Chicago Bears 2008 Draft Picks:Round 1 (14): Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt
Round 2 (44): Matt Forte, RB, Tulane
Round 3 (70): Earl Bennett, WR, Vanderbilt
Round 3 (90): Marcus Harrison, DT, Arkansas
Round 4 (120): Craig Steltz, S, LSU
Round 5 (142): Zack Bowman, CB, Nebraska
Round 5 (158): Kellen Davis, TE, Michigan State
Round 7 (208): Ervin Baldwin, DE, Michigan State
Round 7 (222): Chester Adams, G, Georgia
Round 7 (243): Joey LaRocque, LB, Oregon State
Round 7 (247): Kirk Barton, OT, Ohio State
Round 7 (248): Marcus Monk, WR, Arkansas
The Good: The Bears did a great job of actually selecting players. It would not be the least bit surprising to see Williams, Forte and Bennett all starting come Week One. Bennett, in particular, looks like a steal. He caught 75 or more balls every year in college, makes up for being short by running great routes and has great hands. Harrison's talent is much higher than a third round grade as is Bowman's in the fifth but character and injury concerns, respectively, pushed them down. The others were all productive college players at successful programs and you could do worse than 6'4" wide receivers that run 4.45 40s with the 248th pick.
The Bad: Where's the quarterback? I like Forte a lot and think he will be a contributor from the get-go but is the difference between him and Cedric Benson really greater than that of Rex Grossman/Kyle Orton and Brian Brohm/Chad Henne?
The Grade: B. Yes, their quarterbacks are Grossman and Orton, as they were when they went to the Super Bowl. I'm not saying they're headed back that way but, for me, the clutch of good players who will help right away do a lot to outweigh the failure to add a quarterback. If you're convinced of Brohm or Henne's future stardom, you're likely to disagree but that still doesn't erase the fact that the Bears are a better team today than they were on Friday.
Click here for more draft grades.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-28-2008 @ 10:50AM
dave said...
The grade is F. Having rex grossman/ kyle orton is fine for the year to come, but to arrogantly dismiss every qb in the draft is inexcusable. Woodson went in the 6th round, he could have been brought in, sat a year, and developed. Jerry Angelo fell in love with UFA Nick Hill from southern illinois, yeah b/c we all know what a powerhouse program that is... denial is rampant in chicago.
Reply
4-28-2008 @ 12:52PM
MDZ said...
Sure, QB is the most important position in the NFL, but the Bears got 5 or 6 future starters in the draft with Williams, Forte, Bennett, Harrison, Bowman and Monk. Plus they got 2 decent O-linemen to improve depth, and Davis is an intriguing prospect at DE or TE. This was a very good draft for the Bears, and it will challenge the Chiefs draft for the number of starters it will produce.
Reply
4-28-2008 @ 1:15PM
dave said...
MDZ your logic is flawed. The only reason these draftees will start is b/c of the gaping holes left by a stagnant off season. Outside of williams the influx of talent is questionable. Forte and bennet were best available need picks, "decent o-lineman"?I want good o lineman. As for davis DE/TE... could we be any more stocked at two positions? DEs: Brown, ogulye, anderson, idonije, bazuin. TE: Clark and Olsen. Davis at 158 could have been: ainge, brennan, flynn, josh johnson, or woodson.
Reply
4-28-2008 @ 2:15PM
MDZ said...
So Davis could have been any number of 4 QBs that won't play and are worse than Orton and Grossman. The 2 other O-linemen provide depth and could improve the line. Yes it would be nice to get an upgrade to Grossman and Orton, but the Bears did a great job of improving every other aspect of the offense through the draft. An improved O-line and running game will make Grossman and Orton perform better. There wasn't an elite QB available in the draft and Brohm (injury) or Henne (stupid) have huge red flags. The Bears eventually need to find a good QB, but there just weren't any in this draft. If the Bears would have drafted Brohm instead of Forte, then would you have given them a B or an A? If so, then the flawed logic is killing a team's draft because they didn't draft a QB when the other 7 or 8 picks were pretty good. The Bears had lots of holes and pretty much filled them through the draft. I refuse to write off a QB's career until he's actually been given some pass protection.
Reply
4-28-2008 @ 2:59PM
dave said...
I am not saying henne or brohm were necessary, and I get the forte pick to push benson. I am saying smart teams draft qbs when they dont need them to develop them. Pats- brady/kevin o'connell, NY- eli/woodson, GB- rodgers/brohm, etc. All I am saying is that in three years we will still have vasher, tillman, and probably mcbride at cb, there is a good chance orton and grossman are off the team... given that a 5th rounder on woodson with a year on the bench might have turned into something. As it stands we have zackary bowman [w/ his knees] and this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orXFy8cHn3c&eurl=http://www.championshipsubdivisionnews.com/?title=southern-illinois-qb-nick-hill-passing-d&more=1&c=1&tb=1&p
Reply
5-01-2008 @ 9:29AM
Jvej said...
the undrafted quarterbacks will be a better choice then any drafted, especially the guy from colorado.
Reply
5-08-2008 @ 9:03AM
Gary said...
the draft was a good job of filling needs.the problem was the quarterbacs available were worse thabn rex or orton both from big programs and neither yet given a chance to develop.you need recievers and running game and blocing to stand and complete passes .bradys good because of great recievers and time to throw hurry him like the giants did and his stats drop give rex a chance give him a good offense then see
Reply