I suppose that I really should get around to analyzing the Bears 2009 draft, or as I like to call it, Raiding the Clearance Rack. So why did the Bears essentially shop for Armani-quality players at the Thrift Store that is the third round and beyond? The answer is simple once the numbers are crunched (And I hate crunching numbers.)
The Bears recently signed all-pro left-tackle Orlando Pace to the tune of 5 million per year. Then they traded Kyle Orton (subtract 2.8 million) for Jay Cutler (add 6.5 million). I won’t go into the other players salary because frankly, some of them make no sense to me (How in the hell is Tommy Harris getting 12 million a year, which is almost the combined annual salary of Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs?!? I don’t get it. No wonder Briggs wrapped his Lamborghini around a light pole! He was probably blinded by his tears.)
But according to foxsports.com, the Bears currently have the fourth highest payroll in the league, and this is during an era of financial freefall. Looking back at the Bears history of being notoriously frugal spenders, even way back when we had a strong economy, does this make sense? Of course not.
I’m no financial genius (hence the free blog here) but even I can detect unusual trends. Virginia Halas McCaskey opened her wallet one day while at the supermarket, realized that she could only afford the off-brand Toasted Oats instead of the yummier Cheerios brand, and then immediately called the Bears GM and said, “Young man, we must trade down to the third round. I’m not eating Toasted Oats just for a tenth of a percent lower time in the 40-yard dash. No deary, that’s not happening.”
So here we are, at the clearance rack. Now before I proceed, I’m not saying that all players drafted in the third round or below are garbage. In fact, all are gifted athletes. Shopping these rounds doesn’t automatically mean we’re getting low-quality talent, only that we’re seeking decent quality at affordable prices, or maybe even a fixer-upper or two.
But enough about trying to gather champagne talent on beer money. On to the picks.
Round 3, Pick 4 (68th overall) (From Seahawks) Jarron Gilbert DE 6′5″ 288lbs San Jose State
Pick Analysis: Analysts say that Gilbert is a bit of a slacker, but has the physical tools to be a playmaker with the right mentoring. Speaking of slackers, did you know that last year, the Bears DE’s totaled 16 sacks? I’m not talking about one person, or even two people. FOUR DE’s combined for 16 sacks. That averages out to four sacks per DE, and just know that two of those four had to come because the QB tripped on himself. Grade B-
Round 3, Pick 35 (99th overall) (Compensatory selection) Juaquin Iglesias WR 6′1″ 210lbs Oklahoma
Pick Analysis: Iglesias is listed as an exceptional kick returner with great hands. If needed, he can replace Hester as our primary returner. Analysts say he’s comfortable catching bad balls, which means that we drafted him two years too late. He would have been Rex Grossman and Brian Griese’s best friend. Grade B+
Round 4, Pick 5 (105th overall) (From Seahawks) Henry Melton DE 6′3″ 260lbs Texas
Pick Analysis: I read his 40-yard time and thought it was a typo. 4.65! For a freakin DE! Does he have a fricken jet-pack or something? (Please, oh please let him test clean for PED’s!) He transitioned to DE from running back! Alex Brown and Ogunleye have officially been put on notice. Did I mention that they averaged four sacks apiece as a unit last season as the starting DE’s? No, not four sacks per game, because that would be amazing. Four sacks per SEASON. I’m just sayin. Grade A
Round 4, Pick 19 (119th overall) D.J. Moore CB 5′9″ 192lbs Vanderbilt
Pick Analysis: Moore is a short, slow corner with exceptional instinct, which means that Peanut and Vasher’s starting positions are safe. But Moore would make an ideal nickelback, lining up against the slot receiver in a three-receiver formation. Coach Smith may even have designs on moving him to safety since we’re still extremely thin there. We need someone to fill the void left by Mike Brown, and I’m slightly geeked that this will be the fourth, and hopefully final time I ever have to address Mike Brown’s void. Grade C+
Round 5, Pick 4 (140th) (From Seahawks through Broncos) Johnny Knox WR 6′0″ 185 Abilene Christian
Pick Analysis: At long last, we have found a speedy counterpart to Devin Hester, I guess. Like Hester, Knox is an unpolished receiver with breakaway speed. When lining-up, it will be like looking into a flawed mirror of raw, unrefined talent. Hopefully, one of them will figure out how to run routes while the other works on learning how to catch. Otherwise, get accustomed to hearing “Cutler to Olsen for four, maybe five yards” right now, and plan on hearing it at least 20-60 times per game. Grade C.
Round 5, Pick 18 (154th overall) Marcus Freeman LB 6′0″ 239lbs Ohio State
Pick Analysis: Freeman has played extremely well at all three LB positions in college, excelling as the “Will”, or weakside linebacker. The Bears current WLB, Lance Brigs, happily tallied 110 tackles last season after brokering a new contract. Aging, oft-injured veteran “Mike”, or middle linebacker Brian Urlacher gamely logged an impressive 93 tackles and 2 picks. The “Sam”, or strongside linebacker tandem of Hunter Hillenmeyer and Nick Roach split-time and combined for a total of 51 tackles. Hmmm… I wonder where Freeman will end up playing? Grade B.
Round 6, Pick 17 (190th overall) Al Afalava FS 5′11″ 213lbs Oregon State
Pick Analysis: Afalava was a three-year starter at strong safety in college. He is a safety with a linebacker build. He is nasty and loves to hit, making him an ideal special teams heat-seeking missile. Also, having a big, beefy, physical safety will contribute to hopefully bringing a close to the Annual Mike Brown Void. Grade A
Round 7, Pick 37 (246th overall) (Compensatory selection) Lance Louis OG 6′2″ 303 San Diego State
Pick Analysis: Again, I read the position, then read his 40-time, and had to double-check. An offensive guard running a 4.76 and benching 30 reps?!? Granted, games are won on the field, not at the combine or college pro-days, but… damn! He also played some tight-end in college, and though the Bears are set at TE, Louis remains an eye-raising prospect. As a guard, he’s pretty raw, so he’d be wasted trying to figure out the O-Line. I’d be tempted to switch him to defensive tackle to take full advantage of his raw physical gifts and put pressure on Tommy Harris to put down the biscuits, get out of his 12-million dollar bed and put in some work in lieu of dropping on the depth chart. Grade B-
Round 7, Pick 42 (251th overall) (Compensatory selection) Derek Kinder WR 6′1″ 210 Pittsburgh
Pick Analysis: Kinder gave a great pro-day workout, but little is known about his ball skills. He recently recovered from a torn ACL in 2007, and he spent last year essentially running pointless wind sprints on a power-run, cold-weather team lead by a QB who sucked and couldn’t get the ball to him (Sound familiar?) We don’t know if he’s fully back from the ACL repair, and we don’t really know if his athleticism will translate to the football field. But I look at Bobby Wade, Bobby Ingram, Curtis Conway, and Bernard Berrian — all former Bears WR’s who ran wind sprints for sucky Bears QB’s, but found successful careers with competent QB’s on new teams — and I have hope for this kid’s future. I hope… I hope… Grade Incomplete
(Well, OK so the Jury’s still out on Berrian since the combination of Vikings QB’s Tavaris Jackson, Gus Frerotte, and two nickels don’t add-up to twenty cents. But still, the potential is there.)
So what have we learned?
1. The Bears coaching and staff are all fed-up with the defensive line’s “fat-cat” complacency, lethargy and overall underachievement. Step forward or step aside, gentlemen.
2. At long last, there may finally be an end to the Annual Mike Brown Void.
3. Marcus Freeman may be groomed as the long-term heir-apparent to the great Brian Urlacher, but his short-term task will be to play at the “Sam”, freeing-up Hillenmeyer and Roach to pursue new sideline hobbies like thumb-wrestling one another.
4. Though we still haven’t the slightest idea who will bookend Hester as the second receiver, we damn-near filled-out every number on the Keno card with our draft prospects. One of these guys has to win the jackpot, right?
5. Toasted Oats are just as filling and nutritious as Cheerios.
Overall Grade: B
