2014 NFL Draft: Chicago Bears Recap

As a kid who has been born and raised in Illinois, it's no surprise that I'm a Chicago Bears fan. I've learned about everything I can that is Bears related from things such as George Halas being the man who founded and created the team in the early 1900s for a mere $100. In the 1950s and 60s, the Bears had Doug Atkins, Gale Sayers, Mike Ditka, Bobby Douglas, and Dick Butkus. Then came the 1980s, where the Bears had players Dan Hampton, Steve McMichael, William "The Fridge" Perry, Richard Dent, Mike Singletary, Otis Wilson, Wilber Marshall, Gary Fencik, Jim McMahon, and the great Walter Payton win Super Bowl XX in 1985. during my time, I was able to witness the Bears of the 2000s like Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman, Devin Hester, Olin Kreutz, and Robbie Gould lead the Bears to their second Super Bowl in their history in 2006 (Yes they lost, but it was still impressive) Now this isn't about the Bears History, but all those players named above were Bears draft picks that helped them to become world champions or Super Bowl Champions. So I took a look back at what the Chicago Bears did in the 2014 NFL Draft, and also looked for what was both the good and the bad.

1st Round: CB Kyle Fuller
So lets kick this off with what was good for the Chicago Bears in the 2014 NFL Draft. The first thing that was good was the team's first round pick, where at No. 14, the Bears drafted Virginia Tech cornerback Kyle Fuller.

The Good: Now, it is no surprise that the Bears have needed help in the secondary since about the time that Charles Tillman hit age 30. Not to say that Tillman still isn't a very good corner, but even I have to admit, he seems like he has lost a step in the speed department while continuing to hold onto intuitive ball hawk skills that have landed him 14 of his 36 INTs in four of all eleven seasons since being drafted by Chicago. Lucky for us, his talent and intelligence seemed to have rubbed off on his partner CB Tim Jennings, who has accumulated 16 INTs in the four seasons he has been with Chicago. But, a lot of the INTs comes from the fact that Tillman usually shuts down whoever their opponent's No. 1 wide receiver is that week. So now you're thinking, "why did he spend all that time on the Bears' corners right now and not Fuller?" Well, it was just to explain what his situation will be like in Chicago, in which he has two highly impressive veteran corners to learn from while transitioning to the NFL. Along with learning, Fuller comes into the Bears defense with a great assortment of skills such as 4.40s forty yard dash and a 38 1/2" vertical jump. This is all just proof that he is the perfect man to replace the aging hero Tillman once he has retires. His four years at Virginia Tech was pretty good, raking up 173 total tackles with 6 INTs and 4 forced fumbles. Not really anything phenomenal, but still proved himself to be one the draft's top CBs. The reason why I like Fuller is he has the 6' tall figure we need combined with the impressive speed we desire. Overall, Kyle Fuller will become a talented corner for the Bears in the long run, and if he can get into the action this season, the Bears defense will be just that much better.

The Bad: Now we cannot have one without the other so here we go. First things first, Fuller is a CORNERBACK, which means he will line up with a receiver most times on the line. Now yeas, The Bears do need help at cornerback, but not as bad as they need help at the safety positions behind them. In many mock drafts, experts thought Fuller would be a good pick for the Bears if he was still there at No. 14. They also said that a defensive tackle like Pittsburgh's Aaron Donald would be good, but there were other defensive linemen with promise to look at in later rounds. The player that many thought would be a good choice to help the Chicago Bears in the position of safety was Louisville's Calvin Pryor. Pryor was a talented former hard-hitting corner who turned into a talented hard-hitting safety in his junior year in school. At 5' 11"209 lbs. he looks like the average safety in the NFL probably would. He showed a knack for tackling and wrapping up the ball carrier, landing big hits, and playing the ball well in the air. In the end, all I am trying to say was I thought he or at least one the other safety in the draft that was first round material named Hasean "Ha Ha" Clinton-Dix would be that pick. Back to Fuller, he does have problems in things like recovering ground if he gets beat off the ball, does need to improve on being in the right spot where needed, needs to be a more solid tackler, and is also could become a problem in the injury department since his senior year was cut short thanks to season ending surgery in November. The one thing that I will not tolerate, nor any other fans, is the mental lapses that he has trouble with too much. Clips of his play are shown in highlights, but you can see that he might be a problem with holding and defensive pass interference penalties called. In the end, Kyle Fuller will need some real gritty work and time to develop him into a truly elite star defensive back.

2nd Round: DT Ego Ferguson
The Chicago Bears' 2nd round pick was just as many intended it to be: a run stopping defensive lineman. After last year's embarrassing fiasco in the run defense, the team drafted LSU defensive tackle Ego Ferguson.

The Good:Specifically, Ferguson was drafted because he is a physically gifted DT that has a keen sense for stopping the ball carrier in the back field. Now, another little thing about myself is that I love LSU football because of how they are capable of putting out NFL defensive talent every single year, and this year was no different. His size is perfect as he stands 6'3" and weighs about 315 lbs. The best thing about his stature is that he looks like a solidly-built defensive linemen. This helps Ferguson have a very explosive first step into his opponents on the OL along with quick moving hands to help fight off the block. Watching him play against teams like Alabama and Florida, Ferguson showed excellent vision and awareness on the line in being able to identify the ball carrier fairly quick in order to make the tackle. Even though his specialty can be seen in the run, his ability to disrupt the pass in notable as well when in the game against Alabama, he made sure that NFL prospect QB A.J. McCarron felt his presence in their game just about three or four times. Not too shabby against the defending national champs this past season. In the overall, Ego Ferguson has all the potential and skills that can allow him to become a starting defensive linemen in the NFL for the Bears, so long as he progresses and continues to get better and keep stopping the run.

The Bad: It pains me to do this to a defensive tackle from LSU, but even they have their downsides. Some of the knocks on Ego Ferguson is that while he has the ability to be explosive off the ball, he does not do it consistently enough. He also been noted as not having the instinctive quickness compared to some of the NFL Draft's pass rushing prospects. One of Ferguson's biggest issues is that he has trouble using his hands to control his opponents along with swipe and shed their hands off of him, which can lead him getting beat in one-on-one blocking situations. Another problem is in his pass rushing ability and needs to develop a balanced attack against both the run and the pass, especially since he only had just one sack at LSU in 2013. The other issue with Ferguson, which similar to Fuller's, is that he also has problem with having stupid penalties against him and has to become more disciplined in his game on the field. Overall, Ego Ferguson's going to need to bring his A-game to training camp if he is going to be one of two men in the middle.

3rd Round: DT Will Sutton
Again, it was just another pick that I think me and the fans of Chicago all saw coming for the Bears. In the 3rd round the NFL Draft, the Bears selected Arizona State defensive tackle Will Sutton.

The Good: Believe it or not, I had heard of this kid the year before in 2012, when ASU played against UCLA and Sutton blasted through the gap of the offensive line only to just miss a chance at sacking the quarterback. And when I say he blasted through, I mean he right through! He's only 6'1" but weighs 303 lbs. Sutton is just another reason why defensive linemen do not have to be like Jadeveon Clowney in order to be successful. Will Sutton has an explosive first step off the snap of the ball. His ability to use his vision to identify the ball carrier quickly and use his quickness to slide past offensive linemen in both the pass rush and stopping the run, makes him the type of defensive tackle that the Chicago Bears need in the middle. He also is one of those players that plays with "a chip on his shoulder" and can come back quickly from and/or even play through bumps and bruises that would sidelined most players. Along side his aggressive play, he has a motor that does not ever seem to quit and helps him be able to close on the tackle fast. His career stats from Arizona State over four years just helps boost his credibility as he recorded a total of 161 tackles, 45.5 tackles for loss, 20.5 sacks, and forced 4 fumbles which impressed people in 2012 when he was voted to the All-American team and was awarded Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Overall, I could see Will Sutton paired up with rookie DT teammate Ego Ferguson and both of them becoming the starting defensive linemen in the middle so long as they both work hard and show that they can play at the next level.

The Bad: As good as Will Sutton sounds in his stats and even looks in his highlights, he does have some things that do need some working on and changing. Sutton has short arms and is considered undersized when compared to other defensive tackles in the NFL which could mean that his success could be very limited, but I doubt that it'll really be that much of an issue honestly. One issue with his physicality is that he maybe top heavy as most of the 303 lbs. are in his mid section while having smallish legs when compared to other NFL defensive tackles. His only was able to pull out 24 reps on the bench, which is low for DLs. This means that he will have to transition some of that weight in the middle into muscle in his arms so that he can be more dominant against blocks. He also has had problems with being able to secure the tackle to the ground and has a tendency to stop trying if he gets beat off the ball, which if he makes the starting lineup, had better be changed immediately. Sutton has also been called "too aggressive" at times and can take plays off once his high motor starts to heat up. Although he can play through pain and small bumps and bruises, he has trouble with more severe bumps and bruises because of quite a bit of double team blocking he was dealt in college. Speaking of college, Sutton also had a problem in that department when in 2010, he was named academically ineligible because, as he admitted, he was just "lazy". So when in comes to Will Sutton, he'll have to work on getting himself into a much stronger and more physically dominating shape along with keeping his aggressive style of play under control.

4th Round: S Brock Vereen
Finally, on the third day of the draft, the Chicago Bears drafted a safety. Late in the 4th round of the draft, after a trade with the Denver Broncos, the Bears decided to select Minnesota safety Brock Vereen.

The Good:Now, I've watched the Illinois Fightin Illini and Northwestern Wildcats play football in the Big Ten, but I never saw Brock Vereen when either of them played against Minnesota. After looking around for stuff on Vereen, I got to say that this unknown kid could be an asset to the team if they can develop his skills at safety more. A couple of things that stand out for me when looking at Vereen is his speed and quickness, vertical, and most especially his strength. His speed and quickness were shown as he was the top performer in the combine among safeties in the forty yard dash (4.47s), 3 cone drill (6.90s), and twenty yard shuttle (4.07s). As a safety, his vertical jump deserves mentioning and was about 34", which is about average for all DBs. But what is really impressive is his strength, which he showed off by hitting the bench press 25 times in the NFL Combine, ultimately making him the top performer out of both safeties and cornerbacks. His work ethic was seen in the combine as unbelievable as he just never seemed to stop trying to top his performance after the last one. Vereen showed that he also has great vision and sense of ball recognition skills on the field. Overall, Brock Vereen could be a potential starter at one of the safety positions, so long as the coaching staff is willing to work with him and try to see if he works in the system.

The Bad: I was surprised by the lack of issues that people had with Vereen. It might be because of the fact that he played at Minnesota University where he got almost little to no publicity because the Golden Gophers are not just not national spotlight news. Regardless, Brock Vereen does have some problems. One of them is that he is considered to have small hands, shorts arms, and not be bulky enough for a safety, which again, there is nothing that he can do about that nor do I believe any of that will be any kinds of an issues so long as he goes to his spot during the play. He will have trouble matching up against tight ends when in coverage. Though he can tackle the ball carrier to the ground, he does not deliver any kind of explosive blows or forceful hits. Along with those small hands that will supposedly hurt him, he struggles to get his hands on interceptions as he only has 4 INTs in his whole career at Minnesota. The other issue that the Bears must keep an eye on is his durability during the season. In the end, Brock Vereen will need to really step up to overcome his lack of physicality and stature in order to be a technically sound safety in Chicago's defensive back system.

4th Round: RB Ka'Deem Casey
Before the Chicago Bears drafted Brock Vereen, they had their very own 4th round pick, which they used to draft Arizona running back Ka'Deem Casey.

The Good:Casey is an Arizona native which mad e him considered the hometown hero and state prodigy of Arizona football considering how he played in high school, which he raked up about 4,500 rushing yards with 71 touchdowns in just the final two years of his high school career. But at Arizona University, he continued to impress the state, as well as the nation. From 2012 to 2013, Ka'Deem Casey rushed for a little over 3,800 yards and scored 42 touchdowns which put him in the ring as one of the nations most productive running backs. He has shown that his mentality and playing level is one that just will never allow him to quit or give up which makes him a hard RB to be able to knock down or off balance as his powerful legs pump away down the field and gets great leverage over the tacklers with his shoulders. All this makes his yards after contact an insane amount. Casey is also considered a strong receiver with "yards after the catch" running ability. One of his biggest upsides is his ability to be a work horse when running the ball, as he averaged 26 carries per game over his last two seasons. To sum up Ka'Deem Casey, I think he will be a strong backup for Matt Forte and could possibly even be considered the starting running back if Forte were to ever leave for some reason or when he retires.

The Bad: So when it comes to Ka'Deem Casey, one of his big problems that the supposed "experts" have listed is his lack of size. He stands 5'9" and weighs only 207 lbs. but size has never been an issue at RB. If you honestly think it is, just talk to Hall of Fame running backs Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith and current NFL RBs like 49ers' Frank Gore and Redskins' Alfred Morris. However, Casey is not like Sanders in that he does not have blazing 4.40s and under speed to match with his tough, power running back style. At the combine, Casey ran a 4.70s forty yard dash which is incredibly slow for a running back compared to this day and age. But again, Emmitt Smith's best forty yard dash time was 4.50s flat. More incredibly, both Frank Gore and Alfred Morris both had forty yard dash times around the low to mid 4.60s. In other words, I believe that none of those "problems" with his speed and size are really an issue at all. His biggest issue would be his ability to stay healthy for a whole season as he is a running back who has taken quite a bit of punishment after having some 850 carries in his career. Some teams were reported to have taken him off their draft boards as their was talk him being a controversial player with issues stemming from off-field altercations and suspensions. All in all, Ka'Deem Casey will need to prove his commitment to Chicago by having a strong training camp and should build himself up more in order to get faster, quicker, and be able to take the NFL's punishing hits.

6th Round: QB David Fales
After trading their 5th round pick to the Denver Broncos for the 4th round pick that became safety Brock Vereen, they waited till the 6th round to draft themselves a possible backup quarterback in San Jose State's QB David Fales.

The Good: David Fales is one of these kids that was is similar to Brock Vereen in that no one heard of them until the draft talk started, the combine, and then the draft itself started, but once you saw they were picked, their highlights and numbers said just how good they could be. Fales is one of these players that I can identify with as he is a hard working "gym rat" that is the first in the weight room and the last to leave, which makes him a well built and tough individual at QB (maybe he should teach Jay Cutler a few things). He has an easy and balanced dropback. One of his key components that the Chicago Bears most definitely loved was his ability to sell it to the defense on the play fakes. He shows a quick, clean release on the pass that gives him a good, accurate spiral when throwing short and medium passes. Fales shows great confidence in the pocket along with his competitive nature. His intangibles are considered outstanding in both his personal and football character. Those intangibles make him a great leader both vocally and by example to his teammates. An overall on David Fales, he will be a good backup for the Bears for years to come so long as he does not lose his drive and ability to work hard on and off the field.

The Bad: Like many of these picks, Fales is seen to be a QB that supposedly lacks the ideal height (didn't seem to bother Russell Wilson at all) and is considered to have relatively small hands (even though he'll hold it for maybe like three to five seconds per play). Another knock against Fales is that he is not considered a very mobile QB outside the pocket (which would be nice for a change considering Cutler) and inside as well. One problem that will time to develop is that his vision is not yet at the "NFL level" (whatever that means) and tends to stare down his target, which means that he could have some issues in making the right throws to the open man. Fales also will need to strengthen his arm, as he does not have the deep ball arm or straight line pass that NFL quarterbacks "should have" (I think that is a straight lie). The biggest thing that he'll to do is just grab more on the field experience, as he was only a two year starter at San Jose State University, but with a QB Guru head coach like Marc Trestman to soon get his hands on him, he'll surely improve. I basically am just trying to stick up to QB David Fales because, other than switching Jordan Lynch back to QB, he will be the only other backup QB to Cutler besides Jordan Palmer, who actually was the one who helped work out and train with Fales in Florida.

6th Round: K/P Pat O'Donnell
I think everyone was shocked by the Chicago Bears drafting a punter in the draft, as most teams wait till free agency to pick one up and try to develop them. But, in the 6th round, the team decided to go ahead and take Miami K/P Pat O'Donnell.

The Good: I was just in awe of the Bears "wasting" a pick on a player we probably would've picked up in free agency, but I looked into Pat O'Donnell more and I gotta tell you, there is a reason why he is on the SPECIAL team (It's because he is special if you didn't get it). The first think about this kid is he is a big punter. He stands 6'4" and weighs around 220 lbs. which already gives him a good advantage in the kicking game. Now most people do not ever watch the kickers and punters in the NFL Combine, but me being a football junkie and fan of the sports world, I decided to keep my eyes out on the them to see what they could do. When O'Donnell was up in the forty yard dash, his time was 4.64s which made him the fastest special teamer at the combine and could mean that we see the Bears do a couple of fake punts and trick plays with this kid. His strength was amazing as he banged out 23 reps on the bench press, again making him the top performer among the special teamers, but also he had done more reps than 6 tight ends, 19 running backs, 21 defensive linemen, and all 37 wide receivers. Now as a punter, that is definitely something. Along with that strength was a 30.5" vertical jump that will be promising if high snaps occur in punting situations. But lets talk about what he does best: kicking. O'Donnell started four out of five of his college years, with 3 of those 4 at Cincinnati and then spending his senior year at Miami, which means that we have a player with some strong experience. At Cincinnati, he averaged about 42.5 yards per punt in his three years as a starter there, with his longest punt being a 76 yarder. Once he had transferred to Miami, he set a school record by averaging 47.1 yards per punt, with his longest punt being a 71 yarder. If O'Donnell can bring those numbers to the Bears, then we'll be getting some prime field position for the defense to work against. One big positive I saw in his game was that he is one those special team kickers, that when it is just him at the return man, he is not afraid to try and take him down. Although he only made three tackles, his highlights (from what I could find) showed that he isn't afraid to get up and after the return man like the rest of the team. Essentially, I think Pat O'Donnell will be the punter that we've been looking for after the Adam Podlesh issues that occurred.

The Bad: Now that just tried to glorify a punter like O'Donnell, it's time to take a look at some of the things that might need fixing. One big thing is that his hang time can be inconsistent which means that prime field position could be a problem at times and possibly have some punts brought back for TDs. The inconsistency probably stems from trouble with placement and accuracy. Although O'Donnell had great combine numbers, overall he is just an average athlete at best. He also has been said to be very analytical and overthink easy and simple situations which could result in muffing snaps, whiffing kicks and punts, and miscommunication happening on the field. In the overall analysis of P Pat O'Donnell, he will simply have to get more mentally tough on the field which will come with time and experience. Plus, he'll have a great kicking teacher in Chicago's most beloved Robbie Gould.

7th Round: OT Charles Leno Jr.
If I did not understand the Bears drafting a punter, you probably can guess how I felt when they decided to go with an offensive linemen as their last pick. I thought that we had all the guys we needed for the OL, but the Bears went and drafted Boise State offensive tackle Charles Leno Jr. with their final pick of the draft in the 7th round.

The Good: I guess I can't be too critical toward Leno Jr. as he is a nice sized OL at 6'4" and 303 lbs. But that isn't what made me go "wow!"; that happened when I learned that his arm length is ridiculous! Now I played with teammates of mine at Glenbard North High School that were offensive line that were just as tall and big and I thought had some long arms, but Charles Leno Jr.'s arm length is 34 3/8" long! I love my teammates and respect them, but i don't think any of them extended that far out. Leno Jr. is considered a very talented pass protector, who once he is underneath guys, can move them wherever he wants. He has a good ability to get to the second level which means he could become a very versatile in the playing both offensive tackle and guard. He also demonstrates an ability to be durable and intelligent as he was a three year starter at Boise State at both left and right tackle. An sum up of OT Charles Leno Jr. would be that he could develop into a very good backup for either Jeremy Bushrod and/or Jordan Mills.

The Bad: So since I think everyone knows what's coming, lets get to it. Charles Leno Jr.'s biggest issue for the Bears could be that he tends to not perform very well when pass protecting and can even get walked back toward the QB. Another problem might be his impressively long arms. While they are his most impressive quality and greatest weapon against defenders, Leno Jr. also has a tendency to over extend and lose his balance. His hand placement  is also considered too low, and the explosive pop that should come from the snap of the ball to his opponent's chest just does not seem to be there. Leno Jr. is  considered a average strength OL as he only had 21 reps on the bench at the NFL Combine which restricts his ability to strong and leads to him catching guys. For OT Charles Leno Jr., He'll need to improve his strength and pass protection in order to make this Bears team that is starting to move into the NFL's "pass happy" game.

Undrafted: QB (RB) Jordan Lynch
Just one day after the 2014 NFL Draft concluded, the Chicago Bears were not done looking for players to sign onto the team by signing Northern Illinois' Heisman Trophy finalist QB (RB) Jordan Lynch.

The Good: First things first on Lynch, he's a hometown commodity, after playing at Chicago's Mount Carmel High School, where he played both quarterback and safety. He is considered quite a fiercely competitive athlete. Lynch's biggest plus side is that he is a physically tough runner that lowers his shoulder to blow up his opponents like any power running back in the NFL. At the combine, Lynch was able to post the best time (6.55s) in the three-cone shuttle drill to demonstrate his agility and showed off his ability to change directions in RB drills. Some experts believed him to be have talent that we had not seen in a QB since Michael Vick came into the NFL. Along with great physical skills, Lynch has amazing work habits to help craft those skills along with a fiery attitude that can help drive his teammates to play hard and with intensity. For QB (RB) Jordan Lynch, he'll be a very nice drawing card for the Bears if he is able to make the roster along with contributing to the the run game as he tries to make the teams as a RB, but since he played safety in high school, maybe he would be worth the look there.

The Bad: Now I continue to argue the height "issue" that seems to occur with the Bears' draft picks as Jordan Lynch's 6'0" stature is considered short to play QB (didn't stop QB Drew Brees from winning a Super Bowl). Another question mark that connects to his height was that he played out of the shotgun with a rolling pocket to help Lynch be able to see and scan the field, but that is if he ever gets a chance to play QB again (which he might). As a QB, many of the throws he made came from the bad habit of starring down his receivers and passing to those who were still targets. Probably the reason why he will be making the transition to RB in Chicago is because he almost always seemed to be very anxious to tuck and run the ball when in the pocket. If he does become a QB, he'll have to look at improving his overall accuracy, his timing, and anticipation. Overall, QB (RB) Jordan Lynch would need to improve his skills as a QB overall, but he will more than likely make the team as either a running back or possibly even a safety if they give him a try there (cause we might need him).

Team's Draft Analysis
Looking at what the Chicago Bears did in the 2014 NFL Draft, it's not too shabby. I personally would've gone a few different paths if I was the GM, but I'm only the fan who can write and speak my opinion. Once the season starts up, we'll all be able to see just what these draft picks can really do. As I think and picture the 2014 Chicago Bears' season kickoff, I see CB Kyle Fuller making it into the starting lineup at the nickel cornerback position, DTs Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton being in  a situation rotation on the defensive line, S Brock Vereen and K/P Pat O'Donnell both making the starting lineup, RB Ka'Deem Casey and QB David Fales being the backups at their position, QB/RB Jordan Lynch making the practice squad, and Charles Leno Jr. released from the roster before the season starts.