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A Bunch of Thoughts on the Bears Draft

| April 28th, 2013

Grading drafts the day after the draft is one of the most ludicrous things done by the sports media. It is nothing more than filler. Did the Chicago Bears have a good draft? Nobody knows. Not Mike Mayock. Not Mel Kiper. Not Pete Prisco. Nobody. Knows. Here’s what I do know.

  • Emery attacked offensive line with ferocity this offseason. We know Jermon Bushrod is the new starting left tackle. We can assume Kyle Long and Matt Slauson are the new starting guards. The competition at right tackle is now between J’Marcus Webb, Jonathan Scott and fifth-round selection Jordan Mills. Only Roberto Garza will line up where he lined up in 2012.
  • Speaking of Mills, his press call after being selected was my favorite thing about this draft. He has not entertained the idea of not starting at right tackle. I hope he goes out and earns it this summer. If you didn’t see the quotes, here they are (via Adam Jahns of the Sun-Times):

“I know they’ve got Jay Cutler,” Mills said on a conference call. “I know they’ve got Devin Hester, a beast of a wide receiver in Brandon Marshall. I know they just got the tackle from New Orleans, [Jermon] Bushrod. With him on the left side and me on the right side, that’s going to be a line to reckon with.

“And me with [first-round pick] Kyle Long, seeing him at the combine and I got to talk to him also, this offensive line is going to be good.”

  • Descriptions of Kyle Long, Jordan Mills & Cornelius Washington (and to a lesser extent Bostic and Greene) all include mention of a mean streak. This is an element the Bears lacked under Lovie Smith, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Seems a definitive theme of the draft.
  • Bostic & Greene may not be two thirds of the Bears future linebacking corps but their selections means Phil Emery was consciously attempting to find that future corps. If Emery hits on these two players he will have revitalized two positions in a month.
  • Rest assured that Emery has ALREADY begun scouting the best college cornerbacks. Every corner on the Bears roster is on the final year of their contract but Emery decided not to reach for a project CB. He took the best player available, irregardless of particular need.
  • I was off the internet and Twitter when the Bears selected troubled Washington State receiver Marquess Wilson in the seventh round. Yes, he’s talented. Yes, it could very well be a steal. But remember, this is the seventh round. Every team passed on this kid at least five times. The most likely scenario is Wilson does not make the team coming out of camp. Here’s his highlight video (apologies for the music):

  • Cornelius Washington is regarded by most scouts as a pass rush specialist/quarterback hunter. Walter Football projected him as a second round pick. Their reaction to the pick? “I don’t understand why Cornelius Washington fell to the middle of the sixth round. Washington is a Day 2 talent. He is raw, but that’s fine because the Bears won’t really need him until Julius Peppers moves on.”

With a new coaching staff and some serious talent to investigate, the 2013 Bears training camp has become the most interesting of my lifetime.