Chicago Bears: D-
Pre-draft needs: WR, QB, TE, LB, OL/DL Depth, Secondary Depth
1) 4th overall - Cedric Benson RB Texas - Curtis Enis all over again. As if the pick wasn't horrifying enough by itself, Benson's ESPN interview was an incoherent trainwreck of epic proportions. With Edwards off the board to Cleveland, this pick should have been a no-brainer: Mike Williams (or trading down for more picks). Instead, the Bears take Benson at #4 overall in one of the deepest RB drafts in years, ignoring the fact that Thomas Jones would have been fine with our offensive line FA additions and that there are quite a few backs on the trading block as well. Plus, GB, Minnesota, and Detroit all have mediocre-to-terrible secondaries, and adding a second impact receiver to complement Muhsin would have been a big help, especially against our division rivals. Instead, Ron Turner is intent on building a power running game around Benson, who I'm sure will have a lot of fun running into the likes of Grady Jackson, KGB, and a revamped Vikings d-line on a consistent basis. And now we'll have to deal with Williams/Williams/Rogers/Jones whenever we play Detroit. f***.
2) 39th overall - Mark Bradley WR Oklahoma - He's fast and has good size, but only 34 catches in two seasons at Oklahoma? That doesn't exactly scream "I can get open consistently at the next level" to me. Also, had an ACL injury a couple years ago but apparently has good upside. We are really counting on Bobby Wade and Justin Gage to blossom this year, since Muhsin will no doubt be double teamed on almost every play. High second round picks should not be projects who will only contribute on special teams for a few years.
4) 106th overall - Kyle Orton QB Purdue - Don't like him. He played well against s*** defenses, had trouble handling pressure, and failed to make plays when it mattered most in close games. I would have liked to have seen the Bears roll the dice on Adrian McPherson here, but of course we went with Orton instead, another "no balls" pick. That makes four Big Ten QB's on our roster now (George, Kittner, Krenzel, and now Orton). I'm sure we're desperately waiting for Denny G to cut John Navarre, so we can add him to our stable. If Denny is too stupid to cut him though, I see the much-sought-after Jim Harbaugh receiving a collect call from Jerry Angelo in the very near future. Grossman's still our guy though!
5) 140th overall - Airese Currie WR Clemson - Another speedy and undersized receiver to stretch the field. Bernard Berrian did that job for us last year - we just didn't have an o-line or a QB to get the ball to him with any kind of consistency. I probably would have liked to see a defensive guy selected here to add some LB, secondary, or d-line depth. I love Ogunleye, but who knows if Alex Brown will repeat last year's performance/effort after getting his new contract? Plus, the Bears seem to be adept at finding solid LB's in later rounds of the draft.
6) 181st overall - Chris Harris S La.-Monroe - Who?
7) 220th overall - Rod Wilson S South Carolina - Lovely.
God, I hope I'm wrong. Thank God for the White Sox and Bulls this weekend.