[CBFF] CT - Bears ignored nee... blah blah blah

[Jerry Madsen]

Bears ignored needs in draft
The veteran scout takes a look at the Bears' 7 draft picks
Chris Landry
A Scout's View

May 4, 2006, 4:16 PM CDT

The Bears bestowed their first five draft picks on a defense that
allowed the fewest points in the league last season, but ignored an
offense that was No. 29 in yards.

Trading out of the first round made sense but taking Abilene Christian
defensive back Danieal Manning in the second round did not. Manning is
a good, young player who will develop into a fine player but they
over-graded him and passed up better players on the board.

Tight end was considered the biggest team need, and this was one of
the deepest groups at that position in the last 10 years. Nine tight
ends were selected among the first 98 draft choices and 17 altogether.
But the Bears didn't get any of them, even though their tight ends
last season caught 28 passes for 251 yards.

However signing Oregon tight end Tim Day after the draft was
outstanding. He has good instincts, size, long arms and soft hands. He
also has good speed, quickness, catches well in traffic and takes good
angles as a run-blocker. He lacks the top end speed to stretch the
seam that a number of players in the draft would have provided but he
was a good undrafted free agent signing.

Notre Dame tight end Anthony Fasano went to the Rams 53rd overall,
four spots before the Bears took Devin Hester in the second round.
Colorado tight end Joe Klopfenstein went 46th to the Cardinals, four
picks after Manning. Having Manning higher on their board than
Klopfenstein is a poor job of scouting by the Bears.

Manning is 5-10 3/4, 202, ran 4.46 at the scouting combine and did 17
reps on the 225-pound bench press. He had a 39-inch vertical jump and
10-3 broad jump. Has very good size-speed combination and might be
able to play CB in NFL although he was a SS in college. He is still
raw in many areas of technique, especially reading routes and decision
making but he showed at the East-West Shrine Game he could cover
Division-I players and was not intimidated by the big-name receivers.
He has solid man-coverage skills and the closing burst. He's also a
top-notch return man who averaged over 30 yards on kickoffs for his
career and 22 yards on punt returns in 2004.

Hester was one of the most exciting players in college football during
his three years at Miami. As a freshman he averaged 30.3 yards on
kickoff returns and averaged 16 yards as a punt returner with three
touchdowns. He started games at tailback, cornerback and nickel back.
But he's extremely raw as a cornerback, but the Bears believe if they
put him at one position and leave him there, he will develop much more
rapidly than he did at Miami, where he was used in all three phases of
the game. While he's learning the cornerback position, the Bears are
convinced he gives them a difference-maker in the return game. This
was a reach for primarily a return guy with just limited potential in
the secondary. The key again in evaluating a pick like this is to
understand that they again left some quality players on the board at
key need positions.

Hester would have been a good pick a round later had the team not
reached on Manning, as well. Hester is more explosive in the return
game but he doesn't have a position on offense or defense. So the team
essentially used its second of two picks in the second round on a
return specialist. Better options with the 57th overall pick would
have included Western Michigan tight end Tony Scheffler or Fresno
State DC Richard Marshall.

Dusty Dvoracek, DT, 6-2 3/4, 306, Oklahoma overcame alcohol-related
problems resulting in a suspension during 2004 to come back and play
well in '05 despite suffering a torn biceps muscle in the spring. He's
extremely strong, hard working and intelligent and had one of the
highest Wonderlic score at the combine. He's a powerful player who
plays hurt and will battle every down. He ran a 5.06 40-yard dask and
had an impressive 34-inch vertical. He's very competitive but played
in a rotation so he may not have great endurance or be able to play
every down. He will have a similar role with the Bears. A decent value
pick in the third round but again they left better players on the
board at more needed positions.

Fourth-round pick Jamar Williams, LB, 6-0 1/2, 236, Arizona State was
a three-year starter with eight career interceptions and 25 tackles
for loss. Has played on the strong and weak side and has intelligence,
intangibles, instincts and a 4.64 40-time. He has the versatility to
backup all the linebacker spots and slide in wherever needed.

DE Mark Anderson of Alabama on the fifth round was a 2 1/2-year
starter on one of the top defenses in the nation, but he was never the
star player for the Tide. He won't be a star with the Bears either
because he's too small (6-4 1/4, 254) to be an every-down player. But
he does have some freak-like athletic traits, including a 42-inch
vertical jump and a 4.65 40-yard dash. He beat D'Brickashaw Ferguson
for a sack at the Senior Bowl and he has room to grow, a good work
ethic and the desire to get better. He is a situational pass-rusher.

Anderson made a surprising nosedive on draft weekend. He represents
their best value. The Bears took advantage of his misfortune by
selecting him late in the fifth round. Not only did Anderson
consistently produce at the college level, but he also put on an
impressive display during combine workouts. I expect Anderson to
quickly emerge as part of the defensive end rotation behind Alex Brown
and Adewale Ogunleye.

Sixth-round pick J.D. Runnels, FB, 5-11, 240, Oklahoma is a decent
blocker who is more of a finesse fullback rather than a bruiser. He
has soft hands and is a reliable pass catcher, which makes him a good
fit on the Bears' offense. He has not been used as a ball carrier
much.

Their other sixth-round pick, Tyler Reed, OG, 6-4, 307, Penn State was
a three-year starter at right guard with decent size and strength but
limited mobility. He is a tough, hard-nosed player who is better as a
run blocker than a pass protector at this point

In assessing the Bears' draft as a whole, it was the most curious and
least effective draft in the league. No team misaligned their draft
board more or failed to address their needs more.

It was surprising to see the Bears continually pass on highly rated
tight end prospects throughout the draft's first few rounds,
especially after watching Georgia tight end Leonard Pope slip to Round
3.

Jerry Angelo is well respected among his peers around the league,
including myself, but he must look hard at the guy setting up his
draft board, Greg Gabriel. His lack of football background is really
starting to show. Having someone with a strong football coaching
background, who can access a player's talent and value in the draft is
essential.

The Bears coaching staff is a strong one but this draft only makes
their job much tougher.

Chris Landry is a veteran NFL scout, having served with the Cleveland
Browns, Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans and formerly ran the
Indianapolis Scouting Combine. He now runs his own scouting consulting
business where he scouts NFL and college personnel for NFL teams and
help universities and NFL teams in their coaching evaluations and
searches. He can be heard nationally on FOX Sports Radio as their
college football and NFL analyst.

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