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The Chicago Bears Made a Pair Of Wise Picks in Chris Williams and Matt Forte on Day One of the '08 Draft...But Will it Matter Without a Signal Caller?
The Bears had 12 picks in this year's draft. Ideally, Chicago needed to beef up its aging offensive line, find a running back and address its thin secondary. Plus, it wouldn't have hurt to find another signal caller too.
Seven of the 12 picks were offensive players--four lineman and three skill positions--and the remaining five were on the other side of the ball--two linemen, plus one each at cornerback, safety and linebacker. Surprisingly, the Bears passed on drafting a quarterback for the third straight year.
However, Chicago filled one of its more pressing needs by selecting 6'6 left tackle Chris Williams from Vanderbilt with the 14th overall pick in the first round. Williams' large-frame and knack for pass-blocking suits the Bears' need to better protect its quarterbacks.
The rookie's quick feet and athleticism will certainly have him starting this fall against the NFC North's best pass rushers. The Bears will be leaning on Williams for is his leadership abilities--he captained the SEC's Commodores--and his toughness. The downside for Williams is his sub-par run-blocking skills.
Speaking of which, Chicago used its second pick in an attempt to stabilize its backfield. Tulane running back Matt Forte (6'2, 222) was taken 44th overall. Forte wrapped up a stellar career with the Green Wave by finishing second on the school's all-time career rushing list (4,145 yards) and first in career touchdowns (38).
The off the field drama and on the field ineptitude with Cedric Benson could place Forte in the starting position out of training camp. While Forte is known for his quick open-field running, he typically only works off one cut in the backfield and needs to further develop his pass-blocking skills.
While I would have preferred the Bears used this pick on a quarterback, Forte may be a blessing in disguise considering Benson may be cut from the team.
 Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media
Besides Bennett's raw speed (4.5 in the 40), he's also graded out highly in his pass-blocking abilities while being compared to the Steelers' Hines Ward.
Chicago used its next three picks for defense. Defensive tackle Marcus Harrison (Arkansas) is versatile enough to play several different spots on the line, but has a history of off the field problems; safety Craig Steltz (LSU) is an impact player with soft hands, having nabbed 10 INTs during his final two seasons in the Bengals' backfield, but his coverage abilities are limited. Cornerback Zach Bowman (Nebraska) can be a top level pass-defender, but has a history of serious knee injuries (ACL '06 and patellar tendon '07).
The next three picks included two former Michigan St. Spartans--in round five, the Bears chose tight end Kellen Davis and in round seven, it was defensive end Ervin Baldwin. With their second pick in round seven, they grabbed guard Chester Adams from Georgia.
Davis had a strong senior year seeing time on the defensive line and tight end, but the big man (6'6, 260) is unsteady in his fundamentals and lacks consistency at the position. Baldwin is under-sized for a defensive lineman (6'2, 270) while Adams has questionable strength for a lineman and also needs to improve on his consistency.
The final three picks were linebacker Joey LaRocque (Georgia), offensive tackle Kirk Barton (Ohio State) and wideout Marcus Monk (Arkansas). Barton is the most promising pick because of his size (6'5, 310), athleticism--he allowed just one sack in '07--and big-game experience playing for the Buckeyes.
In summary, Chicago did well in the draft. Most importantly, the franchise used its picks to reshape glaring weaknesses into potential strengths, except where it mattered most, the quarterback position.
The Bears could have considered this draft a success...if they had drafted a QB. The team's stubbornness to avoid drafting a quarterback--the most important position in sports, mind you--cannot be overlooked.
This ongoing quarterback dilemma in Chicago already cost the team its chance at winning Super Bowl XLI and further hampers the club’s odds of winning games in the future as well.
Since 2003, Chicago has focused on developing three different quarterbacks, Rex Grossman, Craig Krenzel and Kyle Orton: all have thrown more interceptions than touchdowns.
Worse, with none of these players showing any indication that they’re anything near a franchise QB--and you can include Brian Griese too--the Bears have failed to find a usable signal-caller with any of their 28 draft picks since 2006. Unacceptable.
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