears DT's Ferguson and Sutton.
In the seventh round the Bears selected
offensive tackle Charles Leno Jr. and as long as he's not as bad as former
Bears seventh round draft choice in left tackle J'Marcus Webb then he'll be ok.
I'm not sure Leno will make the Bears opening day roster but I do see him
sticking on the Bears practice roster. Leno can play both tackle and guard,
giving him an advantage over most O-Lineman. However Leno is undersized at 303
pounds and must get stronger to compete at the next level. If he does find his
way onto the Bears regular season roster, I can only see it as a reserve
lineman who may get in on Field Goal.
Overall I'd give the Bears draft a B+
grade. Emery continues to prove he knows how to evaluate talent but is 1/2 in
his stint as the Bears GM with his first round selections. How well Fuller does
in the next three years will dictate how good this draft really was, even if
the Bears other selections pan out to be better than expected.
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