Little Draft Game...

**GermansbombedPH** · 01-24-2012, 04:17 AM

Originally Posted by soulman

I'd say it covers the needs pretty well through the first three rounds if we discount free agency completely but since free agency comes before the draft so who knows how that may affect the draft for the Bears and others.

Mercilus may not be the most complete DE in the draft but he was a monster pass rusher in college. He may end up being one of those boom or bust guys but he'd be hard to ignore at that point. Pass rushers are usually just too scarce to make it past the first round.

I like the thought of taking Toon in the second over Floyd in the first. I think he's less of a risk and it's pretty obvious I like guys from Wisconsin. I watched his Dad play there in the early 80's and he was a good WR then and had a decent pro career as well. Good family pedigree. Those guys usually adapt well to the pros.

All of the third round guys hit areas of need but I don't know a whole lot about the DB's. Potter has some skills as a pass protector, you couldn't play LT at BSU if you didn't, but I don't know if he's the kind of kid Tice prefers. He seems a bit on the light side so I'd think he'd need to add some bulk and strength to fit into Tice's plans but who knows. We need to start spending some higher draft choices on OT's to get someone else in the hopper for the future.

Don't know much about the guys in the 4th and 6th but Moore is an intriguing QB pick at the tale end. As good as he is in college though he has two strikes against him coming into the pros. One he's on the small side, very small, and two he's a lefty. The third strike may be that BSU QB's and RB's don't necessarily make good pros. I think we've had some experience with that before.

Based on what we know right now that's a good shot at filling some needs.

1. I like the idea of trading down to add a pick for our missing depth. And if Mercilus is still there - and he will be - we should do it and draft the guy who should play on the other side of Peppers. An additional 3rd or 4th Round Pick is never a bad thing.

2. I've seen some BSU games this year and I liked Moore. Would be a solid #3 or Backup in the NFL.

3. I really like Potter. Fills a need and I liked him when I saw him

**MPBears68** · 01-24-2012, 09:11 AM

Originally Posted by soulman

Perfect for me would probably start with Reiff falling into our laps at #19 but that ain't gonna happen. After that Coples and Kirkpatrick would be nice but I don't think either drop that far either unless the Combine reveals some flaws.

I've gotta feeling that if we stay put we'll have a choice between a WR, OT, and a DE and all of those are needs. I guess at that point I take whoever rates highest on my board at one of those positions but preferably OT or DE. Floyd is targeted to go around #19 but I still think he's a risk at that spot. I'd rather we solved our WR need in FA and added a 2nd tier guy in the draft. Good LT's and DE's won't be around for long and we should have a good shot at one in our spot.

I couldn't agree more. The idea of having 2 first round young big-10 OTs set for the next decade (and actually finally having an OL to be proud of) is very tempting. If we have a productive and successful FA, I'd be willing to give up a trade up pick if Reiff is still available in range.

**soulman** · 01-24-2012, 01:27 PM

Originally Posted by MPBears68

I couldn't agree more. The idea of having 2 first round young big-10 OTs set for the next decade (and actually finally having an OL to be proud of) is very tempting. If we have a productive and successful FA, I'd be willing to give up a trade up pick if Reiff is still available in range.

That can only happen if he falls to around #15. Anything before that ends up costing too much. I think we have a better shot at a pass rusher around that spot than an OT unless maybe Martin or Adams rate higher on the Bears board than any of the DE's.

Reading some of the articles on this draft class it seems like there's a fair amount of defensive talent available in the first couple of rounds. DT's, DE's, LB's, and some CB's but very lean on SS/FS. Then depending on how things go at the combine and the Senior Bowl there may be as many as 4 LT prospects worth 1st round picks as well. I'd be willing to bet Kalil and Reiff don't make it past the top 10 but Martin and Adams will so if we don't get too hung up on any one position we should have a shot at a pretty good player at #19.

**MPBears68** · 01-24-2012, 01:32 PM

Originally Posted by GermansbombedPH

1. I like the idea of trading down to add a pick for our missing depth. And if Mercilus is still there - and he will be - we should do it and draft the guy who should play on the other side of Peppers. An additional 3rd or 4th Round Pick is never a bad thing.

2. I've seen some BSU games this year and I liked Moore. Would be a solid #3 or Backup in the NFL.

3. I really like Potter. Fills a need and I liked him when I saw him

I've only seen one BSU game this year so you probably know better than me. Hope you're right--and the scouting reports on him I've read are generally fairly positive thus far--cuz it would be nice to have some potential OT options to look at after round 1. Names that keep popping up are Potter, Reynolds, and Mike Adams (though he may not make it out of the 1st). Any OT who can immediately upgrade OMG and at least push Webb a bit is worth considering down draft if we likely can't get Reiff in #1.

Lot of factors at play here, but if there's no obvious player we want around, we could also trade down our mid-2nd round pick to the bottom and get an extra 3rd in fair point exchange. That would net you 5 picks between bottom-2 & mid-4...good places to look for depth & development at WR, CB, and LB.

Nate Potter, 6-6/300

Offensive Tackle

Boise State

Nate Potter Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths: Proven pass protector
Good technique
Quick feet
Recoverability
Experienced
Mobility to hit blocks downfield
Very intelligent
Durable

Weaknesses: A little light
Lacks power
Didn't regularly face elite competition
Lacks ability to drive block
Does not display any mean streak Arm length?

Summary: Potter was a second-team AP All-America in 2011. He had another excellent season protecting quarterback Kellen Moore. Throughout the season, Potter put a string of dominant games together keeping Moore free of pass pressure. Potter is extremely light on his feet and is able to get back in his drop quickly. He mirrors pass-rushers well and is quick shuffling his feet.

Potter helped running back Doug Martin have a good season on the ground this year, but he definitely needs to make strides in the ground game for the NFL. He does a good job of getting to the second level of the defense and hitting blocks on the run, but he is not a drive blocker. Potter is incapable of blowing defenders off the ball. He is going to have to improve his run blocking for the NFL.

Helping Potter's draft stock is he is one of the few left tackle prospects who is expected to be available after the first round. He looks like a second-day pick who has the potential to play the blind side in the NFL.

Player Comparison: Sam Baker. Baker should not have been a first-round pick in 2008. At the time of the selection, Atlanta was criticized for reaching for him. If Potter goes in the first round, it will be the same situation. Their overall skill set is similar, and Potter's arm length is a question mark. Baker's short arms have hurt him in the NFL. Potter is entering the league a better pass protector than Baker, while the Falcon veteran was the better run blocker.

Potter will probably be drafted on the second day where Baker should have gone. Projecting Potter to the pros, however, I see a better version of Baker.

NFL Matches: New Orleans, Atlanta, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Philadelphia, Dallas

Offensive tackles are always in demand, so there are more than these seven teams that could consider Potter.

Dallas has seen left tackle Doug Free struggle down the stretch, they could take Potter in the second round and groom him under Free for a year or two before making Potter the bookend across from Tyron Smith, as one of the two could move over to the blind side.

Atlanta is said to be ready to move on from Baker, so they could target Potter in the second round. Baltimore needs a natural left tackle to protect Joe Flacco as Bryant McKinnie is just a stop-gap player. The Steelers need more young talent on their line, and a pass protector like Potter would help keep Ben Roethlisberger from taking so many hits.

The Lions are approaching the end of the line with veteran left tackle Jeff Backus, and they need a long-term blind side protector for Matthew Stafford. The Eagles could use Potter and possibly move him to right tackle to protect the back of Michael Vick.

**GermansbombedPH** · 01-25-2012, 03:23 AM

Webb with Potter would be a risk, but it could give us high reward. And he is better than Omyfail

**Dagan81** · 01-25-2012, 07:36 PM

Jonathan Martin would be ideal, but he looks poised to be drafted somewhere between picks 10 and 13. The Bears could probably get him at that rate, especially if they opted to trade Lance Briggs. The Lance Briggs trade is looking more and more appealing to me now the more he bitches and whines about his current salary. I really think that as soon as he starts that with this new GM, whomever it may be, the GM will put him in his place one way or another. It's not a question of "if" but "when." You know this by the old cliche, "A leopard never sheds his spots."

Mike Adams seems appealing, but my best friend, who is an Ohio State fan, is not all that high on him and even says that at best he is a second-or-third round talent. Walter Football last week had him going around 38th overall, but at that level, it's entire possible that he could find his way into the first round. I've made my preferences known that I believe that the biggest need for the Bears still remains OT, for someone to come in and take the inconsistent Webb's place. We need a LT who can pass block, run block, and can do these things without having to have a tight end to buttress that side of the line because the lineman isn't multifaceted enough to avoid being blown off the line of scrimmage by superior five-technique DEs/OLBs. I'm interested in seeing what Adams does at the Senior Bowl and at the Scouting Combine this winter. My friend could be totally wrong about him. We could be looking at a guy who is a lot like Orlando Pace in his prime, or someone who is a bust.

**soulman** · 01-25-2012, 08:01 PM

Originally Posted by Dagan81

Jonathan Martin would be ideal, but he looks poised to be drafted somewhere between picks 10 and 13. The Bears could probably get him at that rate, especially if they opted to trade Lance Briggs. The Lance Briggs trade is looking more and more appealing to me now the more he bitches and whines about his current salary. I really think that as soon as he starts that with this new GM, whomever it may be, the GM will put him in his place one way or another. It's not a question of "if" but "when." You know this by the old cliche, "A leopard never sheds his spots."

Mike Adams seems appealing, but my best friend, who is an Ohio State fan, is not all that high on him and even says that at best he is a second-or-third round talent. Walter Football last week had him going around 38th overall, but at that level, it's entire possible that he could find his way into the first round. I've made my preferences known that I believe that the biggest need for the Bears still remains OT, for someone to come in and take the inconsistent Webb's place. We need a LT who can pass block, run block, and can do these things without having to have a tight end to buttress that side of the line because the lineman isn't multifaceted enough to avoid being blown off the line of scrimmage by superior five-technique DEs/OLBs. I'm interested in seeing what Adams does at the Senior Bowl and at the Scouting Combine this winter. My friend could be totally wrong about him. We could be looking at a guy who is a lot like Orlando Pace in his prime, or someone who is a bust.

We'd never get a first round pick in the range of 10-13 for Briggs. In fact I doubt we'd get a first at all but possibly a couple of seconds or about what Miami gave up for Brandon Marshall. As good as he is Briggs stats benefit from the system that Bears use which funnels plays to him. He doesn't have the size to be a 3-4 OLB so teams that are interested in him probably play a 4-3 which limits the number. At this point in his career he's probably worth keeping more than he is in trade.

No matter what your friend says about Adams unless he falls flat on his face at this weeks Senior Bowl or ruptures a disc or something at the Combine I'm betting Adams never makes it past the 1st round. Guys who are 6'8", 320 lbs and can play LT don't last that long. The guy is as big as a house and although he may not be a first day starter in the NFL somebody is gonna make him their pick and their future LT.

**Dagan81** · 01-25-2012, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by soulman

We'd never get a first round pick in the range of 10-13 for Briggs. In fact I doubt we'd get a first at all but possibly a couple of seconds or about what Miami gave up for Brandon Marshall. As good as he is Briggs stats benefit from the system that Bears use which funnels plays to him. He doesn't have the size to be a 3-4 OLB so teams that are interested in him probably play a 4-3 which limits the number. At this point in his career he's probably worth keeping more than he is in trade.

No matter what your friend says about Adams unless he falls flat on his face at this weeks Senior Bowl or ruptures a disc or something at the Combine I'm betting Adams never makes it past the 1st round. Guys who are 6'8", 320 lbs and can play LT don't last that long. The guy is as big as a house and although he may not be a first day starter in the NFL somebody is gonna make him their pick and their future LT.

I hope you're right. Your life DEPENDS on it! lol

**soulman** · 01-25-2012, 08:13 PM

Originally Posted by Dagan81

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I hope you're right. Your life DEPENDS on it! lol

Nah, only my left nut. I don't really need it much anymore except for visual symmetry.

**Dagan81** · 01-25-2012, 08:21 PM

Originally Posted by soulman

Nah, only my left nut. I don't really need it much anymore except for visual symmetry.

You have such a low self-esteem. lol

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