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Offensive Tackle Vanderbilt |
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ANALYSIS: Most of us here what know the Chicago Bears need. They need young offensive linemen. They need a QB of the future, because Grossman isn’t the answer and Orton probably isn’t either. They’ll need a RB because Cedric Benson sucks (I foolishly allowed him to break my heart). They also need a WR because they let Berrian leave. Plus, unless Lloyd pulls a rabbit out of a hat or Devin Hester or Mark Bradley do something for sixteen games that they haven’t done for more than 1 or 2 games in a row, they’re really shallow after (a solid) Marty Booker. People say they need a DT and a S, but with the move of Idonije and re-signing of McGowan, I can’t possibly see them taking either of those positions above the 4th round. As it has played out here, I think there are only two possibilities: RB Rashard Mendenhall of Illinois and OT Chris Williams of Vanderbilt. Even though Angelo wasn’t patient enough with Marc Colombo’s injuries (or perhaps because of), I think he’ll take a tackle in the first round. Mendenhall is quite enticing, but the Bears really don’t have the men up front to do something with him right away. Also, if you’ve paid attention to my posts, you know that a lot of productive running backs have been drafted later (Brian Westbrook, Frank Gore, Marion Barber III), found off a team’s practice squad or special teams unit (Ryan Grant, Ernest Graham, Adrian Peterson—cough!) or found among the cuts in training camp. While there are obvious stars just like other positions, I think RB’s can be made by the system (incl. the passing game) and the offensive line. Call me old school on this point. So I think they must go offensive line here. If RB becomes a desperate problem in Training Camp, you can always trade next years 2nd or 3rd for someone off the Raiders or Giants or… you name it. There’s only one of the "top" offensive linemen left so it makes the decision easy. Even if Clady and Otah were available, I’d still want Chris Williams. When guys are somewhat even, I’ll typically want the guy with the most potential. After that, I’ll take the smarter guy with the idea that he’ll have a better chance of reaching the potential. According to Wonderlic, Chris Williams is smarter than your average chemical engineer. I’ll take that. Williams is a strong-based, long-armed tackle with perhaps the most potential of any of the offensive tackles in the draft. He’s a great athlete with quick feet. He’s also known as a leader that has been very durable and comes with a lot of playing experience. This, of course, raises the question as to why he’s dropped so low. One reason is that he’s not very strong in the upper body as evidenced by his 21 reps of the 225-lb. bench press. That pales in comparison to Jake Long’s or Vernon Gholston’s 37 reps and is still worse than the modest 24 and 27 put up by Clady and Otah respectively. Also, he is still considered to have average technique. Combine that with all the "experience" and one may wonder if he’ll be able to change. That’s where you hope the smarts come in. The biggest drawback to this pick is that Williams may not be able to help a lot next year (and that’s the biggest reason I see them passing on him). However, with his athletic ability and intelligence, you make the pick, hope he has the desire to get better and hope for the best. If it works out, the Bears won’t need an OT for the next decade. I think they’ll do this, go QB in Rnd 2 and then RB & WR in Rnd 3. |
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| Pick | Team | Player | Drafter | Analysis | ||
| 1 | Miami Dolphins | Jake Long | McRipper | Details | ||
| 2 | St. Louis Rams | Chris Long | Chad | Details | ||
| 3 | Atlanta Falcons | Glenn Dorsey | mas12 | Details | ||
| 4 | Oakland Raiders | Vernon Gholston | Doctor Chicago | Details | ||
| 5 | Kansas City Chiefs | Sedrick Ellis | whitebearsox23 | Details | ||
| 6 | NY Jets | Darren McFadden | DaNate23 | Details | ||
| 7 | New England Patriots | Leodis McKelvin | tyger1147 | Details | ||
| 8 | Baltimore Ravens | Matt Ryan | McRipper | Details | ||
| 9 | Cinncinati Bengals | Keith Rivers | tomas21 | Details | ||
| 10 | New Orleans Saints | Mike Jenkins | sirus19x | Details | ||
| 11 | Buffalo Bills | Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie | Chad | Details | ||
| 12 | Denver Broncos | Ryan Clady | Arctic Bronco | Details | ||
| 13 | Carolina Panthers | Jeff Otah | DaNate23 | Details | ||
| 14 | Chicago Bears | Chris williams | tyger1147 | Details | ||
See a list of the mock draft participants
The Detroit Lions (Doctor Chicago) are on the clock...