Hey there!
I haven’t been blogging about sports or the NFL for a few months, and I might not ever blog about it to the extent I did in 2014 again.
As we head into the Draft, however, I feel that I need to release my 1st Round mock draft – and give you my thoughts on who I want in Chicago. Here are my three favorite players in this year’s Draft: Marcus Mariota, Landon Collins, and Danny Shelton.
So, guess what? We did not draft the safety we need – thus leaving a lot of options open on day 3. After having taken nickel-corner Kyle Fuller in the first, we grabbed Ego Ferguson, LSU, a defensive tackle who’s to play 2-technigue. In the 3rd round, when we were all complaining about not taking Louis Nix (who actually dropped deep into the 3rd round), we picked up Will Sutton from Arizona State – also a defensive tackle, probably looking at 3-technigue. People really like Will Sutton, whereas Ego was a different story – however, having added both I feel comfortable with our defensive line going forward.
REMAINING NEEDS
Well, we still need a safety – but remaining needs also include a backup QB (though Emery might disagree), a backup running back, added receiving competition and some more linebacking power. I’ve got a list of guys I’d like to share, a list of guys who I’d love to see in a Bears jersey or I think are positional needs that still have value, though not all of them are THAT realistic:
PREVIEW DAY 3
On day 3 we still have 4 picks, 1 in the 4th, 1 in the 5th and 2 in the 6th. Now, I don’t think we need more than 2 or 3 prospects, and if possible I’d like to see Phil Emery trade up a bit to grab the guy he wants. If we leave day 3 with Craig Loston, Shayne Skov and David Fales – for example – I would be happy with this draft.
– I’m Jeffrey Rex.
So, that was one hell of an opening day. From the shocking Buffalo-trade to the last minute Bridgewater-steal, we had intense debate and intrigue. The big theme of the night was the wait of the QBs. Bridgewater waited all night, Garoppolo was NOT picked and Manziel was picked as #22 (3rd time Cleveland pick a QB at that position). Now, this Day 1 Review will focus on my Bears, as we look at what went right and what went wrong.
NO CIGAR
Close, but no cigar Bears fans… Aaron Donald did indeed drop down in the draft – and as we sat hoping all the pieces would come together, the St.Louis Rams called the Pittsburgh Defensive Tackle, and got defensively greedy. A lot of us would’ve loved Donald, but we also knew it was a stretch to say we would get the opportunity – meanwhile we felt comfortable that some Defensive Tackles would drop (and some did). Now, I was not that deflated by the ‘loss’ of Aaron Donald – for my two top Safeties were still there for us to pick – Calvin Pryor and HaHa Clinton-Dix; I anxiously waited for Emery to make the pick…
JOKE’S ON US
Indeed, the joke is on us – for while Phil Emery decided not to pick a safety – and stuck with a guy he “loves” – HaHa dropped down to #21 and was picked up by the Packers… Also, Calvin Pryor fell to the Jets. Now, who did we get then? Mike Mayock’s 13th ranked player in the entire draft. That sounds great, but we did not fill an immediate need. No safety, no Defensive-line help. Instead we strengthened our Cornerback position. Now, guys, don’t freak out. While we’ve still got Peanut and Jennings – this guy is not JUST the future cornerback, he will also feature in the battle for the nickel-spot. And the nickel position is of importance in today’s NFL. We face people like Eric Ebron, Brandon Pettigrew and Randall Cobb – you’d want a Cornerback taking care of them. Expect to see Virginia Tech Cornerback Kyle Fuller a lot for the Bears – as he is also a top rated Special Teams-player.
PREVIEW DAY 2
With the 2nd and 3rd round picks being announced starting 7 pm Eastern (US), we must now look forward and take a peak at the players we might need. Defensive Tackle and Safety still need to be filled properly. Starting with Safety, we may have a problem. Buccannon, Ward, HaHa and Pryor all went in the first round, and though the remaining players may not be the best in the draft – we desperately need a new Safety – we’re gonna reach. Lamarcus Joyner (Florida State) ranked 65th on Mayock’s Top 100 is still there, as well as his teammate Terrence Brooks and guys like Marqueston Huff. On D-tackle Timmy Jernigan’s still there and so is Hageman & Nix. We have options, but we need to be aware and take the bigger need – not the better player. Go with a safety.
– I’m Jeffrey Rex.
It’s that time again folks! The time in which fans gather, for a few days a year, to either curse their GMs’ names or drink to a huge improvement. The NFL Draft for 2014 is upon us. Now, I’ve made numerous of Mock Drafts in my life, all of which have been featured on old blogs – so this will be my first Mock Draft on WordPress.
Now, here’s how I’m doing it. This year I’ve added what I guess you could call a ‘Recipe for Prediction‘, and here’s how it goes:
So, let’s get to the 2014 NFL Draft, but first a sneak peek at what my mock draft my look like in the future drafts to come, as I go ‘in-depth’ with Houston. This year, however, it won’t be in-depth – but I hope to finish a Draft Board for my Chicago Bears before the draft itself.
Sneak Peek on future Mock Drafts (Perhaps 2015): FIRST OVERALL PICK – THE HOUSTON TEXANS
War Room: The Texans were completely derailed last season, and though they have weapons on both sides of the ball, they need game changers to take over their division. The one position that screams for a replacement is the Quarterback-position, but I’m unsure as to whether they have to draft one in the 1st round, or if they could potentially gain from waiting until the second round. Sometimes you need to pick the best player remaining.
Scenario 1: Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina, Defensive End / Outside Linebacker; I do believe a suitable quarterback can be picked up in the second round, and you can never stop strengthening your defense. Just imagine J.J. Watt and Clowney together.
Scenario 2: Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M, Quarterback; Sometimes you have to go all in on the player with the most hype surrounding him. Johnny has been hyped for a long time, but can perhaps silence his critics with a Texan offense ready to do battle for the AFC South throne.
Mock Draft (Scenario 1)
Mock Draft (Scenario 2)
This wasn’t much, but that’ll do for this year – I think. I would encourage you to try to make your own mock draft on NFL.com. I admit, this one might be the worst looking Mock Draft – but I needed it to be finished sooner rather than later, and I had no time to go over each pick like I imagined.
Am I right on? Or, do you see some picks that you thoroughly disagree with? Then comment, and we’ll talk it out.
– I’m Jeffrey Rex.
Hello and welcome,
This post will be focusing on how I view the QB rankings in the coming draft. I’ll be giving you my Top 5 Quarterbacks, as well as give be giving you two guys I’d love Phil Emery to draft as a Back-Up for Jay Cutler in Chicago – our Quarterback-guru, Trestman, needs to prove his talent at working with young talent.
I’m Jeffrey Rex’ Top 5 Quarterbacks in the 2014 NFL Draft:
This year is loaded with a lot of Quarterback and Wide Receiving talent, and to draft a QB in the 3rd or 4thround would be great for teams looking to work with young gifted players. If I were Phil Emery, I’d be looking at San Jose State’s David Fales and Eastern Illinois’ Jimmy Garoppolo as two players that could work well with Chicago Bears Head Coach and Quarterback Guru, Marc Trestman. The former, Fales, could be really interesting as a West Coast building block, and could potentially be a more gifted Josh McCown for Trestman to toy with. As for Garoppolo, for a Quarterback with ideal size, being from Illinois and having beaten passing records set by Tony Romo – this is someone you cannot overlook. I’d be looking for these two to fall to later rounds, and if that’d be the case – I’d grab one of them, and see what they can do as a back-up for Cutler. First though, they’d have to beat out Jordan Palmer.
I’ll be back with some notes on movies I’d like to watch this year, and later I’ll be revealing my Mock Draft!
– I’m Jeffrey Rex
I'm Jeffrey Rex 