Okay, so last year I really liked what I saw from Mark Anderson and then the Bears drafted him and I was a little annoyed. But alas I have no proof of this, so I have written up who the Bears and Packers SHOULD take in next weeks draft.
Packers
Round 1 (16): Marshawn Lynch RB Cal
Lynch is the best all around back in this draft. Okay Peterson has more talent but I think Lynch might have better hands and better vision. The Packers need a back with these qualities and Lynch will be a solid running back in the departed Ahman Green mold.
Round 2 (47): Zach Miller TE Arizona State
Regardless of what anybody says, Zach Miller is the best tight end in this draft. A lot of people out there obsess over speed, but Miller finds the soft spots in the zones, is a strong and willing blocker, and has good functional speed. Miller fits their scheme and will be everything Bubba Franks was supposed to be.
Round 3 (78): Eric Weddle S Utah
Weddle is a solid safety who is being underrated because of his lack of top-end speed. But Weddle is a football player who has succeeded in playing both safety positions and cornerback in college. Marquand Manuel appeared to be the worst starting safety in the NFL last year and the Packers need somebody to push him, Weddle will do that.
Round 4 (112): Josh Wilson CB Maryland
Wilson is a quick undersized corner who can return kicks. The key thing with this guy is that he loves to hit and hits hard. There have been 5'9" corners that play above and beyond their size. Wilson reminds me a lot of former Texas A&M Aaron Glenn. I would not be surprised if it takes a year for him to develop and then has a similar career to Glenn. He also can be a dangerous punt and kick returner.
Round 5 (157): Zak DeOssie LB Brown
DeOssie was a beast in the Ivy League and he has the mental capacity and physical gifts to develop into a solid LB like a Gary Plummer or possibly even better. He needs at least a year to develop but he has the potential to grown physically. Regardless of if the Packers draft him here I think he will be a starter somewhere down the road.
Round 6 (193): Garrett Wolf RB Northern Illinois University
Okay I am a little biased here, I mean he was technically my student for two weeks. Regardless of that, Wolf was super productive in college, has excellent vision, good hands, and is quick. He will never be a starter in the NFL because he lacks size (Although Warrick Dunn is virtually the same size) but he will be a very good role player in the mold of former Florida State running back Amp Lee, but I think he will be more successful in the NFL then Lee was. Two things that Wolf is really good at is he understands how to avoid getting blasted by defenders and has battled and defied many odds in his college career.
Round 7 (228): Tyler Ecker TE Michigan
Ecker is an underrated prospect at tight end because he was not featured in the Michigan offense. He will probably never be a starter but he could be a solid second tight end. Reminds me a little bit of a guy I liked last year named Owen Daniels who went to the Texans and did quite well.
Round 7 (235): Kyle Cook C-G Michigan State
Center is the hardest position on the offensive line to play. An NFL center needs to be both smart and athletic and Cook has good feet and smarts. He lacks great size and strength at this point in his career but he could develop over time and play in Europe. He fits the zone-blocking scheme perfectly and has a Big-Ten mentality.
Round 7 (243): Marvin Burrough QB/Athlete
I have and always will love converting QBs that are great athletes into wide receivers. Burrough has a strong enough arm to be the third or fourth string QB on a team as well as playing the third or fourth string WR for the Packers. He is a poor mans Anquan Boldin at this point and will need to play in Europe in order to develop. But if a team is patient with him, he could be a real diamond in the rough.
The Bears
Jerry Angelo loves drafting lineman and it makes sense. But I don't think the Bears need to worry as much about lineman at his point. With that said, this is strictly my opinion on what the Bears should do. I don't think that they will follow the first two picks I have for them.
Round 1 (31): Dwayne Bowe WR LSU
Bowe is not the sexy WR pick that other wide outs are in this draft. But he is a great football player who produced well his senior year. He needs a kick in the ass to realize his place in the NFL and the Bears have plenty of guys who can knock him silly in practice a few times (Urlacher, Archeleta, and Mike Brown.) He falls somewhere between Keyshawn Johnson and Muhsin Muhammed, in the sense that he has great hands and good size but lacks top end speed. He is not quite as arrogant as Johnson but not quite as selfless as Muhammed. I think the Bears can do something with him.
Round 2 (37): Drew Stanton QB Michigan State
This brings up a lot of controversy, but Stanton is a solid quarterback that is a true leader and I feel that he is the second best quarterback in this draft behind Quinn (JeMarcus Russel will be a bust). By drafting him here the Bears do one of two things; Light a fire under Sexy Rexy and he starts performing consistently or they find their starting Quarterback in Stanton. Either way, they win. Stanton reminds me of a cross between Matt Hasselbach and Chris Chandler.
Round 3 (94): Justin Durant LB Hampton
This pick presumes that Lance Briggs does not get traded, plays out the year, and then leaves the Bears. Even if he does get traded I think Durant is an excellent pick here and that he could replace Briggs in the "thug" linebacker role. Durant has a mean streak, loves to play football, and has potential to grow. At this point he is still undersized and will be jumping from division II-A but I think he can and will do it. He is a bit like Zach Thomas but bigger and faster and will never be close to the player Thomas is, but only a select few can say that about themselves.
Round 4 (130): Ikaika Alma-Francis DE Hawaii
Francis is a big DE who could probably slide over and play tackle as well. He needs work on his discipline but has Sasquatch-like natural strength and if he ever realizes his potential he could be a beast. This is more of a value pick at this point but the Bears could really use a guy like this because Anderson is more of a pass rushing specialist and I have never been overly impressed with Ogunleye (compared to how much he gets paid). He reminds me of a La'Roi Glover with more talent but less motor.
Round 5 (168): Louis Leonard DT Fresno State
This is a little bit of a reach at this point but the Bears need a big fat lineman after losing Alfonso Boone. Leonard is just a run stuffer at this point in his career, but he is a good one and would fit the Bears system quite well. Similar to former Bear Keith Traylor, but less of a blob.
Round 7 (221): Reggie Merriweather RB Clemson
Merriweather is a short but stout enough back similar to Washington's Rock Cartwright, but Merriweather might be a little quicker and not quite as strong. The Bears need a running back to get to the outside and replace the departed Thomas Jones. Merriweather is a 10 carry a game type of back that has value as a roleplayer and could surprise as a second kick returner.
Round 7 (241): Kyle Williams OT USC
Williams may be gone at this point. As with any late round pick, it is hard to predict when somebody might go. Williams only started for a year but he played behind some pretty good talent. He needs a bit of refinement and the Bears can be patient with him. The Bears need to start thinking about their future on the offensive line and Williams could be ready to go when Tait retires or the Bears get rid of him. Williams needs to get a little more feisty and aggressive but he has a lot of talent.
Agree? Disagree? Well whatever. This is what I would do if I was an NFL GM for either of these teams.
::End Transmission::
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