Bears Draft Analysis, Days 1 & 2

Round 1: 22nd Overall:  Kyle Long, OG/OT, Oregon.

Let me start by saying that Kyle Long is a good looking player.  He's a legit 6-6, athletic 303 or so pounds, nice long arms, and plays with quite a mean streak.  I think he can develop into a huge Robert Gallery type LG and potentially become a good right or even left tackle.  He obviously has major NFL bloodlines with a Hall of Fame father and a pro bowl caliber player for a brother.  So, I think the chances of him reaching his ceiling are higher than most players, even in spite of his off-the-field issues he's had in the past.

That being said, this pick reminds me a lot of the Shea McClellin 1st round pick from last year.  McClellin wasn't a horrible pick, I just didn't see the fit.  He was a 3-4 OLB round peg trying to fit in the square hole that is the 4-3 DE position.  Shea showed flashes last year, but still remains to be seen if the Bears got a pass rush specialist or a 3-down player at 19 overall last year.  Unlike McClellin, Long was probably a full round reach.  I didn't do overall grades, but I would have put him right around the Bears pick in the 2nd round (45-55 range).....though, he would not have made it that far based on the OL off the board on Thursday.  Like McClellin, Long was the most athletic white guy at his position.  His 40-time of 4.95 seconds would have been amazing, if it wasn't for 2 guys running 4.7s.  His agility and other movement skills are definitely good enough.  My big concern with him is not so much that he doesn't "fit" the Bears scheme, it's more so HOW and WHEN he will fit.  The Bears signed Jermon Bushrod and Matt Slauson, who most certainly will start at 2 of the 5 OL spots.  Roberto Garza doesn't look like he's going anywhere so, there's your 3rd.  That leaves 3 spots for 3 guys under 25 years old in J'Marcus Webb, Gabe Carimi, and Long.  Carimi is another 1st round pick, so he's not going to just get cast aside.  Webb is actually younger than Carimi and has been a 3-year starter who's improved every year.  So, you're talking about potentially starting the 20th overall pick on the bench as a rookie.  And being that he's already 24-years old, the Bears could have a situation where they are starting a guy, they are highly invested in, for the first time the same season he turns 26 years old in 2014.

Even more upsetting about the reach for Long is the 2 trades that were made sandwiched around #20.  The Niners traded picks #31 and 74 for the 18th pick.  Atlanta traded picks #30, 92 and a 5th rounder for pick 22.  I would have taken any of those trades for the 20th pick, and been very happy with Kyle Long at the end of Thursday, where I think he still would have been available. Also thought guys like Xavier Rhodes, Desmond Trufant, and especially Sharrif Floyd were better values at 20 that fit needs for the Bears.

But overall, I'm fine with Kyle Long as a player, and Bears fans have been begging for OL help forever (though strangely now, 3 of the last 4 first round picks they've made have gone to OL).  But frankly, Kyle Long and a 3rd round pick would have been better, maybe that option wasn't out there (SF traded up higher, Atlanta didn't have to worry about moving up for CB until before the Vikings picks).  Not a value pick, but hopefully he gets the most out of the amazing genes he has and the Bears don't have to worry about at least 1 position on the OL for a very long time.

Round 2: 50th Overall: Jonathan Bostic, LB, Florida.

On paper, this is a solid pick....but it could turn out to be better than most Bears fans probably expect.  I will admit, I probably was a little misinformed about Bostic.  I saw a lot of Florida games, and Bostic was the glue guy and leader of the Florida defense.  And per usual with a "glue" guy, the assumption is the guy is a solid player with strong fundamentals and outperforms his athletic ability.  This is what I thought of Bostic to some extent.  Granted, he does look fast on tape, but he's on a defense where you have stud athletes all around him.  Floyd and Easley stood out for their athleticism upfront in that defense.  Elam and the CBs stood out for their athleticism in the defensive backfield.  And even Jelani Jenkins at OLB looked like a better athlete than Bostic on gamedays.  But a closer look at the numbers reveal that Bostic is plenty athletic, and actually one of the best athletes at LB this draft had to offer.

Bostic ran a 4.61 40-yard dash, good enough to be the 3rd fastest LB in the entire draft class.  That number is good enough for the top 5 in any LB class in any of the last 5 years.  Bostic's agility drills were just as impressive, finishing top 4 in both the 20-yard shuttle and the 3-cone drills.  He was also top 10 at the combine in the bench press and broad jump, despite being one of the smaller/shorter guys in the group.

Now an important name did NOT perform at the combine: Arthur Brown.  And a quick internet message board search shows a bunch of Bears fans that are up in arms that the Bears took Bostic over Brown.  In fact, I am a huge Arthur Brown fan myself, including being willing to take him at 20 at one point this offseason if that's what it took to get him in a Bears uniform.  And the fact that the Ravens almost immediately traded up to take him after he got past the Bears is a little concerning, considering that Ozzie Newsome can do no wrong.  But the tale-of-the-tape reveals just maybe the Bears made the right choice here. 

Bostic's combine results:
Height- 6'1".  Weight- 245lbs
40 yard dash - 4.61
Bench - 22 reps
Vertical - 32.5
3 cone - 6.99
20 yard shuttle - 4.24

Arthur Brown pro day:
Height- 6'1".  Weight- 241lbs.
40 yard dash - 4.67
Bench - 21 reps
Vertical - 32.5
3 cone - 7.07
20 yard shuttle - 4.31

Bostic outperformed Brown in every event other than a tie in vertical jump.  Throw in the fact that Bostic measured 100% true to his listed weight during the 2012 season, and Brown added 13lbs from his listed weight that he may not be able to maintain, the Bears likely felt that Bostic was a better fit inside at MLB than Brown.  And honestly, who can blame them.  Bostic also has a better history of being willing to take on blockers, with those blockers being in the SEC.

I think Bostic can come in and be a Day 1 starter, as I think he's better than James Anderson right now.  I think he could play either SAM or MIKE LB, with DJ Williams at the other.  Right now, I'd say he's the MLB due to Williams having an edge in covering TEs.  I would like to see him display better hips.  The agility tests are at an elite level, but I frankly didn't see that on tape.  I didn't quite see the ability to open up his hips, turn, and run....especially in pass coverage (though he didn't play a ton of man coverage from what I saw).  More of a downhill player right now, but I think he has the ability to cover a lot of ground in the zone.  Not Urlacher ground, but definitely enough to be a good fit in the Bears scheme.

Sorry for being long-winded.  Also, you can follow me on Twitter @action4life to be the first to know when the blog has been updated with Bears/draft information!