2007 Bears Draft Preview
Coming off an appearance in the Super Bowl, the Bears don't have a lot of holes. They don't have any holes, really. They have some positions where there's not a lot of depth, but there are no holes. Here's where they're light:
1. Defensive Line - Tommie Harris is coming off an injury, Tank Johnson has a suspension in his future, and both Ian Scott and Alfonso Boone are goners. They did sign Anthony Adams to replace the departed Scott, and hopefully Dusty Dvoracek can come back from injury and do a decent Alfonso Boone impression. (The bar isn't very high.) But still, I'd like to see the Bears pick up someone beefy on day one.
2. Offensive Line - The Bears are returning all five starters from a year ago, but some of those guys are starting to get up there. Brown, Miller, and Tait are 35, 34, and 32, respectively. The Bears web site lists Kreutz at 29, and that shocks me. I would have bet my left eye that the nine-year veteran was at least 32. Go figure. He's just one year older than Garza, Metcalf and St. Clair; the other heavy contributers on the roster. So even with Kid Kreutz anchoring the line, nobody good could really be classified as "young." (Sorry, Olin.) They desperately need help on the O-Line in the first two rounds.
3. Linebacker - Screw Lance Briggs. Call his bluff, let him sit out the first ten games of the year. It doesn't help the Bears in the long run, but I'm willing to sacrifice the future a little to send a message that the Bears aren't pushovers. If the Bears bow to Briggs demands, what's to stop the next guy from pulling the same crap? The precident will have been set. So stay strong, Jerry. I bet he suits up by week 3. Seven million is a lot to give up.
On a related note, Briggs is no doubt a goner after 2007. Better get someone good.
4. Running Back - The Bears don't need to spend a high pick on a runner, but I suspect a replacement for Thomas Jones will arrive sometime Sunday.
5. Tight End - Was Desmond Clark for real this year? He and Gilmore were a pretty solid combo, but if that guy from Miami is still around in the early 20s the Bears should seriously consider trading up.
6. Wide Receiver - Bernard Berrian should be a fixture for the next several years, but nobody else on the roster gives me the warm fuzzies about 2008 and beyond. Moose will probably be cut after this season, and Mark Bradley has yet to stay on the field enough for the team to count on him.
And that's really about it. Notice I didn't give names on who the Bears should draft. Just the positions that need attention. I'm not going to claim to be a college football expert, and all I'd be doing is regurgitating the top players from the lists that Kiper and Scouts, Inc. have prepared for me. And they're usually wrong 80% of the time anyways, so screw it. All I'll say is, Jerry, pick the best players available on the board when your number comes up. I've gotten to the point where I trust your judgement. Especially on Defense. Offense, you're a little shaky, but you draft Defense like a mofo. So you go on with your bad self. And don't go cheap. That's all I ask.
Bear Down.