Maclin's Out, Who Now?

by Adam T on Jan 22, 2009 7:38 AM CST

An early look at the mock drafts had the Bears selecting Jeremy Maclin. Maclin hasn't done anything, but his name is making a Herculian rise up the boards. Kiper has him currently going at #7. So now that a majority of mocks have moved him up, who is the current favorites for the Bears pick?

NFL New Draft

18. Chicago Bears: Darius Heyward-Bey, WR, MD

The Bears defense is getting older but I think they go after a playmaking receiver to help their QB in the 2009 season. Bey is supposed to run in the 4.3’s in the 2009 NFL Draft Combine. He is ranked as my 3rd best WR in this 2009 NFL Mock Draft because of his size and speed.

Consensus Draft Service

PICK #18 The Bears Pick: Darrius Heyward-Bey (WR, Maryland) When a converted cornerback is your #1 receiver you know you have problems. After the emergence of Kyle Orton as a solid QB the Bears know they need to get him a real weapon if this team is to return to the Super Bowl. Enter DHB who has the skill set to become a very good NFL receiver.

Pro Football America

18. Chicago Bears: Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois

Football Jabber

18. Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina

Through my mock drafting, Heyward-Bey and Vontae Davis were the most commonly players selected players for the Bears.

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Comments

Wait to the Combine...

I have a feeling Darius Heyward-Bey may turn out to be the best receiver in this draft. After the combine his stock may jump up higher than Maclin’s, due to his size, speed, and athletic ability.

With that being said… I personally think Heyward-Bey would be an excellent pick for the Bears. Maclin and Harvin have great speed, can be return specialists, and dangerous with the ball, but that sounds a lot like Devin Hester to me. Yet, at 6’3’’ with 4.39 speed Heyward-Bey sounds more like an every down receiver the Bears need.

by sirus19x on Jan 22, 2009 7:59 AM CST reply actions

Agreed...

Before the college football season started, Todd McShay said that Heyward-Bey was the #1 player to watch in college football, and that he might even be better than Crabtree. Of course it hurts your ability to make plays when your QB can’t get you the ball. Plus I always wanted the Bears to have a big-playmaking receiver. So I would be happy with this pick despite the fact that I think the Bears have a bigger hole at O-Line.

by chase17 on Jan 22, 2009 5:56 PM CST up reply actions

Big O Lineman

I think the Bears should go after B.J. Rajid if he is stiil there at 18. He is big enough to really compliment Forte. He could also be used on the D line if needed. There will still be good WRs in the 2nd round.

by luckie815 on Jan 22, 2009 8:01 AM CST reply actions

Raji

is a DT from Boston College. He’s rated as the #1 DT prospect right now by McShay I believe too. He won’t be on the OL.

-Jmac

by isuarch80 on Jan 22, 2009 10:22 AM CST up reply actions

PERCY HARVIN

havent seen DHB, but i like the size and speed.

by No It All on Jan 22, 2009 8:02 AM CST reply actions

OLine, In the first round, again.

Things will get better as they improve...

by Dane Noble on Jan 22, 2009 9:00 AM CST reply actions

we need two 1st rounders this year

by No It All on Jan 22, 2009 9:10 AM CST reply actions

Regarding DHB

Are we sure his stock would go up greatly at the combine? Some coaches would have to look no further than fellow Terp and workout wonder Vernon Davis and say “Maybe we shouldn’t shoot this guy up to 6th or 7th”.

That being said, even Caleb Hanie is a massive improvement over Chris Turner and Jordan Steffty (the Fridge and Angelo seem to have found a bond in the “Refuse to Look for a Quarterback” sweepstakes), and DHB was completely underutilized this season. While I would always go for the trenches first, I wouldn’t be too upset if there was a fellow Terp on the Bears. (Oh where did you go, Leon Joe [Detroit, I think])

As long as we don’t trade the draft pick for Matt Cassel (you know, with no Patriots offensive line or Randy Moss to make him look remotely competent), I’ll be fine with it.

Insert clever and witty remark slash pun here!

UMD 8/04 - 5/08: Go Terps!

by ES46NE10 on Jan 22, 2009 9:18 AM CST reply actions

Hey

You went to UMD I see. I live about 45 minutes from UMD and all my boys went there so I used to spend every weekend there. Cluck U is the best drunk food place ever.

by McRipper on Jan 22, 2009 10:21 AM CST up reply actions

Oh God Yes It Is

I would think that DHB could go up and get the ball, as it seems he has the talent to do so, but the quarterback play has been so abysmal that the opportunity is not there, team record be damned.

What lineman could possibly fall to the team / be on the board when Chicago picks?

Insert clever and witty remark slash pun here!

UMD 8/04 - 5/08: Go Terps!

by ES46NE10 on Jan 22, 2009 10:41 AM CST up reply actions

Herman Johnson 6'7 380 LG LSU

by No It All on Jan 22, 2009 11:05 AM CST up reply actions

Agreed

Md’s QBs are worse than the Bears. DHB hasn’t really had the opportunity to show what he can really do. After the combine, we’ll get a better idea of how teams perceive him. I think he’ll do really well in the combine and be a late 1st early 2nd grade.

I haven’t really looked at the draft prospects just yet. I will here after the Super Bowl and get a good idea of who’s who among the prospects. Other then Olsen(which was a no-brainer), drafting offense with the 1st pick hasn’t gone well. I would like to think that the Bears could actually evaluate Olineman prospects and pick the best one available but that might be wishful thinking.

by McRipper on Jan 22, 2009 11:07 AM CST up reply actions

Has anyone watched these guys play a lot?

Do any of these WRs GO UP AND GET THE BALL like Fitzgerald or Moss do?

I'm not going to even bother trying to update this sig everyday anymore... that's what the standings column on ESPN is for.
Updated on May 25, 2008

by SackMan on Jan 22, 2009 9:43 AM CST reply actions

DHB would and so would Hicks from NC

Harvin is too small to attempt to go up for it and Crabtree and Maclin will both be gone

Derrick Rose-2009 ROTY Tyrus Thomas-2009 MIP...hope I'm at least half right

by CHCOWNTHECENTRAL on Jan 22, 2009 10:11 AM CST up reply actions

move up and draft crabtree

by No It All on Jan 22, 2009 10:14 AM CST reply actions

Yeah, just cut in line.

I’m sure it would be just that simple. And while we are at it, just go and grab Brady, Boldin, Haynesworth, and Freeney.

Things will get better as they improve...

by Dane Noble on Jan 22, 2009 10:20 AM CST up reply actions

not saying it would be easy

but if WR is the greatest need, which i think it is, then Crabtree is the best available. If the Bears are determined to draft a WR in the 1st rd (pick #18) then i wouldn’t me at all upset if they upped the stakes a bit a moved up to get the sure fire number 1 WR out there this offseason and perfect fit for the NFL/the Bears in Crabtree instead DHB or Harvin. It just won’t happen. Mainly because the Bears would have to pay a high pick big $ and they don’t do that.

moving up from #18 to say #4 is easier than trading for Brady, Boldin, Haynesworth, and/or Freeney. Especially if we include the #18 in the trade. btw Boldin isn’t going anywhere. Bears are too vanilla to do this but Crabtree is going to be great.

by No It All on Jan 22, 2009 11:03 AM CST up reply actions

moving up from 18 to 4

would take our pick plus next years #1, we could probably get Boldin for that, and that would be a much better bet.

by reprisal on Jan 22, 2009 8:08 PM CST up reply actions

Scouts Inc

Doesn’t even have DHB as a 1st round grade; they have their top 32 prospects listed and he’s not in there. There are 5 other wrs ahead of him, at least, including Crabtree, Maclin, Harvin, Nicks and Brandon Lafell. Just thought that was interesting.
In my opinion, we definintely don’t need Harvin. We have Hester. Same guy for the most part. I do like DHB’s measurables really nicely. Living in the south, I’ve seen a lot of Lafell, and I’m just impressed. But maybe he turns out to be the next Bowe from LSU; I just don’t know. Nicks and DHB do seem to be the best available WRs at 18.

-Jmac

by isuarch80 on Jan 22, 2009 10:31 AM CST reply actions

Nicks or Heyward-Bey

Both of these guys are excellent and I wouldn’t be disappointed if the Bears took one of them. Down here in SC, they show a lot of ACC football games and I’ve seen both play quite a bit. I really feel like both of these guys have great size, speed, and the ability to snatch the ball out of the air. We will see!

by Stellarpete22 on Jan 22, 2009 10:35 AM CST reply actions

I'm not entirely sure about this

but doesn’t Harvin have injury issues. Not as in one lingering, but I seem to recall him being banged up often.

Being Who You Thought We Were Since 2005!

by Adam T on Jan 22, 2009 11:12 AM CST reply actions

yes. he was banged up at the end of this season

rumor was he was too banged up to play in the championship game. Any incoming bears WR is going to be asked to catch a lot of passes in the middle of the field so toughness is definitely important.

by No It All on Jan 22, 2009 11:31 AM CST up reply actions

a top Wide Receiver is the biggest need for the Bears

they have 1 speedy deep threat type in Hester, but no one else has shown much of anything. The Bears will probably decide to live with Davis(new contract) and Bennett(3rd round pick last year) at the slot. No other WRs on the roster worth building around. So they need a WR with good size to present a decent target to throw to. Hakeem Nicks(#21 overall prospect on DraftTek consensus scouting report) and DHB would fit that role, but #18 is a bit too high for them(pre combine projections), IMO, the Bears should trade down 6-10 spots and take the best of those two WRs.

by gillrowdy on Jan 22, 2009 11:47 AM CST reply actions

The key part of your comment is "pre-combine"

So much can, and will, happen at the combines that will move some people way up the charts, and others way down. Who knows where these guys will end up?

Things will get better as they improve...

by Dane Noble on Jan 22, 2009 11:56 AM CST up reply actions

Mel Kiper has put his first edition of the mock draft out:

Mel Kiper’s first round 1-16
Pick Team Player Position College
1 Detroit Matthew Stafford QB Georgia
2 St. Louis Andre Smith OT Alabama
3 Kansas City Mark Sanchez QB USC
4 Seattle Michael Crabtree WR Texas Tech
5 Cleveland Aaron Curry LB Wake Forest
6 Cincinnati Jason Smith OT Baylor
7 Oakland Jeremy Maclin WR Missouri
8 Jacksonville Eugene Monroe OT Virginia
9 Green Bay Malcolm Jenkins CB Ohio St.
10 San Francisco Aaron Maybin DE/OLB Penn St.
11 Buffalo Brandon Pettigrew TE Oklahoma St.
12 Denver B.J. Raji DT Boston College
13 Washington Brian Orakpo DE Texas
14 New Orleans Vontae Davis CB Illinois
15 Houston Everette Brown DE Florida St.
16 San Diego Knowshon Moreno RB Georgia

The rest of his draft is for Insiders only… and my membership ran out last month. Anyone have an account that can post the rest?

I only bring this up, because Kiper has historically been pretty good. (better than most)

Things will get better as they improve...

by Dane Noble on Jan 22, 2009 12:01 PM CST reply actions

I have an account

but I’m pretty sure I can’t post it legally.

I'M A MAN! I'M 22!

by ChiFan13 on Jan 22, 2009 12:03 PM CST up reply actions

That's what I was thinking,

But wasn’t sure…

Things will get better as they improve...

by Dane Noble on Jan 22, 2009 12:43 PM CST up reply actions

That would be correct. Thanks for not posting it.

Chi and I have the list. If there is any particular team other than the Bears anybody would like to know, we can drop the names.

Being Who You Thought We Were Since 2005!

by Adam T on Jan 22, 2009 1:40 PM CST up reply actions

Round 1

Mel Kiper’s first round
Pick Team Player Position College
1 Detroit Matthew Stafford QB Georgia
2 St. Louis Andre Smith OT Alabama
3 Kansas City Mark Sanchez QB USC
4 Seattle Michael Crabtree WR Texas Tech
5 Cleveland Aaron Curry LB Wake Forest
6 Cincinnati Jason Smith OT Baylor
7 Oakland Jeremy Maclin WR Missouri
8 Jacksonville Eugene Monroe OT Virginia
9 Green Bay Malcolm Jenkins CB Ohio St.
10 San Francisco Aaron Maybin DE/OLB Penn St.
11 Buffalo Brandon Pettigrew TE Oklahoma St.
12 Denver B.J. Raji DT Boston College
13 Washington Brian Orakpo DE Texas
14 New Orleans Vontae Davis CB Illinois
15 Houston Everette Brown DE Florida St.
16 San Diego Knowshon Moreno RB Georgia
17 New York Jets Percy Harvin WR Florida
18 Chicago Tyson Jackson DE LSU
19 Tampa Bay Josh Freeman QB Kansas St.
20 Detroit (from Dallas) Rey Maualuga LB USC
21 Philadelphia Chris “Beanie” Wells RB Ohio St.
22 Minnesota Hakeem Nicks WR North Carolina
23 New England Brian Cushing LB USC
24 Atlanta Larry English DE/OLB No. Illinois
25 Miami Darrius Heyward-Bey WR Maryland
26 Baltimore D.J. Moore CB Vanderbilt
27 Indianapolis Peria Jerry DT Mississippi
28 Philadelphia (from Carolina) Michael Oher OT Mississippi
29 New York Giants James Laurinaitis LB Ohio St.
30 Tennessee Michael Johnson DE Georgia Tech
31 Arizona LeSean McCoy RB Pittsburgh
32 Pittsburgh Alex Mack C California

"I'm not so mean. I wouldn't ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." - Dick Butkus

by propheteer on Jan 22, 2009 11:30 PM CST reply actions