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NFC North Draft Recap: Have the Chicago Bears Closed the Talent Gap?

Boomer — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:55:57 +0000

Apr 25, 2013; New York, NY, USA; A general view of the NFL shield logo and main stage before the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Phil Emery was hired as Chicago Bears General Manager to close the talent gap in the NFC North a couple of seasons ago. With the Packers and Vikings making the playoffs last season and the Bears on the sidelines during the post-season yet again, Emery had no choice but to fire Lovie Smith and set a new course for the Bears organization. Has Emery closed the talent gap in the division? The best place to look is in the draft. Let’s see how the Bears stacked up with their NFC North rivals:

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Chicago Bears Complete 2013 NFL Draft Grades

Boomer — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:38:09 +0000

April 26, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; General manager Phil Emery (left) and head coach Marc Trestman (right) stand with first-round selection of guard Kyle Long (center) from Oregon University during a Chicago Bears press conference at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Reid Compton-USA TODAY Sports

Phil Emery and the Chicago Bears have another draft class under their belts. We’re starting to learn more about the new GM and he definitely has some tendencies and gravitates toward certain kinds of players. Let’s look at each of his selections and grade each and provide an overall grade at the end.

Round 1

Kyle Long, OG, Oregon

Need: The Bears could use all the talent they could get on the offensive line. They added some help in free agency, so it wasn’t urgent.

Value: Most think this pick was a reach, projecting Long either later in the round or in the next round. The Bears might have been able to trade down a few spots and still grabbed him, so I don’t think this was a good value pick.

Passed on: TE Tyler Eifert, CB’s Xavier Rhodes and Marcus Trufant, DT Sharrif Floyd, LB Ale Ogletree

Grade: C

November 17, 2012; Gainesville FL, USA; Florida Gators linebacker Jon Bostic (1) points out a play against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks during the second quarter at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Round 2

Jon Bostic, LB, Florida

Need: The Bears had a big need at linebacker. Even though they signed a couple of veterans, they need to get younger on D.

Value: Most experts had Bostic tabbed as a 2nd or 3rd round selection, so they got decent value. With a couple of the top LB prospects already off the board, including Alec Ogletree, Manti Te’o, Kevin Minter and Kiko Alonso off the board, the Bears got a solid prospect in this spot.

Passed On: Most notably, the Bears passed on Arthur Brown, the Kansas State linebacker who many had linked to the Bears. The Baltimore Ravens picked him up and they don’t usually don’t miss on picks, so it will be telling to see how their careers unfold. Also worth noting that a lot of QB’s were available in round 2 and without a third round pick, it limited their opportunity. A first round trade down could have helped in this area.

Grade: B

Chicago Bears Add 10 Undrafted Free Agents

Boomer — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 03:26:20 +0000

Oct 20, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights wide receiver Mark Harrison (81) during the third quarter against the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. Rutgers defeated Temple 35-10. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bears may be done with the draft, but they’re still busily trying to add some more pieces via the through the undrafted free agent market. The Bears have had success tapping into the undrafted free agent market in the past with such fringe players as offensive lineman James Brown, wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher and safety Anthony Walters. (more…)

Chicago Bears Select Louisiana Tech Offensive Tackle Jordan Mills in 5th Round

Boomer — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 19:47:34 +0000

Jan 26, 2013; Mobile, AL, USA; Senior Bowl south squad offensive lineman Jordan Mills of Louisiana Tech against the Senior Bowl north squad during the second half of the Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The South squad defeated the North squad 21-16. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Phil Emery might take an unconventional route at times, but at least he sees the same football team that we as fans are watching. The Bears had a couple of glaring weakness from last season and he is addressing those in the draft. After taking offensive lineman Kyle Long in Round 1, Phil Emery and the Chicago Bears traded back 10 spots in the fifth round, picking up a seventh rounder from the Atlanta Falcons, to select Louisiana Tech offensive tackle Jordan Mills.

Mills boosted his stock with a strong Senior Bowl week, showing well in practice against Top-10 pick Ziggy Ansah. He was a two-year starter for a Louisiana Tech. Walter Football had him ranked as their 11th ranked offensive tackle. Here’s a scouting report on the 6’5″ 316 pounder, who started at guard before sliding out to right tackle. Some scouts view him as a left tackle and I’ve seen comparisons to former Alabama tackle Andre Smith and The Blind Side inspiration, Michael Oher. (more…)

Chicago Bears Select Rutgers Linebacker Khaseem Greene in Fourth Round

Boomer — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 17:56:24 +0000

Oct 20, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights linebacker Khaseem Greene (20) prior to playing the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. Rutgers defeated Temple 35-10. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bears needed to get younger at linebacker heading into the NFL Draft and have addressed that area of need with consecutive selections in the second and fourth rounds. After grabbing Florida linebacker Jon Bostic on Day 2, the Bears doubled down on the LB position by selecting Rutgers linebacker Khaseem Greene with their first selection on Day 3, number 117 overall. (more…)

Chicago Bears Potential Day 3 Draft Targets

Boomer — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 11:22:48 +0000

Apr 26, 2013; New York, NY, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks before the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

The Bears head into Day 3 with more needs than picks, with just three selections left, barring a trade to pick up some late-round value. The good news is that there is still plenty of talent out there and Phil Emery can prove he’s the smartest guy in the room by making some smart late round choices. Let’s look at the top players available at positions of need for the Bears.

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Day 2 Summary: Chicago Bears Select Florida Linebacker Jon Bostic

Boomer — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 04:29:28 +0000

November 17, 2012; Gainesville FL, USA; Florida Gators linebacker Jon Bostic (1) points during the second half against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida Gators defeated the Jacksonville State Gamecocks 23-0. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bears were able to shore up their defense and hopefully found the successor to middle linebacker Brian Urlacher with the second round selection of linebacker Jon Bostic out of Florida.

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Get to Know Chicago Bears First Round Draft Pick Kyle Long

Boomer — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:00:03 +0000

Check out this video clip that Yahoo! Sports put together of Chicago Bears first round draft pick Kyle Long, discussing the journey that led him to become Phil Emery’s 2013 first round choice. (Clip the refresh button on your browser if you don’t see the video box below):

After getting picked, Long called into a conference call with the Chicago media. Here are some choice takes, courtesy of the Chicago Bears website: (more…)