Thread: What's left to do before the draft?

Originally Posted by Grizzblue

Maylock has him as the #2 olb in the draft

No sense in adding a guy who dosent fit in our system when we could get a better fit later

Anyways get the forte situation done

Offer him a fair 40mil 5 year 17-22 gaurenteed and give him a take it or leave it offer

If he refuses that start shopping him for picks and let some other suckers give him AP money and get burned on it sign bush and roll with him bell and enjoy a hopefully high pick

I agree. Make him a fair market offer and say Take it or Find a trade. Forte does us no good if he holds out and my guess is the whole Bush visit was an insurance policy in view of Forte possibly being traded if a deal can't get done. He's all but said that he doesn't want to play under the one year FT. I strongly prefer for MF to remain a Bear if he's agreeable to an offer but not at the cost of an outrageous AP-like contract or a protracted holdout/controversy/drama. I'd rather trade him before the draft in that case; he's worth a 1st round pick min. and marqui RBs aren't as vital to an offense in today's NFL as they used to be in the days of Payton and Dickerson.

Originally Posted by Chi66

Mercilus doesn't strike me as the 34 type.

None of the top tier passrushers outside of Couples are clearly "4-3 only" imo. Perry, Ingram, Mercilus, and Upshaw all seem like tweeners who could fit either way. I'll defer to those who know the tape but from what I have read it seems like Perry is the "safer" higher-floor guy and Mercilus is the more risky higher-ceiling option. Since we do have Izzy to bring someone along and he's a good run stuffer, I would be inclined to chance it on a "riskier" player who could develop as a monster pass rusher in rotation while learning the ropes of becoming a 3 down DE for down the road. This should be Emery's chance to shine as an experienced college talent evaluator which ever way he goes.

But Emery has to nail down Okoye and add Hawthorne + a depth DB in FA first. We can't go into the draft with nothing to speak of behind our starting CBs and LBs.

Anyone have aprox size for Mercilus and or combine numbers?

Im just kind of nervous by these first round de because they all have the "rushbacker" description

That word scares me because it we need a young DE to become a 3 down guy not just a pass rusher

Perry i honestly think is our only option and i have seen him play a few times this year...his size and numbers seem to make him an end that will work in our 4-3

Personally i wouldnt mind them waiting on a DE till round 2 or 3 get a solid guy who can grow under izzy contribute with situational pressure on the quaterback and be the guy eventually but if it dosent work we wont be burned on yet another bust first pick as i feel the guy who goes at 19 should be a starter somewhere

I would rather have DeCastro,Floyd, anyday and would be equally happy with Konz Hill or maybe even Hightower at 19

Another thing to concider is the Forte situation if he did refuse and emery did have the backbone to send him packing we could have a higher pick as well (very unlikely but also possible)

1. Whitney Mercilus*, DE/OLB, Illinois
   Height: 6-4. Weight: 261.
   40 Time: 4.63. 10-Yd Split: 1.56.
   Bench: 27.
   Vertical: 32. Broad: 9-10.
   Arm: 33 7/8.
   Projected Round (2012): 1.
   3/14/12: Mercilus featured his special speed and athletic ability at the Combine. He ran well, moved extremely well laterally in the field drills and had quality strength. Mercilus showed 3-4 teams that he can operate as an outside linebacker. Reports were that Mercilus performed well at his pro day. Between the Combine and his pro day, he has cemented his status as a first-round pick.
   
   A typical game from Mercilus in 2011 featured a sack and a forced fumble. He led the nation in sacks and forced fumbles last year. The junior totaled 57 tackles with 22.5 tackles for a loss, 16 sacks and nine forced fumbles.
   
   Mercilus showed no mercy this season to offensive tackles and quarterbacks. All year long, he beat tackles with a combination of speed, strength and athleticism. Against Ohio State's Mike Adams, one of the best offensive tackles Mercilus played this year, he beat Adams for 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Mercilus was tough on Wisconsin and its powerful offensive line with a sack-fumble on a bull rush through massive right tackle Josh Oglesby. Routinely, Mercilus plays with ideal pad level and body lean.
   
   The early entry prospect is extremely fast and gets upfield in a hurry. His speed puts offensive tackles on their heels, and he has the athleticism to drop his hips and shoulder to turn towards the quarterback. Mercilus' strength can take linemen by surprise, and he has a powerful bull rush. In run defense, Mercilus anchors and holds his ground well. He needs to work on shedding blocks in order to be able to make more tackles in the ground game.
2. Nick Perry*, DE, USC
   Height: 6-3. Weight: 271.
   40 Time: 4.50. 10-Yd Split: 1.56.
   Bench: 35.
   Vertical: 38.5. Broad: 10-4.
   Arm: 33.
   Projected Round (2012): 1-2.
   3/14/12: At the Combine, Perry showed up 15-20 pounds heavier than his listed weight in college. He illustrated that it was good weight as he had one of the better bench-press totals among the defensive linemen. Perry then blazed a ridiculously fast 40 time and showed explosion in the other drills.
   
   In the field workouts at the Combine and his pro day, Perry looked rather stiff and he doesn't look like a good fit in a 3-4 defense at the next level. Perry could be forced into a 3-4, but he will need some time to learn the position and should drop some bulk to be more fluid.
   
   Perry really improved his performance from 2010. He finished the 2011 season on on a tear with 5.5 sacks in four games. Perry battled well against Stanford offensive tackle Jonathan Martin even though he didn't have a sack in the game. As the year wore on, Perry simply got better. He is lightning off the snap, and his speed to turn the corner and cut back to the inside overwhelms offensive tackles. Perry has a good repertoire of moves, and the only thing lacking from his game is more bulk and strength.
   
   The redshirt junior totaled 54 tackles with 9.5 sacks, 13 tackles for a loss, three forced fumbles and two passes batted in 2011. If Perry had decided to return for his senior season and continued to improve under Monte Kiffin before going pro, he could have been a high first-round pick in 2013.
   
   8/21/11: Nick Perry broke out with eight sacks as a freshman. Last year, his numbers dipped to four sacks and 7.5 tackles for a loss. At his current size and weight, he would probably be better served as a 3-4 outside linebacker. Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin flipped Perry from right to left defensive end last year. If he stays at end as a professional, he should add some more bulk. Perry needs to improve his production in 2011 to get his draft status going in the right direction.

A lot of the draftniks have Melvin Ingram listed as a defensive end. While he played down at South Carolina, his size says he will be an outside linebacker probably in a 3-4 in the NFL. His size and arm length (6014 – 264, 31.5” arms) dictate that he could struggle at defensive end unless he plays in the perfect schematic situation. Two other players who many see time as “tweeners” (DE/OLB) will also be high picks in this draft. They are Whitney Mercilus from Illinois and Nick Perry from USC. Let’s look at their play.
Whitney Mercilus
Mercilus is a 4th year junior who decided to enter the draft early. He is from Akron, Ohio, and was rated as a 3-star recruit as an undersized defensive end. He was offered by schools such as Syracuse, Michigan State, Kansas and Purdue. He redshirted as a freshman and played as a backup in 2009 and 2010. This past season he got his first opportunity to show his talent and put up some excellent numbers. He had 57 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 16 sacks and 9 forced fumbles. The big number here is the 16 sacks. Natural pass rushers are hard to find and that is what this player is.
ICONWhitney Mercilus had 57 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 16 sacks and 9 forced fumbles in 2011.
Mercilus has good but not great size. He measured 6035 – 261 with 34.88”arms. He has strength (27 reps), speed (4.68) and has excellent change of direction and body control. He is a natural knee bender with quick feet. In Illinois’ 3-4 scheme he played on both the right and left sides. He has very good initial quickness and with his quick first step he consistently gets penetration to disrupt plays. While he can be disruptive, he is still raw when it comes to technique. He lacks consistent good hand use when shedding run blocks but in saying that he does use his hands better when pass rushing. Mercilus is a competitive player who doesn’t take off downs. What I like is the way he chases plays down from the backside, he has the speed and takes good angles.
As a pass rusher, early in the season he was more an edge speed guy, but as the season wore on he was able to develop some counter moves. He also has the power and snap in his hips to be a productive bull rusher. His natural physical traits of flexibility, power and speed make him difficult to block.
Overall, Mercilus best fits 4-3 schemes as a right end but he has the strength and growth potential to be able to play on the left side. 3-4 teams will like him because he has the athleticism to play on his feet and drop into coverage. In a way he reminds some of Jason Pierre-Paul from two years ago. Pierre-Paul was raw and only played 1 year of major college football, but he was the most instinctive pass rusher I had seen in years. Mercilus has some of those same traits. He lacks the natural size that Pierre-Paul has and isn’t quite as instinctive but has many other similar traits. I expect him to be drafted in the top 15 because of that pass rush talent.
Nick Perry
Like Mercilus, Perry is an underclassman entering the draft early. He was a 4-star recruit in 2008 who was recruited by many of the top programs in the country. He redshirted as a freshman and played as a backup in 2009. He has been a starter the last two years and is a bit of a combo player. I saw 3 games from this year (Notre Dame, Stanford, Washington) and he played both up and down. In the Notre Dame game he was a 3-4 OLB on base downs and played as a defensive end on passing downs. In Stanford and Washington he played down most of the game.
Perry has adequate size at 6026 – 271 with 33” arms. He worked out well at both the Combine and his pro day. He can run (4.58) and like Mercilus has very good change of direction and body control. He tests out as a more explosive athlete than Mercilus with better vertical and long jumps but you don’t see that on tape. He also was better in the bench press by 8 reps (which translate to 40 pounds) but again you don’t see that on tape.
Perry always is on the right side whether or not he is up or down. He is quick off the ball and can get penetration with his quickness, strength and power. He shows power at the point of attack and you seldom if ever see him give ground to a blocker. He has good hand use to shed and get to the play. He is instinctive with quick reactions and finds the ball.
As a pass rusher he has shown production but is not as productive as Mercilus. He had 9.5 sacks in 2011 and 4 in 2010. He is an outside speed rusher first and foremost. He has the dip and bend to get under a blocker and create pressure. What I didn’t see on tape is many counter moves; if he didn’t beat his man with the outside rush he was finished. He does work stunts well with the defensive tackles. When he plays on his feet he shows many of the same pass rush moves.
When he plays as an OLB he does drop into coverage and shows good quickness with his drop. He can turn his hips and transition. He also shows good awareness. I only saw a few plays where he had to react to the ball in the air and I saw no problem with his reactions in those few plays.
Overall, Perry will interest both the 4-3 and 3-4 teams. Unlike many players that the 3-4 teams have to convert to OLB, that won’t be the case with Perry. He has done it! While some 4-3 teams would like a bit more height, he still should be able to play either right or left end in many of those schemes. I don’t see the explosive pass rush talent that Mercilus has but still Perry is an excellent prospect who will get drafted high. I see him as a guy who could get drafted in the bottom third of the first or the top of the second round.

Originally Posted by jackiejokeman

Soul,

I think we should go balls in on offense and when it comes to defense go secondary which also does double duty in special teams.

Twenty fucking eight against the pass Souls.

As much as it makes sense to go full offense it really doesn't. I guess that's why I wanted a better fa showing for the offense which is pretty young

I think we need a pretty good defensive draft cause lets face facts even though they are playing at a high level they are old. We need to get guys now so in two years they are the new face of the defense. You don't want to get in a situation where you are replacing urlacher pepper Briggs Tillman all at one time. Does that scenario sound familiar? It does cause that's how ja screwed up the oline and we are still suffering cause of the manner he dealt with it waiting when we lost our lt rt lg all at one time

MPB68,

Those are are angles worth a look at.

Hey what if we had an offense that could keep the defense off the field?