The Bears' Plan of Attack for Offseason; The (Mock) Draft

Okay WCG, I've finished my assessment for the second part of two, with this one focusing on the draft in April. Note, what you're about to see is pure speculation, as I've spent a good amount of time thinking about who the Bears may sign in FA, and thus which positions will be resolved. Plus, I felt it was high time to finally publish my mock draft. Follow me to the promised land!

So, to start off the fun, a little foreshadowing. Prior to the 2012 NFL Draft, the Bears added a dominant WR, solid OG to take over as the RG with Chris Spencer moving back to C, and a talented DE in FA with perhaps a vet CB to fill in some depth (You can be the judge as to who said players are). In the process, they also retained Matt Forte, Kellen Davis, Amobi Okoye, Josh McCown, and Israel Idonije among others. With all that said, the Bears are now on the clock. And, with the 19th overall selection of the 2012 draft, the Chicago Bears select:

Round Player Description

1) Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama - This has been my choice on these boards for sometime now. He is seen as more of a zone-type player with his outstanding size, speed, and physicality. This is as pure of a Tampa 2 style fit as there is in this draft. Earlier, he was given a top 10-15 grade, but his stock has slipped given his recent "minor" act of stupidity not too long ago. With that, the chance of him falling to the Bears has increased, and thus if he falls to 19th overall as I speculate/hope, he is an absolute no-brainer unless either Justin Blackmon or Matt Kahlil somehow fall as well.

2) Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford - Even though the Bears have re-signed Kellen Davis, there has to be someone brought in that will at least compliment if not compete with Kellen Davis as well as Matt Spaeth, one who's more of a receiving threat. He is a real Tice type of TE who is large, athletic, and a sound blocker. I'm not someone who's watched too many Stanford games, but I've heard he was Andrew Luck's top target this past season. Earlier, I've had Dwayne Allen as the pick here, but I have a rather suspicious feeling the Green Bay Packers may decide to pick him up, either because they moved on without Jermichael Finley or they brought him back yet feel there must be another option. Anyway, I think Coby Fleener would make complete sense here.

3) Matt Reynolds, OT, BYU - Mike Tice has already stated the plan is to move forward with J'Marcus Webb as the LT and Gabe Carimi as the RT; however, I suspect whomever the new GM is will add another option in case Plan B needs to be executed. Matt is a balanced beast at LT, who has amazing pass protection skills as well as a solid road grader in the running game. And, it truly helps his cause that the same OL coach he had was the one who coached All-Pro Logan Mankins. So, why is such a golden prospect at LT still on the boards this "late" in the draft? He has 3 strikes against him; 1) He will be a 25 year old rookie, 2) He played at BYU, and 3) He was not as dominant against players from bigger schools such as Texas and TCU. Nevertheless, a great mid-round gem, he will be.

3) Audie Cole, LB, NC State - Eventually, the Bears must search for a young talent to groom behind Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, as well as someone who can step in immediately to compete at SLB. He's played both inside and out, as well as being a real 4-3 type LB. His tackling is good, hits with authority, and is rather nimble in pass coverage. He needs to get a bit stronger, but a year or two in the NFL and he can become another fantastic talent added from the mid-rounds of the NFL draft.

4) Brian Quick, WR, Applachian State - He is a large target standing in at 6'4", 222 pounds. In addition, he is said to have great hands and is pretty nimble for a receiver his size. Route running is alright, but needs some work in the pro level. I'd like him as a slot-type player who can also contribute on special teams. Down the road, with a great QB in Jay Cutler throwing him passes, he could very well surprise a few people.

5) Jamie Blatnick, DE, Oklahoma State - Blatnick had a rather impressive senior year, and is pretty quick for a small DE. He was kept in check against talented OL, though, and still needs a good amount of development. What I see in him is an ideal 3rd down type player the Bears haven't had since Mark Anderson. In the right hands, he could turn into a dangerous player in this league.

6) Sylvester Williams, DT, UNC - He has a very good combination of size and power who would fit right in as a run stuffing DT. His technique is raw and needs a deal of work done, but like Blatnick above, he could become a solid rotational player that would compliment everyone else in the rotation. I really like his nasty attitude btw.

7) Jerrell Young, S, South Florida - Started his senior year off with a bang, but came no where close to that level of play for the remainder of the year. He can be developed as he shows range and is a dependable tackler. Certainly would be a nice special teams type player to add into Toub's arsenal.

There you have it WCG, my vast amount of research summarized. I hope you all enjoyed it, and if I made any mistakes or missed out on something, please let me know and I will correct it. Sound off, and enjoy! Btw, FA Extravaganza will come out soon, just finishing up my "reports" and will type it shortly.