1st RoundVic Beasley | OLB | Clemson6-3|246|4.53/40|35 reps
Phenomenal athlete with the size and tape to justify the 7th pick in the draft. Natural and productive (24.5 sacks and 41.5 TFL over the last two years) edge pass rusher who possibly has the fastest first step in the draft. Identical size/speed/production of Von Miller when he came out of Texas A&M. Has the natural athletic traits to translate to the next level – and I have more questions at this level on the other edge rushers in the draft (Gregory, Ray, Kikaha, Orchard, etc.) with the exception of Fowler Jr.
2nd RoundCody Prewitt | FS | Mississippi6-2 | 208 |4.60/40 | 35” vertical
This was actually a tougher pick for me as there are a bunch of guys I liked in the spot who could be available (especially NT Eddie Goldman, ILB Benardrick McKinney) Prewitt was all SEC the last two years – has really good range, good ball skills (9 picks over the last two years) and will knock the snot out of anyone coming over the middle. I wish he was a little faster, but he makes up for it with excellent anticipation and very good ball skills. I would entertain a small trade down here as I think Prewitt could last to the middle of the round, especially if I could regain a high 5th.
3rd RoundPhillip Dorsett | WR| Miami (FL)5-10 |185 | 4.33 | 37” vertical
Burner. Will bring a much needed dimension to the team that they haven’t had since they used to make Hester run fly patterns. Coming off an MCL injury last year, so production was limited, but shows the skill sets to be able to run good patterns and track the ball. Almost pulled the trigger on a RB here (Duke Johnson and Amer Abdullah are favorites in this area), but felt the speed of Dorsett was too tempting to pass on. Like Devin Smith of the Buckeyes too (a true BIG PLAY receiver), but I don’t think he makes it to the 3rd round.
4th RoundSteven Nelson | CB | Oregon State5-10 |197 |4.49 | 35” vertical
Almost pulled the trigger on RB David Cobb of Minnesota here, but I don’t know what the Bears have in Kadeem Carey yet and I’m not ready to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Nelson is an extremely physical corner who will beat the crap out WRs at the line of scrimmage – he’s the kind of DB that Seattle would draft. He tackles well and plays the ball well in the air – if anything, he’s probably a little too aggressive and over-commits – I think that can be fixed with coaching and the Bears now have one of the premiere DB coaches in the game.
6th RoundTaiwan Jones | ILB | Michigan State 6-3 | 251 | 4.95 | 19 reps
Had to get a B1G player in here somehow. Jones is a very stout, physical player who isn’t afraid to fill a gap. He's number 34 in the clip above - while he didn't make the tackle, he blew up Oregon's center (the highly acclaimed Hroniss Grasu) and caused the play to fail at the goal line - it's a great example of his skill set. He won’t wow you with his speed, but he’s a downhill player who fits a 3-4 defense really well as he plays well in the car collisions in the middle of the field. Not a 3 down backer, but it’s the 6th round, okay? At the very least, will be a productive special teamer and at best, could develop into a starting quality ILB.
7th RoundWes Saxton | TE | South Alabama6-3 | 248 | 4.61 | 36” vertical
How this team has essentially gone without a second TE for so long is amazing – looking at you Dante Rosario. Saxton is a really good athlete who can cause some matchup problems for linebackers. He needs to work on his concentration on the easier balls and like every TE in this draft, needs to become a better blocker. But the skill set is there to contribute to the team - needs to be developed and put in situations where he can use his physical traits to compete.