Well, the 2008 NFL draft is now in the books, and the Bears managed to pick a bunch of players that I’ve never even heard of. I guess that’s not too difficult to do since I don’t follow college football all that much, but still… it would have been nice to see a familiar name or jersey number in there.
The Bears chose OT Chris Williams from Vanderbilt with their first pick (14th overall) in the draft. This fills a huge need on the aging offensive line, and is generally regarded by analysts to be an excellent selection.
In the second round, GM Jerry Angelo kept his focus on offense by selecting running back Matt Forte from Tulane. I’ve never heard of the guy, but apparently he put up some good numbers in college despite being the only threat on the team (and therefore someone that opponents could easily key on). I like the idea of having an alternative to Cedric Benson in the backfield, so I hope this pick works out.
The Bears then drafted wide receiver Earl Bennett — another Vandy alum — in the third round. Again, I don’t know anything about this player, but read that he led the SEC in catches and had a 3.2 GPA in school. To me, that’s a much better choice than Michigan’s Mario Manningham and his score of 6 on the Wonderlic test. Yikes.
Angelo switched up to defense in the next three rounds, selecting DT Marcus Harrison, S Craig Steltz, and CB Zackary Bowman. If the Bears had done any market research before the draft, they would have known that fans were clamoring for a QB prospect, but obviously teams don’t make their picks based on what fans want. The team definitely needs added depth on D, so I don’t have a problem with the way Angelo picked here.
I haven’t been following the late round picks, but know that the Bears have 5 coming to them in Round 7. Maybe Angelo can score something good from there, but I won’t be holding my breath.
The next step now is to get these guys signed and get them into camp on time. I can’t wait for July!