NightLink: Let's Talk Wide Receiver

Who would be the Chicago Bears best choice for WR in the 1st round of the 2009 NFL draft?

Can I say Crabtree? Or is this a rhetorical question?

If Maclin isn’t there……. I’m not real intrigued by anybodyelse. I was high on DHB (HA) a couple months ago but I’m having my doubts now. Nicks is solid but as ChiFan pointed out he scored an 11 on his ‘Lic test, which raises some eyebrows. I’m not a fan of Britt and don’t want him at 18. I think a decision might be based on “who we don’t take and the Vikings do a few picks later”. Would JA rather see DHB twice a year or Nicks? Based on that we’ll more than likely go DHB.

but I think JA drafts a WR and he needs to find a number one in the mold of Santonio Holmes. Holmes was the 25th pick.

I think the Bears will be fine at WR next season with (# 1 pick WR), Hester, Bennett, Rideau
I think they should cut Davis and I really liked Hass did they cut him?I thought hass would have been a good fifth receiver. I mean he caught everything thrown to him. You put him in a gap and then just throw it to him he’ll get it. You don’t always need speed you need 3rd down possession receivers.

Percy Harvin a Hester-like Player? : Really?

Obviously Maclin if he’s there, but I’ve been pushing DHB through out the entire draft discussion. The guy is a burner, obviously, and he’s tall. I know his production wasn’t great and we’ve all heard the fighting turles offense wasn’t good and even then they had a run first approach. But it was a pro-style offense (I guess just meaning it wasn’t a spread). In the same sense, for everyone who likes Nicks, he played along side Brandon Tate and Brooks Foster, both wide receivers expected to be drafted this year. Did they take defenses attention away from Nicks? DHB was obviously the attention of the opponents defense every week. And Butch Davis is a hell of a coach as well. I have no idea who coaches Maryland and I’m not gonna bother to look it up. So if DHB’s production wasn’t good enough, maybe Nicks was a little inflated. People have said Nicks is the most pro-ready, but maybe that low Wonderlic score shows he’ll struggle with the playbook. Bennett did and he’s a Vandy guy. I realize we need a possession guy but we did draft the all-time receptions leader in the SEC last year. Sounds like a possession receiver to me. Personally, I would not be disappointed with Nicks at all but I think DHB’s upside is difficult to ignore. And I know I’ve said this before, but with Hester and DHB as our starting WOs, they would be the fastest duo in the NFL. Thats gotta open the underneath stuff for the TEs and/or Bennett. That can’t be a bad thing.

Also glad Harvin seems to be out of the discussion.

and we are not getting one out of this draft. Maclin and Crabtree will be long gone at #18. Trade down into the high 20s and pick up a 2nd tier WR like Britt et al. DHB, Nicks, and Harvin are projects for teams that can develop offensive talent or need a D Hester-type return guy. Does Turner’s staff have a record of getting the most out of WRs? Late-first round usually means guys who have some intrinsic motivation to succeed and won’t be as big a $$ bite in the event he is a bust; or the Bears fail to develop him! They should go after Holt to help develop Hester and the other youngsters and get an OT in the first round; the chances are better with so much OL talent available.

I think I would go DHB. At 18, I think he’s the best choice out of those who would be available. But really, if that’s my best option I don’t want to go WR there.

Robiskie sounds intriguing, although I’m a little leery of a guy who’s called a “possession” receiver right out of college (read: slow). But I wouldn’t want to spend the 18th pick on him, because I don’t think anyone else has him nearly that high. If you could trade down to around the top of the 2nd round, that would be about where you’d want to pick him up. Now, I don’t know that that’s worth doing but if you’re telling me our first pick has to be a WR, that would be my plan.

Just jokin’ I hope I got a bit of a laugh with that one.

But really, to me I think it’s gotta be DHB or Nicks. I realize Nicks might be an idiot or a bit of a lazy man seeing as he put on weight. But I think if I really had to make the decision I’d say DHB. He can take some pressure off of Hester with his speed. That would help us tremendously. What I really would want is a poor man’s Larry Fitz; someone physical who might not have ridic speed but can out jump or out fight and just plain work hard for the ball every time. For that I feel like you’d be closer to that with Nicks or Britt, however, neither seems to me to be a very safe pick at 18. Crabtree could be similar to Fitz, but he’ll never be there at 18.

Oh and if Maclin is at 18, then ignore everything I just wrote

with the 18th pick. And comparing Crabtree to Fitz is a huge stretch. Crabtree is know doubt a heck of a talent but he also played in the big 12 which I believe has had the worst D’s the last few years and i also think he is 6’1 not 6’3 as listed in chifans post. Crabtree wont even be on the board so he shouldnt be a consideration… IMO of course. If Maclin or Harvin are their then maybe but I say OL or trade down to get a high 2nd rd spot giving us two 2nd rd picks a high and alow, and get Britt (whos character issues are slowly being erased) and Herman Johnson from LSU or Loadholt or the kid from S. Carolina Merridith I think. We need to solidify our line.

This isn’t an expert opinion, btw, but I agree that Crabtree and Maclin are likely gone, and scouts don’t generally rate the rest of the WR group as likely No. 1 receivers. Not in Year No. 1, anyway.

My preference is the OL this year. A guy like Oher sounds good to me, and I wouldn’t mind trading up five or six spots to land a tackle if our scouts fall in love with one. You only need so many mediocre young players — trading up occasionally makes it interesting.

I hope we draft some WRs. But I gotta admit that the thought of drafting DHB or even my fellow Tar Hell Nicks at 18 scares me.