Chicago Bears 2009 NFL Draft Review

Well, the 2009 NFL Draft is finally over. I thought the Bears had a solid draft, filling many needs. They addressed the defensive line with two picks. Drafted three wide receivers and two defensive backs. One safety and one corner back. As well as one linebacker and one tight end. They got younger and deeper on defense, while adding 3 different types of receivers on offense. I will review all of the players drafted by the Bears, as well as the rookie free agents that they signed. Overall I would give the Bears a B to B+ grade on their draft. That grade really does not mean much, as drafts really take 3-4 years to grade. The grade I gave them is based on needs filled and potential. If you include Jay Cutler in that grade, it goes up to an A to A+. But I did not include him. They had a second round pick (#49), but traded it to Seattle for their 3rd rounder (# 68) and their 4th rounder (# 105). Which I thought was a good move. Most of the players the Bears drafted were real good values, based on where they were projected to go. So here goes......

3rd Round (#68- from Seahawks): DT/DE- Jarron Gilbert- 6'5"- 288lbs- San Jose State- Good upside. Some say he underachieved, but was solid. Long arms, quick, and athletic. Needs to get a little stronger, and has the frame to add size. Taller than most D-lineman. Good feet. Has NFL bloodlines. His father was an OT for the Saints. Will really flourish, learning from Rod Marrinelli. Projected to go anywhere from the beginning of the 2nd round to beginning of the 3rd round.

3rd Rd. (#99- Comp.): WR- Juaquin Iglesias- 6'1"- 210lbs.- Oklahoma- Good hands. Is the possession receiver that the Bears needed. Highly productive at Oklahoma. Has good run after catch skills. Very good blocker. Ran a 4.53 forty, but speed is not everything. Much more polished than Mark Bradley, whom the Bears drafted out of Oklahoma a few years back. Good value with the 99th pick, while also filling a need. Projected to go as high as the beginning of the 2nd round to middle of the 3rd round.

4th Rd. (#105- from Seahawks): DE- Henry Melton- 6'3"- 260lbs.- Texas- Very raw. Started off as a running back his freshman year, when Texas won the National Championship. Scored 10 touchdowns that year. Sophomore year played both RB and DE. Played strictly DE the last 2 years. Explosive. Has a good first move when rushing the QB. Should benefit from Rod Marrinelli being his coach. Very good upside. Ran a 4.65 forty at his pro day. Was a really hot prospect, as he went on 12 pre-draft visits. Bears felt they needed to take him here, if they were to get him at all. Had some character concerns, was suspended at Texas for three games. Not sure why though.

4th Rd. (#119): CB- D.J. Moore- 5'9"- 192lbs- Vanderbilt- Slid down because of his height and timed forty speed. Was originally projected to go as high as the 1st round. Great value at this pick. Plays taller than his height, as he has a 40 inch vertical jump. Real ball hawk. Played at a high level in the best college football conference. Another Vandy pick for the Bears. Bears might lead the league in players from Vanderbilt. He thinks he was the best corner in the draft, and will be out to prove it.

5th Rd. (#140-from Broncos): WR- Johnny Knox- 5'11"- 185lbs.- Abilene Christian- Played at a small school. The same school that produced Bears FS/KR- Daniel Manning. Very fast, was timed at 4.32 at the combine. Needs work on route running, as most WR's coming out of college do. Has great hands, was said to not drop a ball at the combine and the All-star game practices. He was the #9 rated Junior College prospect, before he went to Abilene Christian. Needs to get stronger.

5th Rd. (#154): LB- Marcus Freeman- 6'- 239lbs.- Ohio State- Great value pick, was slated to go as high as late 2nd round by some analysts. Played hurt during his senior year, but was still solid. He is now healthy, and showed that by really stepping up at the combine and all-star game he was in. Has the speed needed for the Bears defense. Can possibly play all three LB positions, but will be an OLB. Was one of the top performing LB's at the combine in most categories. Good special teams player while at Ohio State as well.

6th Rd. (#190): S- Al Afalava- 5'11"- 213lbs.- Oregon State- Was a strong safety in college, but according to Bears scouts can play free safety as well. Good in run support. Needs a little work in coverage. Did start 3 years at Oregon St. in the Pac-10. If he makes the team, he will be a good special teams player. If he does not make the team, look for him to be added to the practice squad. But the Bears have had good luck with drafting safety's late in the draft. Good tackler, but has problems giving up big plays in pass coverage. Man to man coverage is not his forte, better in zone. I think he will make the team though.

7th Rd. (#246- Comp.): G/TE- Lance Louis- 6'2"- 303lbs.- San Diego State- Was the #10 rated TE coming out of high school. Played TE/G/T at San Diego St. Has great speed for someone his size. Ran a 4.75 forty. Bears even worked him out at FB during his pro day. The Bears might start him out at guard or tackle. I think he has the skills to be a tackle, although his height might prevent him from doing so. A lot of people do not remember that LT- Jason Peters was a rookie free agent TE from Arkansas. The Bills signed him and made him a left tackle. Now Peters is one of the best LT's in the NFL. But he had the height, that Louis does not.

7th Rd. (#251- Comp.): WR- Derek Kinder- 6'- 208lbs.- Pittsburgh- Was on his way to being the next good WR at Pitt, then hurt his knee. Missed his junior year because of that injury. Good hands. Could have been a 2nd or 3rd round pick before injury. Not great speed, but quick. Nice build. Is out to prove that he is better than being one of the last players drafted.

The Bears signed nine rookie free agents, while also inviting many prospects to try-out.

Rookie Free Agents:

G- Johan Asiata- UNLV - 6'4" 310 lbs. Versatile, played guard and right tackle at UNLV, was at a junior college program before that. Originally from New Zealand.

G- Dennis Conley- Hampton - 6'3" 305 lbs. Not much info to be found, other than he played against lower competition.

RB- Tyrell Fenroy- La.- Lafayette - Small, in the Garret Wolfe mold. Only 5'8" 205lbs. One of only seven NCAA players to rush for over 1,000 yards all 4 years. Had a lot of carries in college, 808. Has decent hands. Could push Garrett Wolfe. Bears will put him on the practice squad if he does not make the team. Very elusive, quick, and fast. Great acceleration. Was once timed at 4.32 in the forty. Consistently runs in the low 4.4's. Pass blocking is suspect. Came in for a pre-draft visit with the Bears.

FB- Will Ta'ufo'ou- Cal - 5'11" 252 lbs. Good hands, but only 13 catches at Cal. Solid blocker. Not much of a runner, but averaged 5.53 yards on 15 carries. Road grader of a run blocker. Will push Jason Davis, if the Bears keep 2 fullbacks. Do not be surprised if he pushes Jason McKie as well. He had a lot of interest as a rookie free agent. More than half of the teams in the NFL inquired about him. He will probably end up on the practice squad before Jason Davis.

WR- Eric Peterman- Northwestern - Solid receiver at 6'1" 202 lbs. Ran an average of a 4.5 forty, with a few in the high 4.4's. Very smart, academic All Big-10 multiple seasons. Seemed to play better against better teams. Finished career with 160 catches for 2011 yards (12.57 YAC) and 12 TD's. Also completed 3/5 passes for 68 yards and one touchdown. Had a really good Pro Day. Practice squad candidate.

ILB- Kevin Malast- Rutgers - Played OLB in college, but projects to inside LB. Ran a 4.58 forty, so has exceptional speed for a LB. Chose the Bears over the Patriots and the Rams. 6'1" 235 lbs. Picked the Bears because the defense is similar to what they ran at Rutgers. Definitely a candidate for special teams. Might surprise, and will definitely land on someones practice squad, because I do not think he will make it past waivers if the Bears release him.

LB- Mike Rivera- Kansas - 6'3" 254 lbs. Another LB with good speed, ran a 4.63 forty. Tailed off his senior season, after a good Junior campaign. Good special teams candidate. Was brought in for a pre-draft visit by the Bears. Had a 38 1/2 inch vertical jump at his Pro Day, 1 1/2 inches more than any other LB that was invited to the combine. Three time honorable mention All Big-12. Played inside and outside LB in college.

CB- Woodny Turenne- Louisville -One draft publication had him going as high as the 3rd round based on upside. But I thought that was way too high. Broke his clavicle, and was out the last three games his senior year. Physical and athletic. Good speed. Was a track star in high school and Junior College, running a 10.5 100 meters. Won first place at the national track meet in the 100 meters and second in the 200 meters in Junior College. Has been timed as fast as a 4.28 forty. Hands are not that great. Good height 6' 1" 188 lbs. Was highly recruited as the top Junior College corner back. Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, USC, Washington St., and Mississippi all were trying to get him. Before Louisville swooped in and signed him. Has a chance to make the practice squad, if he does not make the team.

S- Dahna Deleston- UConn - A little over 6' 211 lbs. Good in run support. Can make the tough interception. Takes good angles. Reads QB well. Can do a better job tackling. Not as athletic in the hips as he needs to be for a safety. Did run a 4.46 forty at his pro day though. 2nd leading tackler among defensive backs at UConn his senior year. Ran an interception back for 100 yards in his last game at UConn in the bowl they went to. Showed flashes of his talent at the Texas vs. The Nation All-Star game.

Players invited for try-outs:

K- Jeff Wolfert- Mizzou, QB- Chase Patton- Mizzou, P- Chris Miller- Ball St., S-Anthony Reddick- Miami (FL), QB- C.J. Bacher- Northwestern, WR- Eric Morris- Texas Tech, S- Daniel Charbonnet- Texas Tech, QB- Drew Weatherford- FSU, Long Snapper- Davis Peck- Wisconsin, RB- Brad Lester- Auburn, and S/CB- Derek Pegues- Mississippi St. There are others, but these are the players that I know about.