Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Posted: 11:00 a.m.By John Mullin
CSNChicago.com
A question facing the Bears later this month remains whether or not, with needs on both the offensive and defensive lines, can they afford to wait on grabbing one or the other at No. 29.
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper thinks the Bears can get an immediate starter at offensive line, specifically a tackle, with that 29th-overall pick, possibly Colorados Nate Solder or Mississippi States Derek Sherrod.
But the Bears are high enough on JMarcus Webb to plan on moving him to left tackle. Chris Williams hasnt proved that hes a lock-down starter anywhere, although he had his best days at right tackle in the final third of 2009. So the need may not be truly at tackle, a spot where landing a rookie starter like Webb turned out to be is a rarity.
Kiper confirmed that the Bears could wait until the second round to address defensive tackle, perhaps with someone like Marvin Austin out of North Carolina or Miami DEDT Allen Bailey (6-3, 285). The problem with Austin, however, is a possible character flag since he was suspended and missed 2010 for improper dealings with an agent; Jerry Angelo was burned badly the last time he took a character question mark in the second round (Tank Johnson) and chances of him risking that again with Austin is virtually nil.
The third round will be where matters turn especially interesting. My own guess is that the Bears will look inside on the offensive line before they take a tackle, depending on grades obviously, but Kiper sees a number of centerguard types being there for the Bears in the third round, including Wisconsins John Moffitt (6-4, 315) or Stefen Wisniewski (6-3, 295) from Penn State. Theres a lot of those centerguard guys to look at, Kiper said.
But protecting Cutler is front and center, Mel said, speaking in a voice sounding suspiciously like Mike Martzs.
Backer thoughts
NFL
The Bears have two linebackers in place, both veterans in Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher. That also ties up substantial payroll, meaning the Bears will not invest heavily at the position in free agency, particular for a player who projects to be a two-down role fit at least until either Briggs or Urlacher are substantially less productive.
The intrigue for drafting a linebacker is choosing one that fits a 4-3, which the Bears play, vs. one that fits a 3-4, which Green Bay and myriad other teams play. The clear first choice for the latter remains Von Miller out of Texas A&M, who is being compared physically to Lawrence Taylor, who created the rush linebacker type who is a hybrid backerDE.
When he comes around the edge, I dont know how he keeps his feet sometimes, Kiper said, noting that Miller also is the only senior among his top 12 players. If hes going to be a great player in the NFL, its going to be how he gets after the quarterback, not how he plays the run.
Kiper has seen more success than failure in the Miller types. A lot of these 3-4 guys have made it big, Kiper said. New York Jets linebacker Vernon Gholston is one of the few busts.
Carolina watchin
Ron Rivera and the Carolina Panthers have the first-overall pick of the draft. They also have former Notre Damer Jimmy Clausen as their quarterback, a second-round pick, and one school of thought says Clausen is worth waiting on to develop, rather than jumping at a quarterback with that No. 1 pick, presumably Missouris Blaine Gabbert.
Based on what I know about Jimmy Clausen, I would trade out of there, move down and get a Nick Fairley, KIper said. Defensive linemen with high grades are going to go down to No. 18.
John "Moon" Mullin is CSNChicago.com's Bears Insider, and appears regularly on Bears Postgame Live and Chicago Tribune Live. Follow Moon on Twitter for up-to-the-minute Bears information.