ChicagoSportsBlogs : Non Compete

This past Sunday, I got off the phone with a family member who was in Indianapolis for the NFL Combine. I love the Combine. It takes being a Monday morning quarterback to another level. I like playing GM better than I like playing sports writer. The extra cash the GM's in the NFL make might have something to do with that.

This year I made it a point to watch the Combine on the NFL network. Their coverage has been spectacular. Actually, I think I have better insider information on some of these college players thanks to the NFL Network than my true "insider". My insider isn't able to watch everyone's workout. I can. While some sites have taken the risk of blowing their insider's cover, I'm going to avoid that altogether by speaking in generalizations. So here are the questions I asked:

Q: Who is the best player at the Combine?

A: Jake Long.

Q: What are the Bears looking at?

A: They checked out the linebackers pretty hard. I didn't see them anywhere near the wide receivers. Of course offensive linemen were of interest.

Q: Who did well, whose stock went higher?

A: Local boy Rashard Mendenhall. He leapfrogged Jon Stewart. I didn't see him lift, and he is small in person but he is in great shape.

Q: Is there anyone who surprised you?

A: Glenn Dorsey. For obvious reasons listed here.

Mendenhall ran a 4.4 40 today. Marshall Faulk has him as his 2nd ranked running back. Some people argue that Mendenhall is a safer pick than McFadden because he has fewer off the field issues, is healthier, and he doesn't fumble as much as McFadden has. Personally I like Stewart from Oregon. I'm guessing McFadden will go before Mendenhall simply based on the fact that he was in the SEC. Stewart might drop slightly as a result of Mendenhall's success at the Combine which is fine by me. Let him drop to the Bears at the 14th pick!

We know the Bears like Flacco and Henne for quarterbacks in this year's draft. I saw Flacco workout today. He is impressive simply because he is the opposite of Rex Grossman. He is big and has a cannon for an arm. He reminds me of Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger. I'm not alone in this comparison. I'm not sure if Flacco is the right guy for the Bears to draft in the second round. I don't think he would be given the opportunity to push Orton or Grossman as a rookie. That defeats the purpose of drafting a young quarterback. Henne on the other hand is more polished. He could come in and look eerily similar to Kyle Orton. Both were Big Ten quarterbacks. We already know that Ron Turner has a bit of a crush on Henne from his years at Illinois. The guy I think the Bears will end up drafting is USC senior, John David Booty. I have nothing to base this on other than it always seems that the guy we really want gets drafted just before we get on the clock.

Passing drills are being replayed tonight. I'm a bit disappointed to hear the Bears were nowhere in sight during wide receiver drills, but hey, when was a rookie wideout able to make any impact on a team? Don't answer that.

I like playing GM.

Bear Down!