16 Brandon Thompson
AGE: 22
DOB: 10/19/89HT: 6-2WT: 310POS: DTTkl 45 Sack 2.5 Int 0
Scheme-versatile, Thompson might not get the sacks but manages to be a really disruptive force along the interior. Balances plugging running lanes with decent skills as a penetrator. Consistent season.



15 Alshon Jeffery *AGE: 21 DOB: 2/14/90 HT: 6-4 WT: 233POS: WR Rec 45 Yds 614 Avg 13.6 TD 7
His production took a hit with South Carolina's turmoil at the QB position, but he had a good rep already. Imposing presence, a matchup nightmare. Phenomenal hands, decent burst, elite size. Speed is a bit of a question.



17 Vontaze Burfict
*AGE: 21DOB: 9/24/90HT: 6-3WT: 250POS: LB
Tkl 68 Sack 5.0 Int 1
Has little left to prove; he's started from day one. Great instincts, makes plays sideline to sideline and is far more disciplined than he gets credit for. Maybe too much tape at this point.



20 Zach Brown
AGE: 22 DOB: 10/23/89 HT: 6-2 WT: 230 POS: LB
Tkl 91 Sack 5.5 Int 2
An absolute flier, Brown isn't big, but he can get after the quarterback and back up and cover like a safety. Has a versatile skill set and can go outside in a 3-4 or be a good weakside in a 4-3.



22 Michael Floyd
*AGE: 22DOB: 11/27/89HT: 6-3WT: 224POS: WR
Rec 95 Yds 1,106 Avg 11.6 TD 8
Multidimensional receiver is able to beat you short or deep using a big frame to beat smaller cornerbacks. Played at 227 pounds in 2010 but dropped a little weight this season and does appear a little quicker.



24 Dwayne Allen
AGE: 21 DOB: 2/24/90 HT: 6-4 WT: 255 POS: TE
Rec 48 Yds 577 Avg 12.0 TD 8
Multidimensional tight end who is head and shoulders above the rest of his class. He's athletic but is also a very effective blocker. The NFL is craving these types right now.



Those are all guys I could see being available at 19. Now that Angelo is gone, trading up for a player is not out of the question

Here's a couple top 10 guys I like.


2 Matt Kalil
AGE: 22 DOB: 7/6/89 HT: 6-7 WT: 295 POS: OT
GP 12 GS 12
Kalil was steady the entire season and has the full range of skills for the left tackle position, not to mention the pedigree. He has announced he's in the draft, and could be challenged, but is currently a safe bet for the top five.



5 Justin Blackmon
AGE: 21 DOB: 1/9/90 HT: 6-1 WT: 208 POS: WR
Rec 113 Yds 1,336 Avg 11.8 TD 15
Blackmon had a remarkable regular season, eclipsing his 111 catches of a year ago. A better prospect than recent OSU star Dez Bryant. Versatile, explosive and really works to get open. Great ball skills; breaks tackles


4 Morris Claiborne
*AGE: 21 DOB: 2/7/90 HT: 6-1 WT: 185 POS: CB
Tkl 46 Sack 0 Int 6
Flew under the radar all year, but he's a very good player. Big rise in 2011; now the top corner. Exceptional pure cover corner with impeccable instincts at the position. Locates the ball and can catch it. Not a burner, but plenty quick.

I would love to see them get Blackmon. I think he is going to be a real solid WR.

But I doubt they get up high enough to get him.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

But now....there's a chance.

Angelo was probably already offering the 19 for a 2nd rder and 2 4th rders

does mel have kevin zeitler in the first round?

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

Blackmon is pretty much exactly what I would love for this Bears team.

Not in his top 25

Here's his report on Nov 11th though


Kevin Zeitler, OL, Wisconsin Badgers




In Wisconsin's 45-7 victory over Penn State, running back Montee Ball had another impressive day (25 carries for 156 yards and four touchdowns). It marked the fourth straight game in which he has rushed for more than 155 yards. You don't have the type of season he has had without great play from the guys up front. The Badgers' offensive lineman who stood out to me was the 6-foot-4, 318-pound senior Zeitler.



A fixture at right guard since '09, Zeitler grades out as one of the top five senior prospects at the position. When pitted against the Nittany Lions' Devon Still, who is currently the top-ranked senior defensive tackle on my draft board, I thought Zeitler handled himself very well. Overall, Zeitler did a very nice job as a run-blocker, especially when it came to pulling, and he anchored well in pass protection.



and here's a report that projects him as a 2nd rounder



Kevin Zeitler, Wisconsin

Height: 6’4 Weight: 312

Zeitler is a powerful prospect with solid technique. Not to mention he made the Academic All Big Ten team. His combination of size, strength, and smarts will warrant a top 60 selection in the 2012 NFL Draft. I had originally downgraded Zeitler because of my perceived lack of athleticism but he has proven me wrong. He pulls better than I thought and has been more than adequate in pass protection.

2012 NFL Draft Projection: 2

Micheal Floyd for me. But I've been wrong before. If the search function worked, I'd show you all where I wanted the Bears to draft Mike Williams from USC.

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RPB - thanks for the info on zeitler. I'd like to see the bears get more OL help.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

I'd rather they go the free agent route for a WR. They have too many holes for the luxury of taking a 1st round WR.

They should focus on the best available LT, MLB, or DT/DE.

I'll have to get my yellow pad out for NFL Network coverage of the Combine again this year.

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You know me like that.

I actually believe that the OL will be better next year. With Martz out, the 7 step drops should be out as well.

You've got Carimi coming back, and J'Marcus Webb should be even better with another year under his belt.

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Hopefully Carimi will come back. Webb may have peaked. Maybe Webb can be the Swing Tackle

Great. It would be very hard for him to be any worse than he was this year.

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Webb looks like a decent backup at best. Cutler is the future and you need to give him a stud LT to protect him.

We saw how much better Cutler looked for those few games where he started to look comfortable and didn't think 600 pounds of man was going to come crashing in the back of his skull. Imagine if *gasp* he was always comfortable how good he might look.

I thought Webb regressed actually as the season went on. Maybe got tired and bad habits began to creep in.

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Webb reminds me of John St. Claire.

Alshon Jeffries is my current guy in the draft. I would also look to add in FA where Jackson, Bowe, Colston and Jackson will be available. You have to plan as if Knox will not play another snap in the NFL. Steve Smith (Eagle version) might be a nice pickup as well.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

He's not that good.



There are enough WRs out there in FA to get 2 or 3, maybe a late round draft pick. If they really think this window is still open, which I'm beginning to doubt, the draft picks are too valuable to spend on a position that is available in free agency. Even guys like Manningham and Lloyd would be an upgrade.

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The Window is shut, locked, and barred.

Brandon Lloyd? Cmon man that's Angelo type thinking.

If you can get a young reciever fine. If not, its time to start drafting and devoloping Offensive Playmakers.

Im fine with drafting OL first, but not because there are recievers in FA

Yeah, Floyd...Blackmon, or Jeffery. I want a WR...but will settle for an OL.

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@audioidkid

B.Lloyd is too ouchy for me....Dr. Ken is just showing his Chief IlliniMac love with that one.

Doug, I just want a real WR...A "Go Up and Get It Guy" for Jay.

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One WR really is not enough when you consider the Knox injury. They need two who can start from day 1 next year.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

1 in the first 2 rounds of the draft
1 in FA
Bennett

Superbowl

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You don't think Brandon Lloyd would have started and been the best receiver on this team? I didn't say he was great. I said even he would be an upgrade.

2 WR in FA
Maybe take a late-round flyer on one if you really like him
Bennett

Take a LT & LB in the first 2 rounds.

_________________
You know me like that.

Justin Blackmon is the best College WR I have seen in years. Better than Dez, & looks like TO in his prime. I doubt the Bears will be able to trade up to get him, as he is the highest rated WR in the next NFL draft & will most likely get picked between the 4th & 8th pick. Floyd has a very small chance of slipping to the Bears at #19.
Lets hope the Bears focus on WR, OL, LB, & DB in the draft.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

So going forward you have to veterans, earl bennett, and a flier.

Gotta think of the future a little bit

I'm targeting at least 1 of Bowe, Colston, or Jackson. They've all got 2-3 good years in them at least.

For every great 1st round WR, there are 6 busts. Taking a 1st round WR is a crap-shoot unless he's a top 5 guy like Johnson or Fitzgerald, and even a few of those suck. How good is Heyward-Bey or Crabtree or Ted Ginn Jr, Troy Williamson, Mike Williams, Roy Williams....

Let somebody else waste a pick and get some guys that you know can play. I like Michael Floyd but he's had some off-the-field issues. He might be Brandon Marshall (4th-round pick) or he might be Roy Williams (1st-round pick). There are WRs all through the draft.

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Fair enough but Crabtree doesnt belong there.

Crabtree would be the #1 on the Bears and he's getting better.

Also, I think all positions are like that. WR busts are more spectacular. I could rattle off a bunch of OL that were terrible.

How is future 10 time all pro Robert Gallery doing?
Tony Mandarich? Alex Barron?

Crabtree looks like he'll be alright but does he look like an elite receiver worthy of the 10th pick in the draft? Don't you think there's a half-dozen 6'2" receivers like him that were picked in the 3-6th rounds in recent years? He might be borderline worth it though. I'll give you that.

The best 1st round guys recently have all been top 5 or 6 guys. Johnson, Jones and Green. If you want to throw Crabtree in there, that's a step below in my opinion, but he's OK.

The bigger point is, if you are worried about the future, the last thing you want in the 1st round is a WR. Those are the final pieces of the puzzle. You want LBs in the pipeline, offensive and defensive linemen, safeties.

Stud 1st round WRs are immediate returns. They are either good or they suck. You know pretty much immediately. LBs are in the league a good 4-7 years, same with OL. WRs are the last piece of a puzzle which is why they should go FA now, to finish up this Urlacher/Peppers/Briggs window for 2 years. Get draft picks to replace those guys in the pipeline.

Maybe, if you're lucky, you get 2 solid years of production and still get some young guys to fill in in 2-3 years with minimal downtime. At which point, when Bowe is past his prime, you draft a stud WR and a new QB to replace Cutler if you don't have one already.

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Here's the list of 1st round WRs since 2000 by draft position with career yards -

Lot of bad in there.

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You know me like that.

The linemen list wouldnt be any better.


I dont agree that WR is the final piece. I think you have to get the best piece available when its available.

That is old school 3 yds and a cloud of dust thinking.

That is not the current NFL.

Not that those positions are not important, but Recievers are more important that ever.

WR is the new RB