This is the last of our draft scenarios and again I went out of this blog's readership to a WCG favorite, John Morgan, who is now running Field Gulls . This scenario has two purposes. Firstly, again to get another outsider perspective, but more importantly show a draft where the Bears #14 pick was neither running back or offensive line.
This draft is minus one third rounder.
Round 1: Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville
Giving up on a failed quarterback can be trying, but it's time. Rex Grossman will never develop into even a serviceable starter and given his questionable character and schizoid play, it's hard to see him as a backup. What's worse, this past offseason has seen Grossman's best tool, his deep pass, neutered by the loss of Bernard Berrian. The Bears receiving corps is in shambles, and for this passing offense to work, the team needs a quarterback smart enough to read zones, check down and play the kind of conservative, ball control offense that doesn't win games, but doesn't lose games, either.
The case for Brohm is simple:
Brian Brohm exited high school 5th on Rivals top "pro style" quarterback prospects list.. Despite playing behind senior and pro prospect Stefan Lefors, Brohm played in 11 of 12 contests, attempting 98 passes his freshman year. He was the uncontested starter the next three seasons.
Brohm entered 2007 the near universal #1 quarterback prospect in college football. In his first three seasons, Brohm worked from a spread style offense under Bobby Petrino. When Bobby bailed, the Louisville Cardinals hired Steve Kragethorp. Kragethorp instituted a new offensive system. Instead of struggling, experience growing pains or pouting, Brohm had his best season of his career. On a stumbling Louisville squad, behind a rebuilt offensive line, Brohm completed 65.1% of his passes and suffered only 24 sacks. For his career, Brohm owns a 65.8% completion percentage. That combined with his 4 year exposure to the scrutiny of scouts, consistent top prospect rating, Academic All-America status and spotless character record makes Brohm both a high upside and low downside pick.
He's sort of the Anti-Rex. A student of the game, Brohm has a good deep ball, a necessity in Ron Turner's godawful offense, and will adapt when Turner's fired and a new coordinator institutes a more practical system.
Round 2: Anthony Collins, OT, Kansas
On a team with more than a few essential deficiencies on offense, you have to play the angles. In a tackle rich draft, waiting to see who falls is probably the best plan. Research has shown that scouts simply aren't as precise as pre-draft hype pretends. Therefore, divorcing oneself from ideas of "upside" and "absolute value" is an important first step in intelligent drafting. The Bears don't need Joe Thomas, they need a steady left tackle who will allow John Tait to move back to the right, thereby bolstering two positions. Collins looks like a good candidate to fall. He has a broad base of skills that should allow him to stick at the blindside. Collins plays a little high, and doesn't flash the mean streak scouts love, but has quick feet, good reaction time and a sturdy, athletic build.
Round 3: Andre Fluellen, DT, FSU
It's tempting to grab a receiver here, let Lovie Smith work his late round magic to fill out the D, but without depth at defensive tackle, the Bears could be a Tommie Harris injury away from two crumbling units. When he's on, Harris is among the best players in the NFL. His fast arriving, disruptive inside pressure powers Smith's Tampa 2. Adding a fleet 1-tech that can force and split the occasional double team would make Harris that much better. Fluellen fits the mold. He has good overall size and strength, plus an excellent first step and closing burst. Fluellen had 12 quarterback hurries in 2006, but missed time with injury and otherwise languished on a foundering Florida State squad in 2007. Fluellen started the Senior Bowl - he may be ignored by scouts, but GMs are taking notice. Projected as high as the late first following his junior season, Fluellen needs good coaching to realize his potential.