Several Bears 2016 opponents had some, well, ‘interesting' drafts

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Just about every NFL team had something interesting go down on draft weekend, whether round one, whether someone passed over, whatever. But a handful of teams on the Bears’ 2016 schedule, beginning with the Philadelphia Eagles (Week 2) trading up for quarterback Carson Wentz at No. 2, had drafts with a few quirks, and the Bears will be seeing seven of the top 11 draft picks this year besides their own Leonard Floyd at No. 9:

Packin’ on the pounds

Pal Bob McGinn up at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel noted that where the Green Bay Packers’ 2015 draft had just one selection that weighed as much as 250 pounds, this year the Packers shopped by bulk.

Of Green Bay’s seven picks, “If [Northwestern defensive end] Dean Lowry were to eat a big steak dinner,” Bob writes, “then four would weigh at least 300 and two more are in the 240’s.” The seventh pick – Cal wide receiver Trevor Davis – was the only skill-position player selected.

Titanic Titans?

The Bears face the Tennessee Titans on Nov. 27 in Soldier Field, unless the field tilts and slides into Lake Michigan when the Titans run out of that visitors tunnel on the stadium’s east side. One Tennessee’s concern this year might be whether their team buses are in violation of tonnage limits on bridges. The Bears wanted to get faster; the Titans wanted to get bigger.

While Bears fans lamented the suspiciously small size of No. 1 pick Leonard Floyd, the Titans were trading up to No. 8, one pick above where the Bears landed Floyd with a trade-up of their own, to take a guy to block Floyd: Michigan State tackle Jack Conklin. 322 pounds.

The Bears’ pass rusher (Floyd) weighs 240 pounds. The Titans got theirs in round 2: Kevin Dodd. 277 pounds.

The Bears strengthened their interior defensive line with Jonathan Bullard in the third round. 285 pounds. The Titans? Third-round’er Penn State’s Austin Johnson. 314 pounds.

The Bears beefed up their running game with Jordan Howard in the fourth round. 230 pounds. The Titans new running back: Derrick Henry. 247 pounds.

The Bears muscled up their offensive line with Cody Whitehair in the second round. 301 pounds. Titans' Sebastian Tretola. 322 pounds. And kind of a self-professed goon: “I’m trying to make me not want to play me anymore.”

Big is not necessarily better but the Park District may want to reinforce the concrete under the Soldier Field visitors locker room. Just sayin’.

Vikings cover-up’s

The Minnesota Vikings under Rick Spielman have built themselves into a contender with impact draft picks, with a heavy dose of hits on No. 1’s and 2’s (Anthony Barr, Teddy Bridgewater, Sharrif Floyd, Eric Kendricks, Matt Kalil, Harrison Smith).

But last year’s No. 1 (cornerback Trae Waynes) started just one game, as a nickel corner, and did not have an interception, playing more on special teams. This year the Vikings took cornerback Mackensie Alexander, who didn’t have a pick in two seasons at Clemson. Deion Sanders never had stratospheric INT totals because teams threw away from him, so that number, like sacks, don’t always tell complete stories, and Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is a devout “deny the ball” guy, which Alexander may be. He’d better be.

Jacksonville Cheetahs?

Like the Bears with Kevin White, the Jaguars approach 2016 with de facto two No. 1 draft picks: defensive back Jalen Ramsey (No. 5 overall), in the discussion over the best single player in this year’s draft, and pass rusher Dante Fowler, the No. 3 pick of the 2015 draft but who missed the entire season with a torn ACL suffered the first day of the Jags’ rookie minicamp. And they used their pick in the second round to roll the dice on UCLA linebacker Myles Jack and his knees.

A lot of injury unknowns there, but the Jags’ is a defense that, like the Bears, added young speedballs at all three levels: Fowler, 4.6 40-yd. at 261 pounds; Jack, a rocket before the knee injury; and Ramsey, running 4.41, stunning for a DB 6-1, 205 pounds.

Detroit did what?

The Detroit Lions liked their 2016 draft how much?

After the Matt Millen Era, nothing that the Lions should come as a total surprise. But this?

Bob Quinn, hired as GM in January, fired two scouts. Not unusual. But this was AFTER last weekend’s draft, not after Quinn took over. Contracts expire this time of year, so changes aren’t unusual.

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