What Can We Expect with a 3rd Round Pick? Another McNown?

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Ask any Bears fan about how the Bears do in terms of drafting and their first reaction is to roll their eyes and sigh in agony. Names like Marc Columbo, Michael Haynes, David Terrell, Cade McNown, Curtis Enis, and Dan Bazuin quickly flood the mind, reminding them of how poorly Jerry Angelo and Co. have picked their future phenoms over the past decade. If they knew as much about talent as they say they did, players like DeMarcus Ware, Troy Palamalu, Nhamdi Asomugha, and Reggie Wayne would be in the fold. Alas, the past is the past, and we have to find the silver lining in this situation where we're without a 1st round pick for the second straight season.

It's always good to be optimistic once in a while, so lets take a look back at some 3rd round gems, shall we? Frank Gore, OJ Atogwe, Justin Tuck, and Ellis Hobbs headlined the 2005 3rd round class; Chris Cooley and Matt Schaub were standouts in 2004. Lance Briggs, Jason Witten, Brian Westbrook, Adrian Wilson, and Steve Smith have all played in multiple Pro Bowls and were scooped up in the 3rd rounds from 2001 to 2003. But, as you can see, 3rd round finds are few and far between. Few names from the 2006-2009 3rd Rounds can even spark my memory, and I doubt that many of them see regular playing time. Granted, some of them are young and will blossom into solid players over time, but a 3rd round pick generally turns out being exactly "what you'd expect it to be": middle round pick, mild impact. Except for those 11 names listed earlier, that trend has generally been followed for the past decade.

So lets think strategy. First, lets assume the Bears don't trade (the suddenly expendable) Greg Olsen. The Bears come to the conclusion that even though no tight end in a Mike Martz-run offense has had more than 38 receptions since 1999, Greg Olsen is worth keeping. Making this assumption would probably be the best move for the Bears in my opinion due to the fact that we've only seen shades of his full potential and he was still able to gather 8 touchdowns in a run-first offense. I saw someone say on another forum earlier that "Olsen easily had the quietest 60 reception 8 touchdown season ever". I'd have to agree with that. The naysayers will be quick to point out he was targeted 108 times and only came away with 60 receptions, but Olsen can't be the only one to blame. A combination of shotty O-Line play and miscommunication between G-Reg and Cutler are partially to blame. With Desmond Clark aging and seeing less time, Olsen will easily see more time in goal line pass patterns where we've grown accustomed to seeing Dez. Olsen will take Clark's job as the "hands" part of the TE attack, and Manumaleuna will assume the "brick wall" roll, making a pretty potent 1-2 punch. I'm also fairly confident that Martz could find a way to split Olsen out in the slot and occasionally out wide and create some mismatches in the secondary. We saw it a few times last year, don't be surprised to see it a lot more often should Olsen stay. So, I'd have to say that unless we get someone like Randy Moss in return (and that's a stretch if I ever heard one), the mixture of potential and versatility is enough to keep Olsen in the fold for years to come. (Side note: another reason Olsen should stay would be that the Bears could get caught up with the flashy names available in the 2nd round. Dexter McCluster, Brandon Spikes, Myron Rolle, and Tim Tebow will all more than likely still be around in the 2nd round, and although all of these are nice pieces, they don't currently have a place in the Bears' puzzle.) 

Under the assumption that Olsen is staying, I'd have to assume that the Bears would turn to the O-Line with the 75th pick. Some may want the focus to turn to FS, and some intriguing prospects can still be available in the 3rd round. The most noteable of the bunch that would most likely still be around by 75 would be Morgan Burnett, a FS out of Georgia Tech. He's a more-than-capable player that could be the first rookie to be groomed into a servicable starter in recent memory. But, with names like OJ Atogwe and Darren Sharper being bandied about, and the general concensus being that the Bears will land one of the other, the more glaring hole would obviously be, you guessed it, the O-Line. With the big name prospects like Russel Okung, Bryan Bulaga, Bruce Campbell, Trent Williams, and a handful of others gone in the mid 1st to early 2nd round, the Bears have to bust out their magnifying glass to try to find a servicable guy to help a delapidated line. A few names that the Bears would benefit from looking into would be OG's Jon Asamoah and John Jerry.

First, Jon Asamoah. He's a Right Guard comming out of U of I Urbana. He's a 3 year starter and earned All-Big Ten honoarble mention in '08. In 2008, he anchored an offensive line that protected the Big Ten's most potent passing attack that year. He's the 2nd rated OG in this year's draft class and is built like an absolute tank. He stands 6'4" and weighs anywhere from 305-320 lbs. The one red flag that comes with Asamoah would be the shoulder injury that prevented him from playing in the Senior Bowl this year. But his consitant effort and excellent 2008 campaign has his name creeping up draft boards nation wide. He's slatted to go anywhere from the beggining of the 2nd round to the end of the 4th round, and smack dab in the middle of that range is early 3rd. Seems like a perfect fit.

If Asamoah continues to rise and gets picked earlier than expected, the Bears can turn to John Jerry to fill the hole at OG. A Senior Right Guard from Ole MIss, he's right behind Asamoah as the 3rd ranked OG in this year's draft. He's slatted to go in the same range as Asamoah, possibly a few picks later. He's a bit slower than Jon in terms of 40 time, but he's also 2" taller and weighs in at 328 lbs. A dominant run blocker, he helped the Rebels put together the 2nd best rushing offense in the SEC in '08. He was a 2nd team All-SEC selection and has a clean bill of health thus far. A combination of all of these factors might give Jerry the nod over Asamoah. Nonetheless, either option would provide solid run support on the right side to compliment Chris Williams at LT. Roberto Garza isn't getting any younger either, so either Asamoah or Jerry could be groomed behind him for a year or so.

It seems that a pick at OG in the 3rd round and sigining a FS would really round out the Bears offseason forrays. After the 3rd round, look for the Bears to test their luck with some WR projects in the late rounds.  If the Bears are lucky, Mardy Gilyard from Cinncinati may fall to the 4th round. But, in the real world, look for names like Desmon Briscoe from Kansas or Riley Cooper from Florida. But, with Free Agency still in full swing, holes may be filled before the draft. We'll just have to wait and see.