NightLink: Top 10 Bears Prospects

by Dane Noble on Jul 22, 2009 5:00 PM CDT

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For the purposes of this article, the writer has defined a prospect as "a player entering their third year in the NFL or is under 25 years old."

We have mentioned the fact that the Bears seem to be building a very young and solid foundation for our offense, and 5 of the 10 players listed here are on the offensive side of the ball.

While I may not agree with everything the author writes, he has done a good job with his analysis. Here are his top 10 Bears prospects for 2009:

1- Matt Forte

2- Greg Olsen

3- Chris Williams

6- Kevin Payne

10- Corey Graham

Just missing the top 10 were: Craig Steltz, Caleb Hanie, and Johnny Knox.

Be sure to head on over to the original article and check out his analysis.

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what RB does forte compare to in the future?

any chance of LT

GO BULLS

by FAN of the BULLS on Jul 22, 2009 5:30 PM CDT reply actions

the name I hear him compared most to this year

is Brian Westbrook. I think he is a better runner than Westbrook, but if he can avoid the injury having a Westbrook is a good thing.

Being Who You Thought We Were Since 2005!

by Adam T on Jul 22, 2009 6:15 PM CDT up reply actions

an injury free westbrook would be awesome

who needs recievers then?

GO BULLS

by FAN of the BULLS on Jul 22, 2009 6:26 PM CDT up reply actions

I hate that comparison

Westbrook is a two-down scat-back with top speed. that is not what Forte is. If I compare Forte to anyone, it’s Marshall Faulk. A guy who’s not particularly fast but is a three down back who can also catch out of the backfield and line up on the outside.

Camp ifuwanna, we hold you in our heart...

by ifuwannacrownem on Jul 22, 2009 7:55 PM CDT up reply actions

Yeah, I agree

I really hope that Forte doesn’t turn out to be Westbrook.

I'M A MAN! I'M 23!

by ChiFan13 on Jul 22, 2009 8:10 PM CDT up reply actions

WTF (Wartburg Track and Field)???

Yes it would totally suck if Forte were an all pro calliber player like Westbrook.

If you can't laugh at yourself you must not be very funny.

by Just Dave on Jul 22, 2009 8:23 PM CDT up reply actions

I assume he meant injury-wise

But even still, I think having Westbrook over the next few years would be a good idea.

You just need to avoid Philly’s mistake of never having a halfway decent backup.

by TCBullfrog on Jul 22, 2009 9:55 PM CDT up reply actions

Type of RB though.

Forte could be a horse who can do EVERYTHING.

@bs_uf15bosox9be:OverTheMonster-ALLERGEN WARNING:May contain PB.

by bdalebs on Jul 22, 2009 11:21 PM CDT up reply actions

I can see what you're saying but...

…there needs to be a caveat—Marshall Faulk was flat out DOMINANT. He could stop, start, and move on a dime like few others. The only ones I’ve ever seen better was Barry Sanders and Gale Sayers, and Faulk might equal Sayers.

I like Forte, but I don’t seem him being that kind of dynamic runner. I don’t think he has those amazing moves. He could still be a top 3 RB in this league, though. But I think he would end up looking more like Terrell Davis or Clinton Portis than Faulk.

by TCBullfrog on Jul 22, 2009 9:54 PM CDT up reply actions

+1

by grand salamis on Jul 23, 2009 8:29 AM CDT up reply actions

Reminds me of Marcus Allen.

Tall, slender, great vision, deceptive speed, excellent hands and a nose “Forte” end zone :-)

Good blocker too.

by rdent4hof on Jul 22, 2009 6:51 PM CDT up reply actions

yep

I’m with you on the Marcus Allen comparison… they have similar running styles

by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on Jul 23, 2009 8:25 AM CDT up reply actions

Good List

Jamar Williams? I keep hearing he’s promising.

by Staleystan595455 on Jul 22, 2009 7:05 PM CDT reply actions

Good point

by bears rock on Jul 22, 2009 7:07 PM CDT up reply actions

I hear he's promising too, but

he’s entering his fourth year (so wouldn’t be considered for this article).

by RomeoSierra on Jul 23, 2009 2:09 AM CDT up reply actions

Or is

25 or under and JW is 24

by Staleystan595455 on Jul 23, 2009 11:56 AM CDT up reply actions

Forte reminds me of the 1 and only Marshall Faulk .Now i know forte is a bigger back but in terms of vision, being, shifty, and being able to catch ball and not fumble the rock.

by bears rock on Jul 22, 2009 7:07 PM CDT reply actions

I said it above

But I think this is flat out wrong. I don’t know how much you saw of Faulk but he is in a whole other class in terms of maneuverability and escapability. I like Forte but I think at the end of his career, if you put his highlights next to Faulk’s they will look like very different players. Still both good (I hope) but different.

by TCBullfrog on Jul 22, 2009 9:58 PM CDT up reply actions

He dosent have his style as much as his vision i have been watching Faulk ever since that trade happened between the colts and rams.You know James for Faulk and i haven’t seen a back with this much upside to a all around game since Faulk.But remember Faulk had Kurt Pace Holt and Bruce in there prime forte for his first year had Orten Hester and B grade o line that out preformed expectations with 7-8 men in the box the whole game pretty much every game.As far as vision shiftiness and all around game he is as good as Faulk was in his first year with almost the same amount of upside

by bears rock on Jul 22, 2009 10:30 PM CDT up reply actions

actually I think they are both similar

in the fact that they are both your very good all around type backs. both forte and faulk could of been premier wideouts had they come into the NFL at that position. IMO of course lol. i just disagree with your point that we had a B grade line i think we had a C- at best it was not very good in terms of sacks and such but seeing as how we upgraded the weakpoints it should be around a B+ this season. other than that your point is pretty valid bears rock!

by Staleystan595455 on Jul 23, 2009 7:57 PM CDT up reply actions

I'm with you TC.

Marcus Allen, Neal Anderson, and even a little Eric Dickerson and Eddie George. Those would be my first thoughts, when wanting to compare Forte to another player. I can see your Terrell Davis as well :-)

by rdent4hof on Jul 23, 2009 11:22 AM CDT up reply actions

Forte and Olsen are poised to be "that" guys this year...

I would love to see Forte fill out about 10-15lbs or get low more often, but he is the most complete Bears RB since Payton. Olsen is kind of make-or-break this season. He, as much as any other Bear, needs to step up to his potential and produce in this offense. I have always liked the picks of Bowman and Harrison, basically they both were big upside guys recovering from injury late in their college careers.
My biggest concern this year is Bennett. If he steps up and plays to his draft position, he makes the entire offense better. If not, we better hope Jones can spell Forte successfully. I have a very bad feeling about Iglesias. My guess is that by the end of the regular season, either Rideau and/or Knox is ahead of him on the depth chart.

by LostInSTL on Jul 22, 2009 7:27 PM CDT reply actions

I agree on Iglesias

The Bears more or less had to try to get some more young talent, which is why they took Iglesias—he was the best, safest WR left. But I’m worried that his ceiling is too low and he’s just going to end up being an adequate receiver—think Justin Gage. And more than that, he doesn’t seem to be ready to contribute this year.

All of which is okay in general, but in this specific case it kind of sucks since what we were looking for in that pick was some help this year and growth for the future it’s looking unfortunate.

by TCBullfrog on Jul 22, 2009 10:04 PM CDT up reply actions

either way..

nothing wrong with a decent possession receiver though..supposing he doesn’t have hands like butter, I wouldn’t mind seeing Iglesias battling it out with the dropapotamous..err Davis for the slot receiver position…I mean yeah he’s nothing amazing in terms of speed, but I assume the team knew exactly what they were getting when they picked him. But I can see Knox and Rideau being some combination of our 2-3-4 on the outside receiver positions at some point this season, depending how Bennett progresses.

by Pretender85 on Jul 23, 2009 3:18 AM CDT up reply actions

ROTFL...

still cannot help it when I hear/read dropapotamous.

by LostInSTL on Jul 23, 2009 6:58 AM CDT up reply actions

The jury is still out.

On Forte, I’m not sold on him just yet. Out of the guys on that list I think Olsen goes on to have a better career in the NFL.

by Big Ike on Jul 22, 2009 7:46 PM CDT reply actions

Actually, the jury isn't out on Forte.

He had a great rookie season. The Bears might’ve only won something like 5-6 games without him.

Of course, he has to follow up last season with another excellent year, but that applies to all young players.

by GeoMak on Jul 22, 2009 9:14 PM CDT up reply actions

GeoMak

Since you put it that way…

by Big Ike on Jul 23, 2009 11:25 AM CDT up reply actions

i would

put Knox over Iglesias by what we have seen so far

Bring back our honey bears...sick and tired of hearing about the dallas cowboy cheerleaders and the bars they go work at when they quit. cold weather + cheerleaders in skimpy outfits = lots of fun

by tomh115 on Jul 22, 2009 8:29 PM CDT reply actions

I agree

and think that’s the sentiments of the majority at this point. I’ll put Rideau over Iglesias as well.

by rdent4hof on Jul 23, 2009 11:27 AM CDT up reply actions

Hanie

isnt going to be a prospect, just useful backup for cutler in many years to come

by The_Fan on Jul 22, 2009 9:33 PM CDT reply actions

Iglesias over Knox?

I know Iglesias has the draft status, but I’ve heard very little about Iglesias so far and lots about Knox. I would have put Knox up there and left Iglesias off.

I’d suggest the guy wasn’t paying much attention to the Bears, but I think you’d have to be paying attention to know Johnny Knox’s name at all, so I guess he has and still likes Iglesias. Interesting.

by TCBullfrog on Jul 22, 2009 10:06 PM CDT reply actions

Can't judge the players in shorts..

Re: Iglesias v. Knox – C’mon guys, you can’t put that much faith in OTA reports.

I too am glad about the good things I’ve heard about Knox this summer, and equally bummed about the negatives on Iglesias. But take it with a healthy dose of salt; it’s just OTAs. For rookies, right now, the best thing we have to judge them on is college production. And Iglesias was extremely productive.

Let’s wait at least through training camp before we promote Knox over Iglesias.

But if it does turn out that Iglesias becomes a merely adequate receiver but Knox excels past him – I’ll happily take that outcome.

by RomeoSierra on Jul 23, 2009 2:27 AM CDT reply actions