So the draft is now over. The Bears wound up making 8 picks and signing 9 undrafted free agents. I already went over what I thought about the first round pick, but I'll go back over that and everyone else they added to the team in this post. There's 17 guys to go over, so I'm not wasting any more time, let's go.
First Round - Kyle Fuller CB
Like I said before, I wasn't sure at first about this pick, but the more I looked into it, the more I liked it. A lot of the sites I went to for research really liked the pick, and now I like it as well. The Bears addressed a need for their team. They do have a good starting duo at corner right now, but both of them are on the wrong side of 30, and they're a great duo for him to learn under. Not only that, but he can come right in and play nickel, and maybe even some safety. The plan is for him to eventually be starting on the outside, but there's a lot of places they can put him before that. His athleticism and instincts along with his great size for the corner will help him to hopefully help the Bears make the transition on defense as guys like Tillman and Jennings age.
Second Round - Ego Ferguson DT
This was the pick that really had people scratching their heads. Personally, I was hoping for Ferguson as their third round pick and that they would use the first two rounds for defensive backs. However, most of the guys I was hoping for at safety were no longer there when the Bears came up to pick. I still would have liked Ha Ha in the first and Desir in the second, but there's a reason I'm not the GM. Either way, I do like Ferguson being on the Bears, but he was a reach. Still, it fills an area of need, another one where the Bears have guys for that position, but will need guys to step in before too much longer (unless Paea and Collins turn into Pro Bowl players).
Third Round - Will Sutton DT
This was a great pick for Emery. Sutton was much more productive in 2012 than he was in 2013, and much of that can be attributed to weight gain in 2013, but some of it can also be attributed to the additional attention he got from other offensive linemen as well. Still though, I hope he does drop most of that extra weight. If he's able to return to his 2012 form, then the Bears got a first round talent in the third round. If he doesn't, I still think the Bears got a second round talent with him.
Fourth Round - Ka'Deem Carey RB and Brock Vereen S
I love one of these picks and hate the other. First the one I don't care for. Ka'Deem Carey is a big and pretty strong running back who can catch the ball reasonably well out of the backfield. However, he is slow. I almost wonder if he was picked to be more of a fullback instead of a tailback, but the Bears are set at fullback right now. Either way, I can see him being good on short yardage plays and occasionally catching the ball out of the backfield, but that's about it. With Thomas still on the board I really wonder about this pick. Also, he's going to be tough to cheer for, as there are major character issues with him after a 2013 arrest for pushing down his pregnant ex-girlfriend and slamming a door on her hand. That's some seriously messed up stuff right there. Hopefully his teammates can provide a good example for him and set him straight, otherwise there could be another Evan Rodriguez situation.
As for Brock Vereen, that was a great pick. Not only did it address the biggest area of need for the Bears, but Vereen is really more of a late 2nd or early 3rd type of talent, according to many places I've seen. I didn't mention him in any of my previous posts only because I thought he was going to fall between the Bears 2nd and 3rd round picks for sure. However, he somehow fell all the way to the 4th round and the Bears wisely traded up to snag him.
Sixth Round - David Fales QB and Pat O'Donnell
This was another case of where I loved one pick and didn't like the other. I love the Fales pick. I thought he was a bit of a steal all the way down in the 6th round. He doesn't have the best deep accuracy, but hey, neither does Josh McCown, and he did just fine for the Bears when Cutler went out. He is very accurate from short to mid range. His biggest knocks seem to be that deep range, his height, and his speed. His speed is something that will limit him to being a pocket passer, but his height is not terrible at all. With his accuracy and a great head on his shoulders (supposedly will bring all the great things to the locker room that Josh McCown did), I'm loving the pick.
As for Pat O'Donnell, it's not that I don't think he'll be a good punter. In fact, I think he'll be a great punter, he's got a huge leg and is known for getting down the field to cover his own punts. He ran a 4.64 40 and got 23 reps on the bench, that's much more than anyone expects out of a punter. He seems like a high character guy as well. However, I'm not a fan of using draft picks on a punter, especially when there are still guys on the board at positions of need (Yawin Smallwood, for instance). Still, I do think he'll be a good punter, and I understand why the Bears did want him, but I just don't believe in drafting punters or kickers.
Seventh Round - Charles Leno Jr OT
Supposedly he can play guard and tackle. That's a very nice thing, having offensive linemen who can play multiple positions. He's got good size, but you'd like to see a little better strength out of an offensive lineman. Still, he's a low risk, high reward type of guy. Supposedly the technique and all of that is there already.
Undrafted Free Agents - Jordan Lynch QB, James Dunbar OT, Lee Pegues DE, Brandon Dunn DT, Christian Jones LB, DeDe Lattimore LB, Tana Patrick LB, Ryan Groy G, and Cody Booth TE
The Bears were active right away with their undrafted free agents. The headline of the bunch right now is Jordan Lynch. Not only because he's a local guy who wasn't too far from winning the Heisman this past season, but because nobody knows where he'll wind up on the team. I can see him being an offensive weapon type of guy, as he can throw the ball, run the ball, and he's even been talked about to become a receiver. Not only that, but a lot of people think he would make a great safety. This is one signing that everyone has to say they don't know how it will turn out, if they say otherwise, then they are a liar. However, it's one I like, because it's one that can have a very high reward if the right buttons are pushed.
With James Dunbar the Bears probably don't have much more than a training camp body. You never know, but I doubt he makes the roster.
Lee Pegues is an interesting case. If you ask me, the Bears should try to make him a DT. As a DE he isn't in a horrible place, but he'll have a lot of guys to compete against who make more sense, and his size is very good for a DT. He's got 4.95 speed and solid strength that can work at DT. He'd also have a much better chance at making the team at DT, like I said before, there's too many guys ahead of him at DE.
Brandon Dunn is another guy who I feel will be more of a training camp person. As I said before, you never know, but he's pretty much a slower and weaker version of Lee Pegues, only Dunn is absolutely a DT.
Christian Jones was the first of a series of linebackers that the Bears signed. I really like this signing. Supposedly he failed a drug test at the combine, which does raise a red flag, but he's still considered by a couple of sites I looked at to be a third round talent. The physical ability seems to all be there, but it's just what's in between the ears that seems to be a concern. Again, with the right coaching and mentoring, the Bears could have an absolute steal here.
Dede Lattimore is a bit on the small size, but has good speed. He's looking to be more of an inside linebacker. I like the idea of at least giving him a look, but I really don't see him being anything more than someone on the practice squad. Like I've said twice before though, anything can happen.
I don't really understand signing Tana Patrick. I really don't think he even comes close to making the roster, or even practice squad. However, linebacker is an area the Bears need to be looking at, and it never hurts to have as many guys there to look at as possible.
Ryan Groy was a good signing, and I can easily see him legitimately competing for a spot on the roster. He obviously won't be a starter since the Bears have Long and Slausen as the current guards, and both have did a great job last year, but he can surely add reliable depth to that offensive line.
I don't really see Cody Booth doing too much for the Bears. I looks like he played OT last year, but was a tight end for most of his career in college. He looks like he'll be a bit small to be an OT, so tight end is probably the best place for him in the NFL, but he is slow footed. He's probably being looked at to be a blocking tight end. I doubt he makes the roster, but I won't count him out either.
As a whole, I think the Bears did a good job. If I had to put a grade to it, I'd say a B or B+. There were a couple of moves I didn't like, but I think they did a solid job of addressing the needs of the team and got a lot of guys with a ton of talent. There's a ton of upside in this group, although there's also some solid bust potential with some of those guys too. It will be very interesting to see how this whole thing unfolds, but I will say that the Bears did do a good job at grabbing a bunch of guys who were falling through the cracks like Vereen and Sutton.
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