Bears Draft Recap: Rounds 4-7

With only one pick in the first two days of the NFL Draft, Jerry Angelo and the Chicago Bears made the most of their picks on day three... or did they?

Round 4, Pick 109: Corey Wootton, DE Northwestern

Going into day three, Wootton was deemed by ESPN's Mel Kiper and Todd McShay as one of the best talents left on the board. His stock fell precipitously after he tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus in the Alamo Bowl at the end of his fantastic junior year where he had 10 sacks and 42 tackles. He then changed his plans and returned to school for his senior season, where he accumulated 21 tackles and 4 sacks despite coming back from the serious injury.

At 6'6" and 270, Wootton has highly rated pass rush skills and seems to be slated to end up on the left side of the defensive line for Chicago, perhaps backing up Julius Peppers. As with most of their d-linemen however, it shouldn't surprise anyone to see plenty of rotation of movement on the front four. 

He's still not completely healthy, but I like the pick of Wootton. With the departures of Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye, the Bears needed inexpensive pass rushers on the outside. 2009 draftees Jarron Gilbert and Henry Melton figure to play more at the defensive tackle position, so Wootton should and needs to see the field on a regular basis. Lovie Smith can't afford for Wootton to red-shirt like the aforementioned picks.

Round 5, Pick 141 Joshua Moore, CB Kansas State

Moore led the KS Wildcats with 76 tackles as a sophomore and ranked second as a junior with 64. He's a tad undersized for a corner at 5'11" and 188 lbs. His draft stock slipped when he ran a 4.59 40-yard dash at the combine and numbered only two bench reps at 222 pounds.

While not a typical corner, Moore could become a solid contributor if he puts in the work in the film room and improves his upper body strength. Unfortunately for the Bears Moore comes in as yet another "smaller-than-you'd-like" DB with decent tackling skills. His instincts and "fluidity" come highly rates however, so at the very least he could fit in the dime package this season.

Round 6, Pick 181 Dan LeFevour, QB Central Michigan

LeFevour played for four years at CMU, racking up 12,905 yards, 102 touchdowns and only 36 interceptions. His pro day wasn't phenomenal, but he was projected to go anywhere between the 3rd and 5th rounds depending on whose mock drafts you check. He has a strong arm and good running ability but slipped into sloppy mechanics at times under pressure.

I get it, he's a hometown kid from Naperville and a huge Bears fan. My problem with drafting LeFevour is that we already have a "project" quarterback in Caleb Hanie on the roster. Brett Basanez is obviously not going to be on the roster when the season starts, so that's not a real concern. But without a seasoned veteran back-up, Lovie Smith will have the same problem of "one freak injury to Cutler and it's over." Perhaps Hanie is headed on the way out as well, but that wouldn't make any sense with the way Smith has protected Hanie from other teams the past few years. 

Now Martz has a quarterback to "develop" behind Cutler who shouldn't ever see the field in a meaningful game. Some have speculated LeFevour will be used to help push Cutler, but I doubt it. There's no way a sixth-round rookie puts any legitimate pressure on Jay Cutler.

Chicago Tribune writer Brad Biggs quoted Bears scout Jeff Shiver as saying, "Hey, long time ago I missed a guy who was drafted in the sixth round. He's still with the Patriots." Well Jeff, if LeFevour turns into Tom Brady I'll drive over and kiss your magical scouting finger. I understand adding depth at the position, but this wasn't the type of depth the Bears needed. Marc Bulger or another free agent veteran would have been a much better acquisition.

Obviously I feel this pick would have been better served to bolster the offensive line even draft another safety, defensive lineman or even a linebacker. Quarterback just doesn't make any sense to me.

Round 7, Pick 218 J'Marcus Webb, OT West Texas A&M

At 6'7" and 335, Webb certainly has the size to be an NFL offensive tackle. Some scouts have questioned his attitude in practices. Angelo had been targeting Webb as a rookie free agent, but decided to draft him for fear of another team talking him off the board.

In true Bears fashion, Jerry Angelo uses the seventh round to take an offensive lineman to develop and provide youth and depth behind an aging line. Unfortunately these late-round linemen are late-rounders for a reason. They finally drafted a lineman high a few years ago with Chris Williams, but it's impossible to fill the core of your offense with seventh-round talent and veterans past their prime. Next year's draft is shaping up to be full of needs on the offensive line, especially at the center position.

Faneca on the market

On the free agent front,  the New York Jets have released guard Alan Faneca. Since Faneca didn't want to take a pay cut and proved difficult to trade because of his contract, the Jets cut him outright. While aging at 33, Faneca would definitely be an upgrade over the current guards on the Bears' roster. If I were Jerry Angelo (who is also king of signing aging o-linemen, evident by the Ruben Brown, John Tait and Orlando Pace signings), I'd be calling Faneca's reps to see how much money it would take to sign him.

Wrap-up 

Dealing with only 5 picks, Jerry Angelo hit all of his "need" positions. Unfortunately, after his pick of Major Wright he failed to change his style. He again drafted an undersized corner, a defensive lineman coming off an injury, and an offensive lineman in the seventh round. Further than that, he drafted a Mike Martz side project in QB Dan LeFevour. It doesn't exactly scream "need to win" like his free agent signings. Angelo, Mike Martz and Lovie Smith may not be here in four years when LeFevour's ready to see the field.

Obviously there's no way to grade a draft class immediately, but Angelo needs immediate impact from Wright and major contribution from Wootton for this be successful this season. I'll be back with more thoughts on the 2010 NFL Draft tomorrow! Thanks for following everyone!