Wow! A B+ with no pick until the third round.  Of course getting Jay Cutler helps their grade as well, although I'm not as high on Cutler as most.  Cutler is a bit too much of a gunslinger who is turnover-prone for my taste.  He'll win you games, but he'll also lose you some.  And the game he loses just could be a playoff game his team expects to win.  

The Bears did an excellent job of drafting for both need and value.  I particularly liked Knox and Freeman in round five.  Both were on my list of players who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than them.  So was Melton, who was drafted higher than I had him graded, but only because he'll need a year or so before he can contribute.   He has terrific upside.  The only minor comment I could make is that I had some receivers with higher grades than Kinder for round seven.

As of this write-up, the Bears added three undrafted college street free agents Bear fans should monitor in camp, including Peterman, a player I had a higher grade on than Kinder.

DRAFT PICKS

Gilbert was a terrific grab at the top of round three. His workout numbers below were solid for defensive ends, but exceptional for defensive tackles, the position he is slated to play for the Bears.  Gilbert is strong, athletic, and fast for a kid his size.  He will be better penetrating against the pass than stuffing the run.  However, he will be a effective pursuing and chasing down ballcarriers.

The Bears were lucky that Butler and Turner were drafted ahead of Iglesias.  Iglesias will be a better NFL player than both of them.  Iglesias plays better than he works out, and plays better than he practices.  The kid is a gamer and will be a solid number two wideout.

While the Bears drafted Melton a round higher than where I had him graded, I completely understand the selection.  Melton started his college career as a running back so is fairly new to defensive end.  In only his second year at defensive end he showed potential getting 4 sacks and 10 tackles for losses.  Melton has excellent speed and good athleticism for the position.  However, don't expect much in year one.  In fact, I thought he was an excellent candidate to redshirt for a year on the practice squad and that was why I had him as a fifth round value.  Now he'll have to be a core special teams player while perfecting his craft.

Moore slid in the draft because he is a short corner without top end speed or quickness.  However, he has a nose for the ball, good football instincts and quick reactions.  He was excellent value in round four, although Macho Harris was also on the board and he is a player a like a bit more than Moore.

Knox is the second player (Melton) the Bears drafted who was on my list of players who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than them.  Knox can fly and has good quickness and good hands.  I also had Knox rated higher than Butler and Turner (receivers drafted higher than him).  Long term, Knox could be better than Iglesias.  He also gives the Bears another dynamic return man.

Marcus Freeman in round five will be looked at down the road as one of the major steals of the 2009 NFL draft.  He is the third player on my underrated list drafted by Chicago, and a player for whom I had a high second round grade.  In fact, Freeman was the best pure WILL in the draft.  The kid ran faster than many corners (including D.J Moore) and many receivers (was 0.01 behind Iglesias), has terrific quickness and change-of direction skills (see his short shuttle and three-cone numbers), and is very strong.  Freeman battled injuries his senior year which accounts for him being available for the Bears in round five, but proved in his junior year (and supported by his workout numbers) that he was a sideline-to-sideline tackle hound with the strength to get off blocks and pack a wallop when he hits someone.

Afalava was one of the best athletes available in the draft.  Initially, he will be a terror on special teams.  Down the line he could be a good starting strong safety.

Louis proved to be one of the better workout warriors in the draft.  At 30 pounds, he ran 4.76 forty.  He also lifted the bar 30 times.  One concern is his lack of change-of-direction agility, but hey, as a developmental sixth round pick he has potential.

Kinder will have a hard time sticking with Iglesias and Knox also added during the draft.  Kinder is more quick than fast and not an extremely explosive athlete.  I had receivers like Underwood of Rutgers, Riley of Duke, and Means of Indiana and small school prospects Guice and Chery more highly rated than Kinder.

COLLEGE STREET FREE AGENTS

Peterman is a very similar player to Kinder.  I had him rated slightly higher than Kinder because he is faster.  He will have his hands full trying to make the team but is a candidate for their practice squad.

Rivera is an outside linebacker who will be best served hitting the weight room and moving inside.  He has excellent quickness and good enough speed and athleticism to grow into a solid reserve.

Turenne is a corner with similar numbers, but not the same on-field instincts of D. J. Moore.  However, if he shows well in camp he could find a spot on the Bears' development squad.

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

The Bears addressed all major needs except quarterback in this draft.   However, that was a big whiff.  Not getting a quarterback dropped the Bears' score from B+ to B.  In fact, while for the most part I like players the Bears selected, their B is based on some opportunity costs.  I believe they could have done a bit better if they went for a quarterback in round four.  On the plus side, Matt Forte is going to be looked at as one of the best gets in this draft.  He will be a top running back in the NFL sooner rather than later.  The Bears also got excellent value on hit-or-miss prospect Kellen Davis in round five.  While I didn't understand some of their seventh round selections, Barton was a steal in that round. 

DRAFT PICKS

Williams was the right pick in round one.  He is a quality left tackle prospect who will quietly get the job done at a high level for years and years.

Forte was one of my favorite player in the draft.  I'm on record early that I didn't like Benson when he was selected and thought Thomas Jones was the better option.  I like Forte better than both of those runners.  He is tough, has deceptive speed, makes good cuts in the hole, and can catch.  What more could you could ask for?

Bennett is a solid player but I like Hawkins and Caldwell better.  Much better.  This could be a missed opportunity.  Not that Bennett won't be a contributor, but that the other two (especially Hawkins) could outplay him.  Bennett has good hand, decent speed and some quickness, but is only an average athlete.

Harrison is a big kid with good measureables and good production.  Past knee problems and off the field issues caused him to fall to this spot in the draft.  He is a talented kid who can develop into a very good run-stuffing starter.

I like Steltz.  He is quick and smart and has a nose for the ball.  However, this is where I would have grabbed quarterback John David Booty.  He is NFL-ready and could have been an option this year.  As a fourth round pick if he peaked at as a long-term quality backup, that would have been fine.  In addition, strong safety Barrett is a player I liked more than most (and more than Steltz), and he would have been available for the Bears with either of their first two picks in round seven.  In addition, safeties Roach and Silva went undrafted and were better values than all players drafted by the Bears in round seven except Barton. 

Bowman has the potential to develop into a quality cornerback.  He has good size and is more fast than quick so is better on the outside than lining up against quick slot receivers.  He also has good return skills, but that may not be seen with the Bears.

Tight end Kellen Davis was an excellent fifth round pick.  He is a big target, has the speed to get deep and has good athleticism.  So why wasn't he drafted higher?  He never put it all together to become the dominate player his skill set dictated he should.  With Greg Olsen on hand, Davis will not have to be counted on as a starter.  However, he could provide them with a very intriguing two tight end offense since he has the speed to split wide, and could give them a big goal line target.

Baldwin was not a player on my radar.  He could develop into a situational pass rusher.  He could not.  He looks like a practice squad candidate.

Adams played tackle in college but will kick inside to guard for the Bears.  He had durability problems in college and is another practice squad candidate.

After being drafted by Chicago, I took a second look at LaRocque and liked what I saw.  I think this kid has a chance to make the team and develop into a quality special teams player and backup linebacker.  He has good speed, is quick and athletic and was very productive at Oregon State both making plays (tackles) and, at times, rushing the passer (sacks).

Barton was a steal in the seventh round.  He is athletic, quick, and four year starter in a top program at Ohio State.  He is a bit stiff at times, but, worst case, he will be a quality backup.  A great pick by the Bears.

Monk has good size and speed as is an ideal practice squad candidate.  He isn't ready now, but could be in a couple of years.  A player I liked a lot who went undrafted and may have a bit more upside than Monk was Jabari Arthur.  He isn't as fast but has good size, great hands and appears to be a natural at the position.

COLLEGE STREET FREE AGENTS

Hill could push for a roster spot.  He completed over 70% of his passes his senior year.  He is a good rhythm passer but needs work on his delivery and technique.  He is also better in the short and medium zones than throwing the bomb.

Clermond proved to be less athletic in workouts than he appeared to be on film.  However, he made plays both against the run and rushing the passer at Pittsburgh and is worth a shot as a free agent.

Longest was one of my top five kickers in the draft but will be showcasing for other teams with Gould on board for the Bears.

Majors is an example of a player who is too small, just not quite fast enough, just not quite quick enough, not just quite athletic enough, who finds a way to get it done.  He may be the type of player who will give coaches confidence he can fill in if okay if he needs to be activated from the practice squad.