Chicago Bears 2007 Pre-Draft Write up!
Ok Bears fans. Today is one of the few days of the
year that I await with eager anticipation. Unfortunately, Jerry Angelo
seems intent on smashing my annual optimism by consistently making picks that
seem to run straight in the face of the Bears' apparent needs. Now I
must give credit because Jerry has really had some hits
recently. I was flabbergasted that we spent a second round pick on a
player with no position last year. Turns out that player was Devin
Hester. And Mark Anderson was an undisputed fifth round gem. Cheers
to Jerry for Tommie Harris and Lance Briggs. Good show old chap.
Still, I cannot explain how he patently ignored our need at tight end in
'06 (despite Des Clark's solid showing in '06), nor can I forgive the
Cedric Benson pick in '05 and let us not forget that every year he ignores
offense relying on the old adage that "we'll beat em with the run game and
defense." Well, if that was our plan, Cadillac Williams was still sitting
there in '05! Regardless, Jerry and I agree to disagree. So, in the
spirit of fun, here's what I would do as GM of the Bears this year. I
figure we need DT depth, a linebacker, an O Lineman, a safety and a running
back. Wow, this could be tough.
First Round - There has been a great deal of discussion
about the Bears selecting an offensive lineman with their first round
pick. Excuse me, I just puked in my garbage can. Look folks, the
Bears have a window of opportunity and it's closing fast. Offensive
linemen don't make a large impact, even if they are unbelievably good. The
fact is, only a top notch left tackle can impact a team as a rookie. I'm
talking Johnathan Ogden level and we ain't getting one of those at 31. So
please, dear god, walk away from Ben Grubbs and Joe Staley. They may be
fine players, but we need a stud or two capable of walking in and playing.
So the pick here is . . . Jon Beason. If he's there, snap him up and start
him. Even if Briggs is back, he can play strongside over Hunter. The
kid is smart, fast and productive. He'll step in right away and make the
Bears better. Secondary choices would be Justin Harrell, Dwayne Jarrett,
Steve Smith or Brandon Merriweather.
Second Round - This is a high second round pick and offers
a lot of value. If Harrell is there, snap him up. He can play in the
rotation right away. Smith or Jarrett would be great too. Sidney
Rice is also an option. I like Merriweather despite his "I'm gonna step on
this defenseless FIU player's head" incident. Alas, only one pick per
round, sooooooooo, I'm going with . . . . . . . . Justin Harrell. I
think he'll be here and we need the D line help.
Third Round - Look, Cedric will clearly be high as a kite
and injured during the season. Letting Thomas Jones go brought a salty
tear to my eye. We need a running back. Badly. And this value
is chock full of them. That's why I'm going with . . . . Justin
Blalock. Yes, he's a guard from Texas. Something tells me he's gonna
fall this far, which is a crime. This kid is a total stud. If he
gets this far, don't be fools Bears. Still, there's a good chance he won't
last to this point so my fall back is Lorenzo Booker from Florida State.
He's lightening in a bottle and would be a great compliment to Benson and
AP. He can also split out and scare some teams.
Fourth Round - Where do we go here? Where do we
go? Well, I think it's finally time to get that tight end we've been
hunting. Olson is long gone. Thank god (think ultra-bust
factor. All I see is Mike Mamula catching passes . . . or dropping
them). So, I'm going with . . . . . . . . Ben Patrick from Delaware
or Matt Spaeth from Minnesota. Spaeth is huge, a good blocker and has
good hands. Oh, and he was actually good at Minnesota, unlike Olson
at Miami. Patrick is a transfer from Duke who was great at Duke and even
better his last year at Delaware. He's more of a pass catcher, h-back and
he was, once again, I know, I'm insane, PRODUCTIVE in college. Here's
my flyer food for thought in this spot. If he's there, Troy Smith, Troy
Smith and Troy Smith. The pundits have him dropping precipitously.
This kid can flat out play and, if he's there, I say we roll with Dez Clark for
another year.
Fifth Round - So now we've addressed the DT, LB,
TE and either the O Line or RB position. In this spot is my
favorite pick of all. Sabby Piscatelli. He's huge, he's fast, he was
All Pac-10 twice and he'll play balls mean special teams and probably develop
into a starting safety. Welcome to the Bears
Sabby.
Sixth Round - Adam Archuleta. This trade was worth
every ounce of a sixth round pick.
Seventh Round - Well, this really depends on whether the
third round pick was Justin Blalock or Lorenzo Booker. If it was Booker,
I'm taking Mike Jones, a guard from Iowa. He prepped at Richards in Oak
Lawn and was a four year starter at Iowa. Oh shoot, he couldn't run a 4.9
forty so now he sucks? Don't think so. This guy manhandled dudes in
the Big Ten and he's a Chicago boy. If the pick in the third was Blalock,
I'm going with . . . . . . . Garrett Wolfe. Yeah, he's small.
So is Maurice Jones-Drew. He's also from Chicago, tore the a$$ out of some
really good defenses and has that "it" factor. Benson is pound, Wolfe is
flash. And hell, it's a seventh round pick.
So there ya go. Am I correct in all of this?
Hell no. I'd venture to guess Jerry won't pick anyone I've listed here,
but that's the magic of the draft! Oh, and we probably still need a wide
receiver or another RB depending on how this plays out. So crack a beer
and enjoy Bears fans. Here's to getting back to the Super Bowl.