What draft guides said before they were Bears

They do this every year, but it's always fun to see what was said about our guys. Especially a couple of the new ones this year. P.S. Sorry about the pics.What draft previews said about Bears

April 15, 2012 What draft guides said before they were Bears

By: Larry Mayer | Last Updated: 4/15/2012 11:15 AM




Ever wonder what the draft publications were saying about future members of the Bears before they left their college campuses? We dusted off some old Pro Football Weekly draft guides, searched for familiar names and found out. Read the following capsules and see just how accurate they were.

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Brian Urlacher, LB, New Mexico
First round, 2000 (9th overall)
"Terrific all-around athlete with outstanding stamina and endurance. Big, strong, fast and agile. Tough and instinctive with outstanding intangibles. Top competitor. Extremely versatile. Has the best hands on the team and is his team's best special teams player and tackler. Was impressive at the combine and was the only one of the potential lottery picks to do all the drills. Would appear to be best suited to be an outside 'backer."

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Julius Peppers, DE, North Carolina
First round, 2002 (2nd overall by Carolina Panthers)
“Prototype size and speed and really looks the part. Has very long arms and the wingspan of a 747. Flashes outstanding natural pass-rush talent coming off the edge and is starting to learn how to counter inside. Has tremendous athletic ability and upside. If he ever puts it all together, Peppers can be a great pro and true impact player—the type who leads the league in sacks and passes batted down and who can also play the run.”

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Charles Tillman, CB, La. Lafayette
Second round, 2003 (35th overall)
"Big, durable corner with very good size, adequate speed, good hands and range. Better when playing in a trail position. Good tackler who plays the run well. Leader with good character. Has tight hips for a cornerback and marginal football intelligence. Is an average hitter who can lack body control. Experienced, versatile corner who could fit in a cover-2 scheme and has a lot of upside."

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Lance Briggs, LB, Arizona
Third round, 2003 (68th overall)
"Productive three-year starter with good intangibles. Hustles and plays hard. Has good speed and range. Has some ability to take on blockers and is good at slipping off them. There are teams who like Briggs as high as the second round, but question his toughness because he seems unwilling to take on blocks. Good enough to make a team and contribute, but might never provide what teams are looking for in a starter."

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Jay Cutler, QB, Vanderbilt
First round, 2006 (11th overall by Denver Broncos)
“Has good size, strength and athletic ability and looks every bit the part. Has a cannon of an arm that allows him to improvise and get out of trouble. Throws a tight spiral, generates great velocity on his ball and can drill the deep out. Relies too much on his big arm and throws off his back foot when he does not have to. Has all the physical tools teams look for in a quarterback, and almost all of his flaws are correctable.”

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Devin Hester, RS/WR, Miami
Second round, 2006 (57th overall)
“Has exceptional burst, balance and gear change to blow past defenders and create with the ball in his hands. Is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Very fluid and naturally athletic with smooth hips. Has been a difference maker on special teams and can change the outcome of a game. One of the fastest players in the country."

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Brandon Marshall, WR, Central Florida
Third round, 2006 (119th overall by Denver Broncos)
"Has a big, physical frame and can go up high and sky for the ball. Has long arms and gives quarterbacks a big target Uses his body well to shield defenders and secure the ball. Can extend high and snag it with natural hands. Can be very physically imposing and provide match-up problems for a defense Ideal West Coast receiver with striking similarities to 49ers 1996 third-rounder Terrell Owens and ought to be drafted in the same place. "

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Matt Forte, RB, Tulane
Second round, 2008 (44th overall)
"Runs hard between the tackles and follows his blocks. Shows good feet to sidestep the first defender and make a tackler miss in the hole. Runs decisively and can drop his pads and drive through arm tackles. Always falls forward. Is surprisingly light on his feet for his size. Good instincts and feel for the game. Reliable hands. Willing blocker. Great work ethic. Tough and competitive. A big, strong, hard-charging, upright, one-cut runner."

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Earl Bennett, WR, Vanderbilt
Third round, 2008 (70th overall)
"Shows good short-area quickness. Has very good hands and shows great concentration in traffic. Makes some difficult, acrobatic catches. Shows good body control and ball skills. Does not play fast or come off the line with explosion. Has continually produced with an average supporting cast and shows the strength, quickness and run instincts to be effective after the catch. Would fit best in a West Coast offense working underneath zones."

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Johnny Knox, WR, Abilene Christian
Fifth round, 2009 (140th overall)
"Is quick off the line and into his routes and can sink his hips and accelerate out of breaks. Excellent timed speed and outstanding play speed. Shows the ability to separate. Very good concentration and body control to adjust to the off-line throw. Carries a swagger and the game is not too big for him. Has a narrow build and is not strong on contact. Average return skills. Should make a team as a slot receiver and contribute."

Thanks for this thread PB. I love going back and looking at what the guru's had to say about current players before they were drafted. It's always interesting to see who they nailed and who they didn't.:drinking61:


Urlacher is spot on and the one on Pep sounds very much like Coples with the exception of the rap against Coples for taking it easy his Senior year. At least that's understandable and in no way affects his beast like physical qualities. Pep has gotten raps for taking plays off during his career too.

Tillman's evaluation is spot on and so is Briggs. Briggsy may be better at handling blockers now but in the Bears defense he seldom needs to. He's the cleanup man who they scheme to keep clean so that he can make tackles. Great example of a player with talent ending up in just the right system and becoming an All Pro.

Cutler's is right on the money too including the part about throwing off his back foot. He still does it but gets away with it most of the time because of that arm of his. I don't have a great arm and I've always wondered how some guys just have a gun and others like me have only average arm strength. In baseball and softball I was a catcher and I had to develop a very quick release to compensate for a lack of velocity and then we had a guy who could stand flat footed and with no windup throw from 3rd to first like a shot out of a gun. Anyone know why some guys just have it?

You could write exactly the same things about Hester today. He's one player I will give JA kudos for having the guts to draft. The term "playmaker" is well applied in his case and I hope we get a half dozen more "playmakers" in this draft too. And it amazes me just how accurate they were about Marshall too. I would hope this would prove to the "take a WR in one" group that any team can get good WR talent farther down in the draft if they scout well. There are a half dozen guys in this years draft who may go right around this same area who could help us out with some youth and depth. We don't need a first rounder to find good talent.

The only disagreement I have over Forte's evaluation is that I don't see quick feet. One reason he doesn't do well as a short yardage back is his inability to shuffle over a yard or two to find the hole. He's a long striding cutback style runner and he does run too upright to be an effective short yardage back but it's perfect for his open field running. He can "flow" and change direction quickly at speed but hesitates when he can't in tight quarters.

Bennett, boy is that on the money or what? Hands, concentration, difficult catches and an ability to produce in a mediocre offense. Perfect WR pick for the Bears, LOL. Most of what they wrote about Knox is accurate but where did they get average return skills from?

Most of that was pretty accurate still.