Prospect Profile: Shaq Lawson, Edge, Clemson

Pros: Very athletic and never takes a play off. Athleticism was a question for some before the combine but Lawson had arguably the best performance at his position. Was very productive with 12.5 sacks and 24.5 tackles for loss last season. Had 21 tackles for loss and seven sacks his first two seasons as a part-time player at Clemson.

Cons: Suffered a knee injury late last year and was flagged at the combine for a shoulder issue. Hard to say how that will turn out. His arms are on the short side, measuring 32.75 inches.

Summary: I love Lawson as a prospect, but I don’t think he’s going to have a ton of sack production in the NFL. I can see him being a Tamba Hali clone. He’ll have around eight sacks per season and be very productive against the run. Probably best suited to be a teams second-best pass-rusher. Is that worth the 11th pick?

Jeff’s Thought: 8 sacks per season? If he’s guaranteeing that you sprint to submit the card at 11.

Prospect Profiles: Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis

Pros: Great size, athleticism and production at Memphis. Did not turn the ball over, something that many believe will translate to the NFL. Has the potential to be a real franchise quarterback.

Read More …

Prospect Profile: Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame

Pros: Considered by many to be a franchise left tackle because of his size and athleticism. Has exceptionally long arms and held up very well in pass protection. Would improve the Bears pass-blocking from Day One and give them someone who can hold up against Clay Matthews, Ziggy Ansah and Everson Griffen.

Cons: Not really considered a mauler in the run game, which could be a big problem for the Bears. Some question if he really loves football. Looked really stiff and slow at the combine, but said it was because of a calf injury.

Summary: If NFL teams grade Stanley as a franchise left tackle, he won’t make it to the 11th pick. It’s going to come down the psychological evaluations, something nobody really has access to. Certainly has the talent to be a great left tackle. For the Bears, it’s worth questioning if they should invest such a high pick in the position when they have a quarterback who excels after the play breaks down.

Jeff’s Thought: I don’t know how good Charles Leno can be at left tackle but I think the Bears would be making a terrible mistake not finding out. Drafting Stanley would relegate Leno to the bench immediately.

Prospect Profile: A’Shawn Robinson, DL, Alabama

Pros: Called “Body Beautiful” because he looks the part. Incredibly strong despite being just 20 years old last year. Was able to consistently push blockers into the backfield and rarely, if ever, lost ground. Will immediately improve and anchor any team’s run defense. Much better prospect than Danny Shelton was.

Read More …

The Bears website catalogued the players being mocked to the team by analysts across the country. Andrew Dannehy weighs in on each. This is the first of four volumes.

Prospect Profile: Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State

Pros: Conklin is big (6’6″, 305) and nasty with exceptionally long arms (35 inches). He was al All-American playing against tough competition at Michigan State. Might not be a better pass-blocker than Charles Leno right away, but he has athletic upside and would immediately be a mauler in the run game.

Cons: His footwork makes him looks slow out of his stance at times. He’ll probably struggle against speed-rushers, which could be a major problem in a division with Clay Matthews. If he struggled at left tackle, the Bears really don’t have anywhere else to put him.

Summary: Conklin is a good prospect and one of my favorites tackle prospects in this draft. If the Bears are confident he can improve his footwork and play left tackle right away, he could very well be the pick. Personally, I’m not convinced he’s going to be an upgrade over Leno, in year one, anyway.

Jeff’s Thought: Aren’t the days of the tough, white Big Ten tackle over? When I watch Conklin I can’t imagine any scenario where he is able to block Von Miller.

Prospect Profile: Leonard Floyd, Edge, Georgia

Pros: At six-foot-six, Floyd showed exceptional agility and fluid hips, even running down the field with wide receivers at times last season. He can be a chess piece as he can drop in coverage and rush from a variety of positions on defense.

Read More …

You know Noah Spence’s story. He was a five star recruit, kicked out of the Big 10 because of two failed drug tests for ecstasy. He went on to Eastern Kentucky, had a productive year and made people drool as he ran around bad tackle prospects at the Senior Bowl. That was right around the time of the Super Bowl and everyone suddenly wanted Spence to be Von Miller. Here’s the thing: He isn’t Von Miller and isn’t close as a prospect.

I’ll get to the red flags later.

Spence has very real physical flaws that make me think he’d struggle even if he did stay clean. The best pass-rushers in the league are either long or athletic. Spence isn’t either. It isn’t just about his 40-yard dash time. He didn’t show particularly good agility or explosiveness.

Read More …

Here we go again. My first mock mock draft came before free agency started, which means there have been a ton of changes, especially at the top of the draft and with the Bears.

What I don’t have is changes at the very top. I think the Titans and Browns are pretty much locked into who they are going to take and both picks make a lot of sense. After that, however, it’s anyone’s guess.

By now, the Bears are likely keying in on a handful of players they either want to take at 11 or will try to trade back. I did a “big board” a couple weeks ago, but this is very fluid. If I did that again, there would be several changes.

Read More …

You’d be hard-pressed to fine anyone who deserves the title of NFL Draft Expert more than former Chicago Bears Director of College Scouting Greg Gabriel, who agreed to do a quick Question and Answer about the upcoming NFL Draft with DBB.

While Gabriel was in charge of the Bears college scouting, they drafted players such as Lance Briggs, Tommie Harris, Devin Hester, Johnny Knox and Nathan Vasher. Gabriel worked in the NFL for 30 years and currently lends his expertise to National Football Post and 670 The Score. In other words, he knows his shit.

Q: I know every organization is different, but with free agency, the combine and most of the pro days already in the books, can you explain what the final month before the draft was like for the front offices you worked for?

A: The final month is mostly draft prep. Many of the allowable 30 visits come in then. (They can come in until a week before the draft). Depending on the club, the scouts come in for final meetings and setting the board. That could be anywhere from two to three weeks before the draft. The scouts are also making calls to perspective UDFA’s just trying to recruit. If the GM feels they might need a little more info on a kid, then he may send out a coach or scout for a private workout. We also make a lot of calls to gather as much info as possible as to where certain guys may get drafted.

Q: One of the things I’ve noticed about the Bears is how much they value length. In Vic Fangio’s time with the 49ers and John Fox’s time with the Broncos, they drafted 13 defensive linemen and edge players, all with arms longer than 33 inches. Can you explain why length is so important for pass-rushers, specifically?

Read More …

While wide receiver seems like a position of strength, the Bears appear to be pursuing players that would lead us to believe they’re not satisfied.

I try not to believe too much on the first day of free agency but the fact that a Seattle-area journo reported Jermaine Kearse was being pursued by the Bears is interesting. Their sales pitch to Kearse had to be based on opportunity. They couldn’t have been trying to sell him on being their third receiver over being the second receiver in Seattle, even if it were for more money.

Couple that with the fact that earlier this week it was reported the Bears were setting up a visit with Baylor receiver Corey Coleman, a likely first-round pick, and you have a team showing genuine interest in wide receivers.

I’m told former #Baylor WR Corey Coleman has workouts and/or visits lined up with the #Bengals, #Lions and #Bears among others.

— Rand Getlin (@Rand_Getlin) March 22, 2016

They’d probably have to use their first round pick — either at number 11 or a trade back — to net Coleman. Would they be spending a top draft pick on a receiver they expected to be the third or fourth option? Even if they’re just considering him with the 41st pick,  they’d still expect Coleman to be one of their top two receivers going forward. Investing a huge contract in one receiver and high picks on two others just doesn’t make sense for a team that wants to run the ball.

So, what aren’t they telling us?

Read More …

The Bears almost certainly have their own big board made up and, while we have no idea who is on it or where they land, this is my best guess.

First, a few things I considered:

• Every GM says they’ll take the best player available and I’m sure they intend to do just that. But in their ideal world the best player available would also fill a need. So, yes, need was a priority.

• I don’t pretend to be a scout, so most of these ranks are based on consensus combined with what I know about what the Bears prefer.

• The Bears prefer players with long arms. Look at pretty much every player they have brought in. Arm length is a big deal to them. Players who might be rated highly, but would have to be exceptions for the Bears include Shaq Lawson and Vernon Hargreaves. Maybe they’d make an exception for either of those players but I’m not betting on it.

• Ryan Pace always talks about explosive playmakers, so I gave preference to guys who either hurt the other team’s quarterback or help the Bears.

• I hate when people say he’s not going to be there but, for the purpose of this, I eliminated players who pretty much everyone thinks will be picked before the Bears are on the clock. They include: Laremy Tunsil, Joey Bosa, Myles Jack and Jalen Ramsey.

Without further adieu…

Bears Big Board

1. DeForest Buckner, DL, Oregon. There isn’t a more perfect fit for what the Bears need and want right now. He’d give them three good defensive linemen who can stop the run and provide at least some pass rush.

Read More …

While still unlikely, the possibility of the Bears drafting a quarterback with the 11th pick in the first round is no longer as crazy as it once seemed.

Daniel Jeremiah’s most recent mock draft created a stir amongst Bears fans because he had them taking Carson Wentz in the first round. Ryan Pace has made it clear he wants to build around Jay Cutler, but he has also said he would take the best player available in the draft. The moves he made in free agency should give him the option of doing just that and if it’s a quarterback, so be it.

Read More …

Right up until it was reported Malik Jackson was signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Bears were considered a favorite to sign the former Bronco. But the Bears were right. At $15 million person for the man widely regarded as the top free agent on the market, the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze.

Don’t get me wrong, Jackson is among the very best in the league at what he does. Turn on the AFC Championship Game and you’ll see why he got paid. So much of the focus was on Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware but the Patriots felt the need to double Jackson on nearly every passing play. When they didn’t, he pushed the guard back into Brady. It was a dominating performance.

Read More …