I'm sure your familiar with the phrase, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry", it's loosely taken from a Robert Burns poem that's over 200 years old. But you may also have heard this famous line, "I love it when a plan comes together.", spoken by George Preppard as John "Hannibal" Smith in the A-Team circa 1983.
When Jerry Angelo, Tim Ruskell, Lovie Smith, and their staff of scouts and coaches gather in the Chicago Bears War Room for draft weekend, no doubt they'll be hoping for the later quote to hold true. And that's exactly the premise of this post. If things go perfectly for the Bears this is how I'd like to see their draft rounds fall.
I think Angelo would like to trade down if possible, and there is a chance he might. Besides the obvious 1st round prospects, some of the players he covets are receiving 2nd round grades. He could trade back, pick up an extra pick or two, and still get the player at the top of his draft board. But for the purpose for this wish list, I'll assume that he stands pat with his picks, as his draft plan comes together perfectly.
Understand that my definition of perfectly will be based in reality. They'll be no assuming that LSU corner Patrick Peterson slips to the Bears at 29. That would be a fantasy draft not a wish list. Fellow WCG writer Dominique Blanton and myself differ on where the Bears could draft a few players, but we're on similar wavelengths. Be sure to check out all of his mocks so far and look for his final mock next week.
1st Round (pick 29) - Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State
Early in the mocking process many experts thought Sherrod would be the Bears pick at 29, but now I've seen him going as high as 22 to the Colts. Many mock drafters still have him going at 29 to the Bears, and I think that would be a great choice. The consensus top tackles off the board seem to be Anthony Castonzo, Gabe Carimi, and Tyron Smith, with Nate Solder and Sherrod in the next group. Solder has the higher ceiling, but the lower floor, and I'm not wanting a potential project in the 1st round. Many scouts agree that Sherrod is pro ready. He has the athleticism and technique to play left tackle. He needs to add some strength, but he's a high character guy that the Bears would like in the 1st round.
2nd Round (pick 62) - Davon House, CB, New Mexico State
I would love Marvin Austin to fall to pick 62, but with the way he's looked at the combine and his pro day, he'll be long gone before Chicago's 2nd round pick. I'd like Stefan Wisniewski to last until the Bears 2nd round pick, but he's gaining a lot of steam of late and that whole bloodline thing has teams boosting him up their boards. And 1 more, I wish Ras-I Dowling the Virginia corner would slip, but too many teams picking ahead of the Bears look to be targeting corners. House is rated as the 52nd best prospect according to NFLDraftscout and the 7th best corner. He's about 6'1", close to 200 pounds, and he has some speed. At his pro day he improved on his combine 40 time and ran a 4.35.
3rd Round (pick 93) - Terrell McClain, DT, South Florida
The Bears put a lot of stock in their individual workouts. And Rod Marinelli had an up close and personal look at McClain. He could step in at the 3-technique DT and start from day 1 if we are to believe the hype surrounding this guy. His stock is on the upswing, so the Bears might talk themselves into taking him in the 2nd, but they should be able to wait it out and get him in the 3rd.
4th Round (pick 127) - John Moffiitt, G, Wisconsin
Interior linemen are undervalued in the draft. Especially guys that aren't overly strong or athletic. Moffitt looks much better on film than he did at the combine, and some teams enamored with the measurables might overlook him. He's quick in space, and has good technique, and that's really what you want for a guard. He had 42 starts in college, and did see some action at center including starting all 13 games there in 2008. NFL.com has him rated #135 and NFLDraftScout has him rated #137.
5th Round (pick 160) - Austin Pettis, WR, Boise State
This is the time in the draft where Jerry Angelo can take a chance on a guy that is falling, and I think the lack of speed from Pettis might see him plummet down draft boards. There are a bunch of similarly rated receivers in the 3rd - 6th round range, but most teams will take a flier on a wide out that runs in the 4.4 range, instead of a long strider that struggles to get 4.6. NFLDraftScout has him rated the 160th prospect and NFL.com has him ranked 133rd. I think the pluses (good hands, good body control, 6'3" 209, tough run blocker) of Pettis far outweigh his minuses (route running needs work, no top end speed, no wiggle), and he'll make a solid pro.
6th Round (pick 195) - Mario Harvey, LB, Marshall
With no 7th round pick in 2011, the Bears could address a need with their last pick. I think there's a chance the Bears go with a punter with this pick, but I think they reach a little on a guy that could have been available in the 7th. Harvey played inside linebacker at Marshall, and had a real good pro day. He's 5'11" 250 but ran a 4.46 40 with a 32 inch vertical. He has the strength and quickness to play as a strong side OLB and back up in the middle. But his athleticism will allow him to be a special teams contributor as a rookie.