Bears Draft, Day 1: What were they thinking?
It's ridiculous to grade a draft on draft day. At least two or three seasons must pass before a real judgement can be passed. I mean, who knows? Maybe Danieal Manning will be the next Donnell Woolford. Point is, Angelo's track record isn't bad, especially in the later rounds, and the guys need to play before I completely rip him to shreds for his choices.
That said, what the hell are the Bears thinking?
First of all, they traded down. Trading down isn't necessarily a bad strategy, as you can stockpile picks and fill multiple positions of need in one swoop. But they totally got ripped off today. One slot before the Bears pick, the Giants traded down seven spots and picked up a third rounder and a fourth rounder. Defensible move. The Bears traded down sixteen spots and picked up a third rounder. Um, hello! Maybe the Bills threw the Brooklyn Bridge in the deal.
When the 42nd pick came around, the Bears took Danieal Manning from Abilene Christian, a Division II school that hasn't had a player drafted since 1985. Like virtually every Bears fan, my first thought was "Who?" I had no idea who this guy was, and I eagerly awaited some highlights on ESPN. Problem is, they never came. He was probably the only guy in the first two rounds who didn't get his sixty seconds in the spotlight (which really sucks for him and his family). ESPN just glossed right over the pick, other than a two-second mention in between LenDale White interviews. So I looked him up on the Internet. Scouts, Inc said he was the sixth best DB overall and said he was "worth a gamble in the fourth round." Kiper had him rated the fifth best DB and his latest mock draft had him going with the last pick in the 2nd round, 64th overall. At 42, he sounds like a reach. On the bright side, my Dad said that he'll probably work for minimum wage.
With the 57th pick, the Bears took "Return Specialist" Devin Hester from "The U" (Miami). A big school at least, but the guy doesn't have a position. He'll play some corner, and he might play some receiver, though he never played much of either position in college. As a game-breaking kick returner, he fills a big hole immediately so I can't be too upset with this pick. A sourpuss Bears fan might point out, though, that one of Danieal Manning's supposed assets is his ability to return kicks. The Bears may have been better off filling another position with this pick.
With their third round pick, obtained from Buffalo and number 73 overall, the Bears took DT Devin Dvoracek from Oklahoma. This pick infuriated me the most. Nothing against Dvoracek, of course, but the Bears didn't need him. Even if Tank Johnson is out for the year, they've still got Tommie Harris, Ian Scott, Alfonso Boone, Israel Idonije, and Michael Haynes. They've got Tackles coming out of their earholes.
That's my problem with the entire day, really. Let's see, the Bears gave up the fewest points in the league, the second-fewest yards, and had five Pro Bowlers on defense. The Offense ranked 29th and struggled to score two touchdowns a game . So what did they do this offseason? They picked up two cornerbacks via free agency, drafted another, traded down and spent their first three picks on defense. It all makes PERFECT sense. (Note that they also picked up free agent QB Brian Griese, but that doesn't fit into my rant so well.)
Players the Bears passed on that could have helped, in the order that they were picked: TE Mercedes Lewis, CB Kelly Jennings, LB DeMeco Ryans, LB Rocky McIntosh, WR Chad Jackson, CB Jimmy Williams, S Daniel Bullocks, WR Sinorice Moss, TE Joe Klopfenstein, CB Richard Marshall, and TE Leonard Pope. The Bears just missed out on Pope in the third round, as Denny Green's Cardinals grabbed him exactly one pick before the Bears. Should have taken Pope with that 57th pick. All Tight Ends worth anything are gone at this point, so you can forget about the Bears taking one tomorrow.
Again, not all of the players I listed will pan out. In fact, I bet at least half of them are busts. That's the nature of the draft. It's just the Bears philosophy that pissed me off today. They picked with their wallets, and they completely ignored the offensive side of the ball.
Finally, if there is a bright side to all this, at least I didn't spend the day at Soldier Field. I was down in the Museum Campus this morning on family business, and I saw all the Bears fans lining up to watch the draft at the stadium on the jumbotron. The weather was chilly and rainy all day. Can you imagine sitting there for four hours, only to see the Bears trade down sixteen picks (and two more hours) only to draft a D-II corner that nobody's ever heard of? I'd rather have my teeth drilled without novacaine.
Update (4/30/2006): As for day 2, the Bears picked two more defenders, a Linebacker and Defensive End in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively. Finally, in the sixth round, they picked up a Fullback and a Guard with their last two picks. In today's Sun-Times, Angelo was quoted as saying, "I don't bring a depth chart to the draft." Obviously.