My 2012 Chicago Bears mock

This is completely subject to change depending on how I feel in the morning!  In all seriousness, I do think this is a possible and realistic mock full of players the Bears have shown various degrees of interest in.

Round 1- 19. Nick Perry, DE, USC.  This pick came down to Perry vs. Mercilus.  The Bears have outwardly shown more interest in Mercilus, but DC, Rod Marinelli did work out Perry at the USC pro day.  Last year, Tice worked out Carimi, and we know how that ended up.  Perry gets the edge for his all around ability.  While Mercilus may be a better pass rusher and does cause fumbles when he gets to the QB, Perry is no slouch with his edge speed.  Highest explosion score of all defensive linemen at the combine at an amazing 85.4 (anything over 70 is considered elite).

Round 2- 50. Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson.  This pick kinda came out of nowhere.  The loss of Amobi Okoye means the Bears need help on the front 4.  Thompson is a borderline 1st round talent who keeps hovering around the 50 range in mock drafts across the web.  I think Thompson being on the board is much more realistic than either a WR like Rueben Randle being there or the Bears taking OL this early.  Thompson gives the Bears depth at the NT position, allowing Paea to focus on backing up Melton at the 3-technique.

Round 3- 79. Marvin Jones, WR, Cal.  Like every other team in the league, the Bears jumped to talk to Jones after he showed explosive deep speed at the Senior Bowl practices.  Jones has the measurables with the longest arms and largest hands of any WR at the combine outside of Alshon Jeffery, giving him an elite catch radius.  He ran in the 4.4 range, led all WRs with 22 reps of 225lbs and finished top 10 in the 3-cone and both shuttle drills.  Jones is not a polished product, but has the smoothness of Chad Johnson (before he became Ochocinco and a bad football player) when running routes.

Round 4- 111. Donald Stephenson, OT, Oklahoma. Whispers are the Bears are looking at mid round OL help.  Well, this pick is dead middle.  Stephenson is graded at 93 overall by CBS, but I don't see him going that high.  Even if so, CBS has Jones at 121, so these picks could be flopped.  Stephenson looks like a Tice OL.  Prototypical height, good length and athletic ability.  Bears have 5 players that can play OG, but only 2 OTs, and one of them is J'Marcus Webb, so tackle gets the nod over guard.

Round 5- 150. Keith Tandy, CB, West Virginia. Have to apologize to my Steelers counterpart for taking his pick.  But if I'm taking his pick, I might as well take his line too.  "We spoke to him at the Combine, went to his pro day, and recently worked him out at our facility." also, but we pick first, so Tandy is a Bear.  Bears and Steelers actually require their DBs to be very similar.  Tandy's a great fit for both teams.  The pickup of 2 veteran CBs do allow the Bears to wait on the position, but still get a 3-year starter.

Round 6- 184. Brandon Hardin, S, Oregon St.  This guy just sounds like a Bears pick.  Injured his senior year.  Check.  Amazing athletic ability with good size.  Check.  Great special teams player.  Check.  Last year, the Bears picked Chris Conte in the 3rd round.  Conte was a 6'2" CB thru his JR. year before moving to safety as a senior.  Hardin was a 6'2" CB thru his JR. year who was going to move to safety as a senior before he was forced to miss the entire year.  Watching film of Paea, I'm pretty sure the Bears got a glimpse of Hardin.  That glimpse was enough to invite him to Halas Hall for a pre-draft visit.

Round 7- 220. Adrien Robinson, TE, Cincinnati.  Another pre-draft visit.  Touched on Robinson in the pre-draft visit post from last week.  It's pretty clear the Bears are interested.  Plenty of teams have invited him for visits, but the Bears typically get their guy when it comes to late, athletic sleepers.  They also pick higher than all but 1 team he has visited.  So, unless Green Bay, Atlanta, or New Orleans reach for him in the 6th the Bears will get a crack at drafting Robinson right after Seattle in the final round.

11 More Days until the 24th Overall Pick...

24 Bobby Massie, OL Ole Miss- Tomlin and Colbert have said quite a few times how they have concerns over Sanders and Colon's health.  They also have said the OG position is very deep in this draft.  See my post re: that and youll understand these 1st 2 picks.  Massie fits what Tomlin wants in an OL to a T.  Junior, strong, position flexible, over 6'5 300, and played in the SEC.

56 Brandon Brooks, OL Miami, OH- here's Kemoeatu's replacement.  He's just as big, just as mobile when trapping, and has the same demeanor... but he keeps his in check between the whistles.  We attended his pro day, and invited him in for a private workout.  He's said to be the 1st player that wasnt invited to the Combine to be drafted.  And think back to the first time Tomlin drafted similar positions with the first 2 picks... yeah, that was a great idea.

86 Josh Chapman, NT Alabama- a true NT that played in the most difficult defense to learn and play- Bama.  He played through a minor ACL tear, but recently got the ok by the doctors to be at camp on time.  With the oline taken care of we need to address the NT position and line up the heir apparent to Hampton.  Chapman can spell Casey through this year, and take over in 2013.  I will say this- IF Mike Martin is somehow still on the board, Martin is the pick.  Mike has the ability and history to have more position flexibility than Josh, and that means a lot to Tomlin.  But Im being realistic here, and assuming Mike is gone.  They are 1 and 1A.

119 Ronnie Hillman, RB San Diego State- Mendenhill's injury and play along with our depth at RB inexperience almost forces us to draft a RB.  Of the half dozen he seem to be interested, the 1 common thread is- scat back.  Hillman can drop to another gear altogether to get separation, while not doing the 1 thing Mendy did too often- spinning.  Hillman has a very quick twitch juke.  We attended his pro day.

159 TY Hilton WR Florida International- Hilton is a blazing fast WR that is familiar with running the route tree.  He is also a weapon returning kicks and punts.  We lost Hines this year, Tomlin and Co have questions re: Sanders health, and we'll probably lose Wallace in 2013.  Tomlin plans ahead with 2 WRs in this draft.  His nagging hamstring could raise red flags.  He had a private workout at Steelers HQ.

193 Keith Tandy, DB WVU- we spoke to him at the Combine, went to his pro day, and recently worked him out at our facility.  Tandy plays best in off man or zone coverage with considerable speed to cover and close, and a 38 in verticle.  He can also play FS if needed.  As far as run support/closing speed, check this out:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CImb4SbdQGc  Tandy is 1 of 3 DBs weve shown interest in, all of which at 5'10 under 200 and versatile to play CB, FS and SS.

246 Akiem Hicks, DL Regina-  Hicks is a transfer from LSU.  At 6'5 320 he played thru the defensive line at Regina, but will probably fit best as a 5 tech with us.  However, throw another 10-15 pounds on him, and he can back up Martin for the next 10 years, like Hampton had Hoke, MM would have Hicks.  He had a fantastic East/West game.  He was a recent invite for a personal workout.


248 Jerrell Harris, LB Alabama- Formerly the ILB before Hightower moved in.  Though Harris was so valuable that Saban took advantage of his flexibility and moved him outside.  He has the build Tomlin prefers for an ILB more than an OLB.  After reading this morning that Sly is on a new training regimen and has lost 15 lbs, Im betting Harris is the only LB we draft as a backup, taking over Sly's spot in Special Teams.  Harris was recently invited for a private workout.

246 David Paulson, TE Oregon- A pure pass catching threat as a TE.  The signing of Pope allows this to happen.  I still bet we target FS and TE in the 2013 draft as David will have a chance to compete with Saunders (out the first 4 weeks) and DJ for a 3rd TE.

248 Toney Clemons, WR Colorado- Here is this years Antonio Brown.  A former no-name that has quietly climbed up the draft board, if only enough to be considered a draft pick and not just a UDFA.  Toney is a Michigan transfer, and while Colorado was pretty much junk this year, it certainly doesnt look to be his fault.  At 6'2 he'd be the tallest WR in our corps, but its his 4.37 40 along with my recent findings that hes a local kid.  Raised in New Kensington, PA.  Tomlin has a place in his heart for local kids.  See Mundy, Shipley, etc.  He had a private workout at Steelers HQ.

Players the Bears should avoid

My Steeler's fan counterpart wrote and article on players that Pittsburgh should avoid, and as I look around the internet, I find myself with similar disdain for some of the players being mocked to the Bears.  So, here we go with my list and my reasons why I don't want these guys in Chicago.

Mike Adams, OT, Ohio St.  Steelers article touched on him, so I'll just add a little more.  If I were to draw a prototype for an NFL LT, he would probably look a lot like Mike Adams.  But looks can be deceiving.  Adams frankly did not play like a prototype LT at any point at The Ohio $tate University.  He still needs work with footwork, hand placement and strength.  Throw in character issues as part of the "Tat 5" and he's not worth the 19th overall selection.

Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford.  Martin is very athletic, but he's also very soft. Nick Perry had one of the best, non-stat stuffing games I saw this year against him. Perry owned him but didn't get any sacks because Luck's scheme is made to get the ball out of his hands quickly or move the pocket so he doesn't get touched. I see a lot of Chris Williams in Martin. He's more athletic than Williams, but also not as strong. Good feet, but not heavy enough with his hands. Not a very strong run blocker at the POA.  I think Martin needs to be in a zone blocking scheme and needs to not have an elite bull rusher across from him. I think Martin could do fine vs. the good speed rushers in the league, but guys like Jared Allen would eat him for lunch. Even guys like Matthews and Ware who are sneaky strong will beat him pretty consistently. Granted, not many OTs can block these guys, but I don't want to spend the 19th pick on any of them either.

Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse.  See Mike Adams..."if I were to draw a prototype DE, blah blah blah."  He's been brought to Halas Hall for a visit, is climbing up draft boards, so what is it that I don't like from him?  I just don't see that elite potential from Jones.  Coples has the amazing size, Perry has the explosiveness, Ingram has the versatility and motor, and Mercilus has the production to be a force at the DE position at the NFL level.  I don't see Jones as having any of these things.  Jones plays high, doesn't change direction well, and doesn't have a great first step.  He only has 10.5 sacks in 3 years at Syracuse in the weakest BCS conference.  To me, Jones is more athlete than football player, and I don't think he's good enough as an athlete to warrant the praise he's getting the last few weeks.

Coby Fleener, TE Stanford.  It would almost be a slap in the face to trade a TE for a 3rd round pick one year and then use the very next draft pick on a TE in the 1st round.  Especially, when that TE is Fleener, a guy that reminds me a lot of Greg Olsen.  Sure he's got good height and athletic ability.  But he won't be a blocker in the NFL, at all.  He'll try hard like Olsen did, but he'll be just getting in the way.  Fleener's a nice player, and if he was on the board in the 3rd like his ability suggests, I'd be thrilled with him.  But anywhere in the top 50, eh.

Zach Brown, OLB, North Carolina. Stop me if you heard this before.  If I were to draft a prototype 4-3 Tampa 2 WLB....  Brown can really fly.  He can really hit.  He can cover pretty well.  Yes, Zach Brown could be the perfect NFL OLB.  However, I think in order to be a great OLB, he's going to have to never face a lead blocker or see a misdirection play in his direction.  It would also help if you don't really have a scheme to fit him in and you let him do whatever he wants on the field.  Brown appears to be undisciplined and too freelancing for my liking.  He doesn't appear to have great instincts or be super intelligent either.  He's gotten by on pure athleticism for 3 years at UNC.  While, that will work to some extent in the NFL, I do worry about him in such a structured D such as the Bears run. 

I'll spare you the details of the rest but other highly rated players, who I don't feel are a fit for the Bears or worth the pick where they'll get drafted are: SS Mark Barron, DE Courtney Upshaw, SS Harrison Smith, WR Alshon Jeffery.

Tomlin & Colbert "The draft is very deep with Offensive Guards"

We've heard it now at least 3 or 4 times from each man.  Then why have we invited only 2 OGs and 4 OTs?
Youll see why below, and youll also see why if we traded back from 24, we'd probably miss out on Massie and Adams, leaving us with zero OTs.

The first question is this: Are Tomlin and Colbert saying “OG is very deep…” as another way of saying “we need a RT as well as an OG, but to do so we need to get the OT much earlier”??? 
  
IE, are the OGs deep only because the OTs aren’t?!?!?!? 
  
Ok, I just looked at the OL at the combine list (hairs on my arms are standing).  There were 54 OL invited to the Combine, add Brooks is 55.  Of those, 43 are either pure OGs, swing OL, or are a best fit as OG in the NFL.  That’s 78% of the OL from the Combine (including Brooks) are either OGs or OCs that could play OG.  Of the remaining 12 OTs all but 4 are top 3 round picks, with 4-5 of them in the 1^st round.  (THIS IS THE MATH/HOMEWORK THAT I BET OTHER BLOGGERS DON’T DO!!!) 
  
Long story short- it’s true, the OG class is deeper than the OT class, but it’s due to the OT class being so limited.  Once again some of those OGs could be swing guys, but for straight up OT vs OG, the number of OTs are very limited and are in the top 2 rounds. 
  
At 24 our pick is Massie, Adams, Martin or Glenn.  Next week is gonna say A LOT with who finishes out our 30 invites.  But the Lions worked out Adams, and if the Bengals/Cowboys could grab the last of the CBs and force the Lions to draft their “franchise LT” in Adams, Massie is ours at 24. 
  

Bears Pre-Draft Visits.....so far

Eleven of the Bears 30 players allowed for pre-draft visits have been confirmed.  Here are the 11 and my brief thoughts on each.

Darius Fleming, LB/DE Notre Dame- Strictly a pass rusher, but undersized.  At only 245lbs, doesn't have the elite speed or size to be a big factor in a 4-3 scheme.  Can't play as a LB in space.  Worth a look in the late rounds to see if you can put some weight on him and get him in on some nickel pass rush situations.

Tim Fugger, DE Vanderbilt- Similar to Fleming.  An undersized pass rusher, who doesn't look like he can be a 4-3 OLB.  Only 248lbs.  Where he differs from Fleming is that he's a good bit faster, a little more athletic, and has a non-stop motor.  Possibly a 4th or 5th round pick.  Bears fans probably remember UDFA, Nick Reed from early last season.  Fugger is a similar player (similar size, skin color) with probably a little more talent. 

Bruce Irvin, DE/LB West Virginia- Stop me if you heard this before....undersized pass rusher.  Not sure if can play in space as 4-3 OLB.  But in a draft devoid of players who are consistently capable of double-digit sack seasons, Irvin stands out.  22 sacks in the last 2 years at WVU.  Legit 4.5 speed.  If he can be coached up, physically has the tools to play SAM LB on run downs and DE in the nickel.

Trumaine Johnson, CB Montana- Interesting player.  6'2" CB who dominated small school competition.  Not as fluid as you'd like at CB, but doesn't have to be with his size as long as he keeps the WR in front of him.  If he has to turn and run, he will get beaten.  I like him as an Antrel Rolle like FS who comes down and covers a WR in the nickel.  In the base D, he'd be the ideal centerfielder who has size, range, and above average ball skills.  Bears have a FS though in Chris Conte, who had a solid rookie season last year.

Chandler Jones, DE Syracuse- Not sure what to make of him.  Definitely looks the part at 6'5", 265lbs with long arms, but needs a lot of work.  Didn't run as fast or look as athletic at the combine as he did during the season.  A lot of boom or bust potential.

Ronald Leary, OG Memphis- Not gonna lie, never heard of this guy until a couple weeks ago.  College OT, who at only 6'3" absolutely has to be a guard in the NFL.  Measurables are pretty solid.  Showed good enough strength in the bench and athleticism at the combine.  His time at LT in college can only help.

Rueben Randle, WR LSU- Very talented guy with a nice combo of size/speed.  Played with some pretty bad QBs in college, so didn't get to show much other than go routes, slants and out routes on the sideline.  Despite a lack of experience running the route tree, looks like he can develop there.  Does a good job selling the deep route and snapping it off.  Great with the ball in his hands and fights for extra yardage.  Upside is similar to current Bear, Brandon Marshall.

Adrien Robinson, TE Cincinnati- Another guy I don't know much about.  Didn't catch many passes at Cincy, but at 6'4", 265lbs, 4.5 speed, and a 40" vertical, I almost don't even care if he has hands.  Of his 29 career catches, 5 went for TDs and 2 more went for over 50 yards but no TD. 

Donald Stephenson, OT Oklahoma- Raw player from a big-time program.  Has the size and the athletic ability teams look for, but hasn't really put it all together consistently.  Just OK in run and pass blocking, but the tools are there to get better.  Starting to quietly climb up draft boards because of the weak 2nd tier OTs in this draft class.  Reminds me some of last year's big draft day riser, James Carpenter.  Not as good as Carpenter, but may be a poor man's version.

Keith Tandy, CB WVU- Steelers mocks have touched on him.  Nothing more to add.  Physical defender who will come up and drill a WR in off/zone coverage.  Also will play the run.  4th-5th rounder.

Kendall Wright, WR Baylor- Again, not much to add here.  Everyone knows him.  Fast in pads, big time production, great hands, toughness.  Drawing comparisons to Mike Wallace for deep speed and Carolina's Steve Smith for his willingness to snatch the ball in traffic as a little guy.  Would love him at pick #19.

Tomlin/Colbert have never traded up or down... until now? UPDATED 4/9

  After further review of the players grades along with who we are mostly likely targeting, and moreso at what position, I have found that this could be the 1st year for the Steelers to possibly trade back.  Now, in order to dance you need a partner.  A partner that has some kind of fire, almost requiring them to anxiously move up. Enter the Franchise QB.  Up until maybe a week or 2 ago, everyone agreed on only 2 QBs that earned a 1st round grade.  Now, Tannehill has snuck into the battle.  Plus we saw last year the likes of Locker (8), Gabbert (10), and Ponder (12) grab onto Cam's coat tails and ride into the 1st round.  Can you say "overvalued"?  On top of that, those same teams let Dalton fall to 35 overall.  Hindsight being 20/20, Andy was the 2nd best QB in that draft.  FWDD to 2012.  It could happen again.  Tannehill has already grabbed a grade of 8 overall, and behind him are Weeden (53), Cousins (71) and Osweiler (80).  Could Weeden and Cousins really jump into the 1st round?  I can see Cousins maybe, Weeden... eh.  He's pushing 30.  Osweiler?  He's getting Roethlisberger parallels.  Elway and Fox did totally revamp their offense 1/4 way into the season for Tebow, make the playoffs with him, only to trade him.  So theyre familiar with the word crazy.  And the Vikes have recently said their pick at 3 is open for business.  See Tannehill.

  But the teams that dont get 1 of the "top 3 now" QBs will have to fight like dogs for the leftovers.  Thats a bright light shining on the likes of the Phins (theyre gonna blow this for yet another year), maybe the Jags (Gabbert at 10 in 2011?  Really?  Were they drunk?) the Browns (see Phins), and the Bills and the Chiefs looking for depth and/or a young gun.  This proves that teams may need to jump back into the bottom of the 1st round.  Yes, the Pats have 2 picks 27 and 30, and they love to throw them around.  But this year is different.  Their 27th pick might be too little, too late.  This is the only time the Steelers will thank the Broncos.  Elway knows Manning is old and broken.  He sees the "Proceed with Caution" tape wrapped around Peyton's neck.  And hes already worked out Osweiler, maybe among others.  This means teams might need to be aggressive and jump the Broncos.

  The top 2 candidates? The Jags and the Phins.  The Jags staff, including their ownership, are brand new.  They arent Gabbert people.  And Mike Mularkey is a former Steelers OC, so a deal could be done quickly... and easily.  It would cost their 2nd (38) and their 3rd (70).  See the value chart:  http://walterfootball.com/draftchart.php

  The Phins might actually be in a better condition thanks to trading Marshall to the Bears for their 3rd (72) giving them an extra 3rd rounder.  It could however cost the Phins their 2nd (42), 3rd (72) and possibly their 5th (145).  But they do still have their 3rd, so the loss of a 2nd and 5th for a franchise QB is an easy pill to swallow.  But the Phins are also going to swap back into a 4-3 defense, so they might need all the picks they can get, and shelve the franchise QB thoughts till 2013.  Either way, these 2 teams are separated by around 4 spots, so to play it safe I decided to go with the Jags.  The owner and Mularkey hit the reset button, and go for Cousins 9strong Senior Bowl performance).  Meanwhile, our Pittsburgh Steelers, go for...

38 (From Jags) Bobby Massie, OT Ole Miss- graded as the 5th best OT in the draft (see Marcus Gilbert 2011), a starter at RT for the Rebels since he was a freshman, helping them to rank 2nd in the SEC (The Little NFL) in sacks given up (17).  This kid defines what Tomlin looks for in an OL- he's a junior, played in the SEC, is over 6'5 300 pounds, is strong with a mean streak, and can play both LT as well as having the build to play inside at OG.  He was a recent invite for a personal workout.

56 Mike Martin, NT Michigan- Tomlin spoke to him at the Combine, as well as attended his pro day.  He also has the position flexibility that Tomlin covets.  He's familiar with both a 40 and 30 front, holding down the zero tech NT spot most of the time.  He was a wrestler in high school.  He is the Incredible Hulk.  Did I mention his explosion rate?  78.9.  Thats insane.  On a side note- the 2nd round looks to be a win/win situation due to Martin and now Josh Chapman are graded back to back at 81 and 79 respectively.  Id be thrilled with either.  Id give the nod to Martin though.  And thats why Tomlin, Colbert and Co. have spent so much time with him.  Its only a matter of time until he's invited for a personal workout.

70 (From Jags) Brandon Brooks, OL Miami of Ohio- will he fall to 70 overall?  I bet Kugler hopes so, after all, Brooks is said to have knocked over "a Steelers rep" during his pro day.  Was it Sean?  I dunno, but Brooks is going to be the 1st kid that wasnt invited to the Combine to be drafted.  He's big AND fast.  Think of an athletic Kemoeatu without the need for anger management.  Oh, and he can pass protect.  We attended his pro day, and he was also a recent invite for a personal workout.

86 Mychal Kendricks, LB Cal- another position flexible player, having started at both outside and inside LB in a 3-4 defense.  Clocked at 4.4 40 at the Combine with a 39 inch verticle.  That makes up for his height, 5'11 240.  We attended his pro day and he will be visiting this week for a personal workout.

119 Ronnie Hillman, RB San Diego State- Mendenhill's injury and play along with our depth at RB inexperience almost forces us to draft a RB.  Of the half dozen he seem to be interested, the 1 common thread is- scat back.  Hillman can drop to another gear altogether to get separation, while not doing the 1 thing Mendy did too often- spinning.  Hillman has a very quick twitch juke.  We attended his pro day.

159 Tommy Streeter, WR Miami-  6'5 219, 4.4 40.  Nuff said?  He is raw, and will need to work on his route running.  But, he is a great safety net IF we lost Wallace in 2013.  Thats plenty of time to learn.  See Brown.  Until then, have him play on Special Teams and run 9 Routes to get comfortable.  We sent everybody and their mothers to the Miami pro day.  I bet we'll work him out in house soon.

193 Keith Tandy, DB WVU- we spoke to him at the Combine, went to his pro day, and recently worked him out at our facility.  Tandy plays best in off man or zone coverage with considerable speed to cover and close, and a 38 in verticle.  He can also play FS if needed.  As far as run support/closing speed, check this out:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CImb4SbdQGc  He was a recent invite for a personal workout.

231 Akiem Hicks, DL Regina-  Hicks is a transfer from LSU.  At 6'5 320 he played thru the defensive line at Regina, but will probably fit best as a 5 tech with us.  However, throw another 10-15 pounds on him, and he can back up Martin for the next 10 years, like Hampton had Hoke, MM would have Hicks.  He had a fantastic East/West game.  He was a recent invite for a personal workout.

240 Matt Veldman, TE North Dakota State- I stumbled across Matt while searching for a list of pro days we've attended.  There were around a dozen teams at the Buffalo pro day.  At 6'7 256 he is known as a very solid in line blocker, that with a 35 inch vertical on top of being 6'7 he will win most, if not all jump balls.  He has very good hands, though while he is the same size as the Saints Jimmy Graham, he doesnt have his breakaway speed.  A 4.7 40 is decent enough to at least make him a check down option if not a fade route winner.  He is a work in progress that will easily take DJ's TE spot, with Stampley taking over the FB duties.

246 Jerrell Harris, LB Alabama- Formerly the ILB before Hightower moved in.  Though Harris was so valuable that Saban took advantage of his flexibility and moved him outside.  He has the build Tomlin prefers for an ILB but is built heavier than 2011 draft pick OLB Chris Carter.  He will compete with Sly, Foote and Ivy for the backup ILB spot as well as play on special teams.  Tomlin has a tendency to draft 2 LBs, but Im betting the age of Foote/Harrison, the lackluster play of Worilds, and the limited showing of Carter (thats the one with a T in his name) would push Tomlin to bring in another LB.  Harris was recently invited for a private workout.  Frankly, I prefer him to Dont'a Hightower.

248 James Stampley, FB LSU- I recently found that James is #1 on our "Fullback Watch" list.  I originally thought it was the recent signing of Will Johnson, the WVU TE/FB/Hback that locked down our interest in another FB.  But now I think Johnson was brought in to challenge... ummm Johnson (the DJ one) for a spot, while now DJ will have to compete not only with Will but now also with Stampley for the FB spot.  LSU is one of the few teams that still uses some type of the traditional FB, though James does have hands and can also be used to carry in short yardage.

UPDATED 4/15 Steelers In House Workouts Grades/Short Descriptions

Pittsburgh Steelers

Ohio State offensive tackle Mike Adams 33 overall grade.  Boom or bust.  Late 1st-2nd round.

Miami (Ohio) guard Brandon Brooks 61 overall grade. Small school, 1st player to be drafted that wasnt invited to the Combine.  Can play both OGs, and maybe RT?  2nd-3rd round.

Colorado receiver Toney Clemons 576 overall grade.  Michigan transfer with size and speed. 7th round-UDFA  UPDATE- I recently discovered Toney grew up in New Kensington, PA.  he's a local boy, and Tomlin likes to draft the locals.  He also had a terrific pro day.

Missouri tight end Michael Egnew 116 overall grade.  His junior year at Mizzou was stellar as  the primary target for Gabbert.  But last year he seemed to fall off the map.  He's a very athletic pass receiving TE.  Not much on blocking.  

BYU defensive tackle Hebron Fangupo  168 overall grade.  here's our safety net at NT.  He's a USC transfer and played both the 5 tech and the 0 tech at BYU.  He's said to be a little rough and will need a year or so before starting.  If Casey hadnt had the ACL injury Id be ok with waiting another 2 years for an heir, but McLendon isnt a 0 tech, and we have nothing else.  Mike Martin 79 ovr and Josh Chapman 108 are our primary targets in the 2nd/3rd rounds.  "Loni" as he's called, is our last hope.  5th-6th round.

Louisiana-Lafayette tight end Ladarius Green  96 overall grade.  Here is the athletic pass catching TE everyone wants, but this kid takes it 1 step further- he loves to block.  And he knows he needs to work at getting better at it.  I heard an interview he had with Pat Kirwin on Sirius last week and was floored.  A 3rd round grade though seems high for a backup TE.  We have other needs that are of a much higher concern.  But if he falls... somehow.  I wouldnt blink twice.

Alabama linebacker Jerrell Harris 294 overall grade.  Position flexible OLB and ILB.  has the size Tomlin likes at ILB. Former starting ILB.  Personally, I like him over Hightower.  7th round-UDFA

Regina defensive tackle Akiem Hicks 218 overall grade.  Could be a tweener DT/DE.  Might be best as a 1 tech in a 4-3, or maybe an enormous 5 tech.  6th round-UDFA

Alabama linebacker Dont’a Hightower  41 overall grade.  Ill pass.  He cant cover.  We're not drafting him.  Ive recently broken down Tomlin's probable thought process when it comes to the Farrior's "Buck" ILB spot.  His name is Stevenson Sylvester.  We may not even draft an ILB.   Actually, scratch that, we're targeting the more athletic LB from Bama Jerrell Harris, the former ILB moved to OLB.  He'll be the late rounder that takes Sly's spot on Special Teams.  Dont'a is a waste of a pick.  Im glad he'll be a Jet or a Raven.

Florida International receiver T.Y. Hilton 147 overall grade.  As a Pitt Panther fan I hate to write this but- speed, speed, speed.  Also kick and punt returner.  3rd to 5th round


Oregon running back LaMichael James  69 overall grade.  Much like the DBs we've shown interest in, the same can be said of the RBs.  See Pead below.  2nd,-3rd round.

Virginia defensive end Cam Johnson 106 overall grade. His best fit is 4-3 DE.  Too light for a 5 tech, too tall and stiff for a 3-4 OLB.  Is this a hint were changing to a 4-3? 2nd-4th round.

Wayne State defensive back Jeremy Jones  439 overall grade.  And like the RBs all be scat back, speed backs with hands, the DBs (like Jones) are shorter CBs that can also play both of  the safety spots.  UDFA

Ole Miss offensive tackle Bobby Massie 55 overall grade. Position flexibilty, both OT & RG.  I strongly prefer him to Adams.  He's a much better fit.  2nd-3rd round.

Stanford long snapper Zach Nolan unknown.  He was available in the 2011 draft.

Oregon tight end David Paulson  336 overall grade.  Just like Tomlin has a type of OL, Todd Haley has a type of TE.  Haley wants another Tony Moeaki, a dynamic pass catcher that can inline block.  Paulson isnt him.  He has the height/weight, and can catch, but after that theres nothing.  The recent signing of Pope would allow us to wait on a TE, then maybe have a more pressing need for a younger backup in 2013.  If anything Paulson could compete with Wes and DJ.  7th round-UDFA.

Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead  62 overall grade.  Pure scat back, can run inside. Excellent catch out of backfield.  Also kick & punt returner. 2nd-3rd round.

USC defensive end Nick Perry  23 overall grade.  If Tomlin drafts a DE/OLB tweener in the 1st round Mr. Rooney should reconsider his contract extension.  This kid is a faster Woodley, but we dont have a LG and we might not have a NT among other issues that are far more pressing than OLB.  He's probably a Jet.  1st round.

Midwestern State guard Amini Silatolu  44 overall grade.  Here's the annual small school, Division II draftee.  He was abusive at LT, but is best suited inside.  He does seem to have a dark cloud over his head.  Academics kept him from Boise State and Nevada. He was invited to the Senior Bowl, but pulled a hammy.  And at the Combine he looked more like a "really good DivII OL, but not much more".  If he can show what he did a MSU in the NFL at LG, then its great news.  But if that dark cloud keeps following him, he may be boom or bust.  2nd-3rd round.

West Virginia cornerback Keith Tandy 208 overall grade.  Fast, great tackler, heavy hitter. Position flexible to FS.  6th round-UDFA

Miami defensive end Olivier Vernon  210 overall grade.  we sent everybody to the Miami pro day.  Vernon is a poor mans Woodley.  Actually, to be honest, hes a poor mans Worilds.  Or even less.  Thats why he's graded 7th round-UDFA.  

Cincinnati defensive end Derek Wolfe 137 overall grade. A pure 5 tech.  See Cameron Heyward.  4th-5th round.

Bears sign 2 CBs

In 2 separate moves, the Bears sign CBs Kelvin Hayden from Atlanta, and Jonathan Wilhite from Denver each to 1-year contracts. 

By now, all Bears fans should be familiar with the name Kelvin Hayden.  Hayden is a hometown boy, having played his HS football in the Chicago area.  Hayden also was brought in by the Bears before last season and they nearly signed him then, before he went to Indianapolis.  If you still don't know who Kelvin Hayden is (sorry, gotta do this to you), he is the guy that ended any hope the Bears may have had to win SuperBowl XLI by taking a Rex Grossman pass down the left sideline for a game-clinching 56 yard TD.  Hayden was a solid, but oft-injured CB for the Colts for the first 6 years of his career.  He then became primarily a backup for Atlanta last year, starting just once in 8 games. 

Jonathan Wilhite was a 2008 draft pick of the New England Patriots, out of Auburn University.  He played 3 years in NE, and last year in Denver, starting 15 times in 53 career games.  Wilhite had a solid combine running a 4.38 40 yard dash, while benching a very respectable 20 reps of 225lbs.  At only 5'9" though, Wilhite profiles as strictly a nickel corner. 

These 2 signings takes the Bears to a total of 6 players under contract at the CB position.  Both players can and have played special teams as recently as 2011, so they also provide depth there.  However, I don't believe either is guaranteed of making the final roster.  I still believe the Bears will look to upgrade the CB position with some size in the first 3 rounds of the draft.  If the Bears draft a CB, as I expect, then Hayden, Wilhite, and Donovan Warren (signed to a future's contract) will be competing for 1 or possibly 2 spots if the Bears keep 6 CBs this year.  Hope they make this a tough decision come early September.

UPDATED 4/19 Players the Steelers should avoid

Every year around this time I begin to make a short list of players that are either over hyped, a poor fit, or just plain ole avoid at all cost.  Here is the beginnings of that list.

Dont'a Hightower, ILB Alabama- Here's the 1st of 2 players at the top of my Poor Fit header.  The NFL has begun to follow the trail blazed by college football, using a more wide open spread offense, with a heavy lean on the passing game.  Linebackers used to be the primary defenders vs the running game.  But while the passing game has gained ground offensively, the running game has lost it.  Enter Hightower.  Now graded as a high 2nd rounder, and no longer a low 1st, his primary use is as a run stuffer.  And nothing more.  At 6'2 265 he is a beast of a man.  But a mild 4.68 40 and what looks to be an inability to pivot his hips, and change direction- HE CANNOT COVER.  He himself (and Saban) admitted that while he does remain on the field in passing downs, he merely backs up to the 1st down marker and sits.  And waits.  He watches the RB and for WRs to run crossing routes.  But he covers (chases) no one.  At best he used to be considered a 2 down LB, but even in todays league, there arent many teams that run on 1st and 2nd downs.  IE, He'd be great vs the Jets... for 16 games.  But the Pats, and just about every other team, will abuse him.

Mike Adams, LT Ohio State- HAD MARIJUANA IN HIS BLOOD TEST AT THE COMBINE.  DOES THIS KID NOT GIVE A DAMN ABOUT HIS FUTURE, CAUSE IT SURE ISNT WITH THE STEELERS!!!  And I mean that- LT.  Left Tackle ONLY.  Scratch that.  MAYBE a LT.  Boom or bust is a favorite review of Adams.  Here is my 2nd Poor Fit player.  He was one of the weakest OT at the combine benching only 19 times.  It almost looked like he spent the offseason sitting on the couch playing Madden.  We dont need to go into the suspensions (yeah, plural) but what really throws me for a loop is the fact that Tomlin and Co. drooled all over him at his pro day.  Yes, there are times when he looks the part.  But yes, there are times when he looks like he needs to be cut.  He overextends his body over his arms, almost leaning over way too far to meet the defender.  His kick-slide is very good, but if youre a betting man play the over that he takes just 1 step too many and gets too deep allowing the defender an easy access to the inside.  On top of all of that he looks to have zero position flexibility.  He cant play inside- far too big, no real power, arms too long, very little in space mobility.  And he doesnt look to be able to play RT.  See 19 bench reps.  Tomlin has an unwritten rule when it comes to his olinemen- be from the SEC (thats a preference), be a starter at both OG and OT due to filling in for an injury or otherwise, be over 6'4 300 (Bruno is the exception but he was UDFA), be strong (over 25 reps) and athletic.  Adams passes only a very few of those requirements.  If you read the "beware of the Smokescreen" post, youll see the Chiefs are referenced.  Its funny how our new OC was the Chiefs HC at the time of those events.  Could Todd have showed Tomlin a draft trick?  After reading that post I think its very possible that we're hoping the Lions go for the "pure LT" Mike Adams, and let the Steelers draft Cordy Glenn, OL Georgia at 24.  Long story short- we have a LT, Marcus Gilbert.  What we dont have are OGs, especially LG.  Yes, Willie Colon is not dependable, but keeping Gil at RT only to have an inflexible Adams at LT could not only end our season, but end Ben's career.

Vontaze Burfict, ILB Arizona State- At one point he was graded as the best ILB in the draft.  Then the scouts opened their eyes and he's fallen to 168 overall.  Thats a 5th rounder... at best.  Lazy, disinterested, disappointing are just a few words to describe him.  Believe it or not he's even slower than Dont'a.  He's kind of a poor mans Hightower, with severe anger management issues.  These are the types of guys that the Steelers generally ignore.  And we will.  But there are too many mock drafts that still have this slug show up.

Janoris Jenkins, CB North Alabama- For those of you that know me you know Im a huge Gator fan.  And at one time I was a big fan of JJ.  He was a real shut down CB.  He is a fast, quick twitch, amazing cover CB (give him a double move like a corner post and he's yours) but when his reviews use words like "suspended, ejected, arrested", drug possession" and finally "kicked off" the red lights cant shine bright enough.  But since the Bengals staff think red means go, welcome to Cincy JJ.  But for guys that I admire like Pat Kirwin to select JJ for the Steelers in his Sirius radio mock drafts... it makes me sick.

Those are off the top of my head.  im sure 1 or 2 more will follow and I'll update accordingly.

Beware of the Smokescreen

The mock draft posted yesterday was done assuming the Bears are being truthful with the information they are giving out this offseason.  But one thing to remember, the expressed interest in Carimi by Tice and the same interest in Paea by Marinelli was under a previous GM. 

New GM, Phil Emery, has experience in the Bears organization, but I believe you have to take into account where he came from.  He was director of college scouting for the Kansas City Chiefs.....make that he was the director of college scouting for Scott Pioli.  Word is that Pioli was extremely paranoid.  Paranoid to the point of tapping phones in the team's complex.  Not sure if that is true, my only concern is how this relates to Emery and the Bears. 

Last year, I believe the Pioli paranoia led to the Chiefs putting out a scouting smokescreen.  Before the 2011 draft, the Chiefs appeared to be all over the biggest player in the draft, that filled what was thought to be their biggest need.  That player was Phil Taylor of Baylor.  The Chiefs talked to him at the combine.  They visited his pro day.  They even brought him into Kansas City to visit..... on 2 different occasions.  So, when the Chiefs are on the clock at the 21st pick, with Taylor being clearly the best player on the board, what did the Chiefs do?  The Chiefs traded down, allowing Cleveland to take Taylor, as they waited to select Jonathan Baldwin, a player that didn't appear to be on their radar. 

On to 2012, the Bears have shown the same type of interest to Kendall Wright.  But will they pick Wright?  I think the Bears are pretty content with Brandon Marshall, as they should be.  I believe they are content enough to wait to select a WR until the mid-rounds of the draft.  The Bears have also done their homework on guys such as Marvin Jones, DeVier Posey, and Chris Owusu among others.  My prediction is the Bears will NOT select Kendall Wright, despite all the attention they have given him.  If Quinton Coples, Dre Kirkpatrick, or David DeCastro fall to 19, the Bears won't hesitate to select one.  If none are there, may be a trade down.