WrigleyField 22

The Baltimore Ravens select Darry Beckwith, LB, LSU http://www.tigerrag.com/wp-content/uploads/darry-beckwith_low.jpg

Yea it does seem early, but within a month of the draft, theres always a few guys who shoot up really quickly or fall really quickly. Maybe he is one of those guys.

He's not a huge name, but from what I can gather he has contacts and NFL teams actually pay him to devise different draft "strategies" such as "run on WRs" or "run on RBs". His actual name is Jeff Risdon. I googled his name and haven't found anything definitive to confirm, but RealGM is generally a pretty well run website, and I'd take anything they report with more than just a grain of salt. But obviously wouldn't take it as gospel either. A really big grain of salt maybe. I didn't follow his articles last draft, so I can't compare how accurate he was or anything, but I'd lean towards the idea that he has contacts. Even with contacts, he may be completely off, but its something. edit- here's something: I guess he has been featured in Sirius radio: http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=807539 So he must have some credentials.

Agreed. So that being said, I want the 8 seed and Cleveland. Reason being I want Rose to have to see what Lebron James does every night to take over games. Thats what Rose needs to learn.

Asked another question to the draft guy at RealGM and got this response. In the next incarnation Maclin will be long gone by the time Chicago picks. In earlier versions I actually had Harvin, and I know one of the keys for them is that he can supplant Peterson as the 3rd down RB, which is a point of emphasis this offseason. Now that they signed Kevin Shaffer (GREAT move IMO), it sure looks like Harvin is a real possibility. But don't rule out a 3-technique DT to play next to Harris at that spot either--and both Peria Jerry and Jarron Gilbert are in play. Kenny Britt has their attention too, and they love his size at WR.

If that was the Bears direction, they couldn't really do better as far as draft picks.

I have concerns with Harvin being similar to Hester, thus the "WTF", but if the Bears feel like he is the best player there, you take him and worry about it later. It just depends who falls. I can't wait to see what happens though. I'm not so sure I could see CB, but I'd actually really like the Peria Jerry pick. It just depends on whos there though. Is Tory Holt still unsigned? If the Bears could just go pick up a stop gap WR like him, they really would have the flexibility to go BPA in the draft. We'd be in a position where we have long term needs at everywhere but TE and RB, but it wouldn't matter what long term needs we filled, we could just get the best player. As it stands now though, WR makes the most sense for the first rounder, second round at the latest. Trading down is also another big wilcard, not only because it changes who we'd be looking at with our first pick, but it would give us another early pick to play around with on something that might not be a pressing need, like LB or CB.

WR makes the most sense, but no one is really likely to make an immediate impact, so its really a pick for the future. Hester will enter as the #1. Oh and did anyone see what Kiper had to say about the Bears and WR. Seems to think Percy Harvin is their guy. WTF?

I think its was most likely the case already, but now I think its almost certain unless someone really good at T falls and there isn't a worthy WR. Even then I wouldn't be surprised with a trade down.

With this move and draft talk focusing on WR I think we're pretty firmly looking at WR in the first. Also, I think it may signal that after that, the Bears will go BPA. Unless the Bears cut someone (I wouldn't mind Garza depending on the cap hit) Angelo probably doesn't see OL as an immediate need. Who might they think is the BPA in the second round? Pat White. I feel more and more by the day that this is going to happen. Current Depth: QB- Orton-Hanie-Basanez (if you draft White, set w/ Hanie/Basanez battle) RB- Forte-Jones-Wolfe-Peterson (Set) FB- Davis (Set) WR- Rd1-Hester-Bennett-Davis-Rideau? TE- Olsen-Clark-Davis (Set) OT- Williams, Shaffer, Omilaye OG-Garza, Beekman, Buenning C- Kruetz (Line could carry 8, but they've gone with 7 before) DE- Brown, Ogunleye, Anderson, Idonije DT- Harris, Harrison, Dvoracek, Adams OLB- Briggs, Roach, Hillenmeyer, Williams, LaRocque MLB- Urlacher CB- Tillman, Vasher, Graham, McBride, Hamilton S- Payne, Stetlz, Manning, Bullocks, Bowman K- Gould P- Maynard LS- Mannelly Thats 50, with competition open at OL, DL, LB, DB, WR. What I see is an aging and declining defense that could get most of the attention rounds 3-7.

Still don't see true #1 potential. Maybe for a typical Bears offense he's good enough for a #1, but that actually means a average to good #2.

Woot for quick picks and no one on my draft board going the last two.

Hmmm, I would think a lot of our return success is built upon blocking, and not just Hester/Manning. That hurts. So whats our biggest strength now, blocked field goals?

I said it to someone when the Cutler to Chicago rumors first started to come out that I could see this becoming like Amare to the Bulls or Peavy to the Cubs. It's obviously no where near that level yet, but I won't be surprised if it gets there within the next month.

Its worth it to overpay a little. Even if we overpay and can't fill all our needs this off season, we will have secured a franchise QB which is one of the hardest things to fill. Whatever we can't address this offseason gets put off a year.

http://mlb.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_453954.jpg

Thats probably the best post ever.

Bears pick up a compensatory third rounder for Bernard Berrian. 99th overall. Also get two sevenths, 246 and 251, for Gilmore and Ayanbadejo. Cha Ching!

I got an answer from the guy over at RealGM and here's what he has to say about the Bears and White: Based on that quote, I wouldn't be happy with the Bears drafting White.

It also involves an unbalanced line most of the time. Also, what else are we supposed to call it? Do terms like Cover 2, West Coast, etc bother you. Its just a term that everyone mutually agrees to call a particular thing.

I guess. Its all very hypothetical anyways though.

I never said specifically that I wanted it to happen, but that I'd be intrigued by the possibility. However, it'd also be contingent on a few other things. 1. Trade down to the late first or early second to pick up an additional second rounder so we could still fill needs. 2. Pick him with the last second rounder or the third rounder. I'd want to fill needs first. 3. We are trying him as a Wildcat QB. I don't see him having value as a "traditional" QB 4. Probably would want a new OC, but obviously that won't happen now. Turner gets one season to try it out though. So let's just say we trade down and looked like this: Rd2a- Robert Ayers- DE or Louis Delmas- FS or WR (BPA-Britt,Williams,Robiskie,etc) Rd2b- Phil Loadholt- RT or Best Available Lineman (Guard or Tackle) Rd2c- Pat White Rd3- BPA (WR/DE/FS) -whatever we didn't address before Rd3/4*- BPA (WR/DE/FS) -whatever we didn't address before Rd4-7- Whatever, BPA, RB, LB, CB, anything *Comp pick for Berrian That first pick I would really prefer to be WR because its more pressing than DE or FS, but just kind of depends on who's around. I'd be pleased enough that will filled some needs that we then took a chance on White. Also, as far as trading down goes thats only if there isn't a really good pick to be made at 18. For instance, I wouldn't want to trade down with Maclin on the board so we could possibly get Pat White later. So I don't really think the draft plan should be lets trade down so we can get Pat White. Rather, if we happened to trade down just because we liked the value, and Pat White was still around after we filled some needs that'd be okay. So to answer the question if I want it to happen: I'd say kind of, but kind of not, but I'd definitely be intrigued as long as the draft played out in a way that we still filled our needs.

I think White in the 2nd would be a bad idea and the Bears won't do it. If they did, they'd fail to implement it properly. If you think otherwise fine, but I'm not sure what this discussion is about anymore. Its a discussion of the hypothetical scenario of running the Wildcat offense and spending a second or third rounder on Pat White to do so. It kind of became whether or not the Bears would do it, but I was originally less concerned about whether or not they would. Just curious how people would feel if they did. I'd be intrigued and nervous, but excited for the possibility it could work, and you think its a stupid idea.

Return man was actually a big need that year. It wasn't a second round need. We had Berrian, Davis, and possibly Vasher all capable of doing so. Plus many fans felt he would have been around much longer.

True, but a good return man touches the ball a few times a game. IF White or any other QB became a good Wildcat QB, even for just 12% of the snaps, which is how much Miami ran it last year, thats 7 or 8 plays. If you upped that to 20-30%, that would yield 12-18 plays per game.