Chicago Bears - NFC North

Chicago Bears - NFC North, 2009 Draft Selections & Prospects

Chicago Bears

- 2009 NFL Draft Breakdown and Analysis
1st Round | 2nd Round | 3rd Round | 4th Round | 5th Round | 6th Rd | 7th Rd

- CFN 2009 Draft Central & Team-by-Team Picks and Analysis

#	Pick
4	68	3rd Round (from Seattle)  Jarron Gilbert, DE/DT San Jose State  6-6, 288 Is he a defensive end? A defensive tackle? An offensive tackle? One of the high risers in the draft after showing off phenomenal quickness in the East West Shrine practices and coming up with a tremendous workout at the Combine, his future will likely be as a 3-4 end. With his combination of skills and size, he could easily grow into a starting tackle if he builds on his frame a bit more. He has to play stronger against power blockers and he isn’t going to be a pass rusher if he’s put on the end in a 4-3, but he has too much upside, and is too good a worker, to not be a steady part of a rotation. CFN Value Rank: Second Round    CFN Position Rank: 4
35	99	3rd Round Juaquin Iglesias, WR Oklahoma 6-0, 205 While he’s not going to impress on the stopwatch and he might have flourished because he played in the Oklahoma offense, he’s a flat-out wide receiver who has an extremely low downside. He has great hands, is a strong route runner, and plays faster than he times. Get him the ball on the move and he’ll make something happen. While he’ll get beaten up by physical defensive backs and he’s not going to hit the home runs he did for the Sooners, he’s a hard worker and a good enough player to make a coaching staff instantly happy once camp starts. He’s not going to be one of the top receivers in the draft, but he’ll stick. CFN Value Rank: Third Round     CFN Position Rank: 12
5	105	4th Round (from Seattle) Henry Melton, DE Texas 6-3, 280 After starting out as a bruising running back, Melton grew into a decent end improving each year as he got more work. He has a good combination of size and athleticism with a good running back-like burst into the backfield. He still needs a ton of work before he's ready to become an NFL defensive end, but he's a good enough athlete to eventually become a factor in a 4-3. CFN Value Rank: Fifth Round    CFN Position Rank: 26
19	119	4th Round D.J. Moore, CB Vanderbilt  5-9, 190 (Jr.) He was a star of stars in the SEC doing a little bit of everything for the Commodores seeing time as a return man and a receiver along with his corner duties. While he plays fast, and he certainly didn’t have any problems in the best conference in America, he had a disappointing Combine with a painfully slow 4.59 in the 40 and showing average quickness. However, he did come up with a 39.5” vertical leap, which helps make up for his lack of height. He’s a decent tackler, but not a great one and doesn’t have No. 1 NFL corner skills. He’s smart, a playmaker, and will do whatever is needed to succeed. He’ll be used in a variety of ways in a secondary and will be around the league for a decade. CFN Value Rank: Third Round     CFN Position Rank: 4
4	140	5th Round (from Seattle through Denver) Johnny Knox, Abilene Christian 5-11, 185 He’ll make a roster on his 4.34 speed alone, but he’s not big enough. He’ll get beaten up and won’t be able to use his wheels. If he can get into the clear, he's a pure home-run hitter who'll fight for the ball and won't be afraid to block a bit. He needs to get bigger and he wasn't nearly as productive as he should've been at the lower level. He works out better than he plays. Purely a Combine star. CFN Value Rank: Fifth Round    CFN Position Rank: 29
18	154	5th Round Marcus Freeman, LB Ohio State  6-1, 235 A workout warrior, he did it all at the Combine from running a 4.65 40 to benching 30 reps to leaping 37”  to destroying the shuttle drill, he showed tremendous athleticism. However, he has had major problems staying healthy, dinged up with a variety of injuries, and he doesn’t always play up to his strength. He can be erased by a decent blocker and he needs to be in space to make plays; he’s simply not big enough. But if and when he’s healthy, like he was in his off-season workouts, he can be a different player and a star. CFN Value Rank: Third Round    CFN Position Rank: 5
17	190	6th Round Al Afalava, SS Oregon State 5-10, 210  While he hits like a linebacker, he also covers like one. A smallish safety without the wheels to be considered for a regular starting spot, he has to be a star on special teams right away to have any hope of staying in a camp. He was a good college player, but his skills aren't going to translate to the pros.
37	246	7th Round Lance Louis, OG San Diego State 6-2, 300 The one-time tight end missed the 2007 season with a torn ACL but rebounded to be an athletic guard for a struggling Aztec offense. The upside is there now that he's a year removed from the injury, and while he's not quite physical enough to be a regular starter inside, he could be versatile enough to move outside in a pinch. CFN Value Rank: Free Agent    CFN Position Rank: NR
42	251	7th Round Derek Kinder, WR Pitt 6-0 215 Kinder came back after missing all of 2007 and was steady, but unspectacular catching 36 passes for 422 yards and three touchdowns. And then came his Pro Day workout when he was fast, athletic, and extremely impressive for his size. With the skills to be an interesting late no-risk pick, he could be used as a returner or a third down target. CFN Value Rank: Free Agent    CFN Position Rank: 41

2008

The Draft Was ... Potentially awful. Did the Bears try to set a record on the number of projects they could take on? Chris Williams was a need pick in the first round, and then everything fell apart. There were plenty of good running backs on the board, and instead of taking Chad Henne or Brian Brohm they took Matt Forte. While the fifth round pick of Kellen Davis was nice, there's a lot of coaching to be done.
Best Value Pick: Kellen Davis, TE Michigan State. 5th round. While not a need pick in any way, Davis has first round skills and a seventh round head. If he can put it all together, he'll be a dangerous weapon in two tight end sets.
Biggest Reach: Zach Bowman, CB Nebraska. 5th round. An average player even when he was healthy, he's a measurables guy coming off knee and hamstring problems.
They Should've ... Taken Chad Henne or Brian Brohm in the second around and taken RB Tashard Choice, who fits what the Bear offense wants to do, in the third.

#	Pick
14	14	1st Round   Chris Williams, OT Vanderbilt The range of opinion on what Williams is, and what he could become, runs the gamut. One of the most athletic linemen in the draft in a 6-6, 315-pound body, he looks the part and should grow into an elite pass blocker. He can eventually be plugged in on the left side and let roll for a decade. However, he had a mediocre workout on his pro day and he's not necessarily a killer. If he can grow into more of a powerful run blocker, he should be terrific. CFN Value Rank: Late First Round    CFN Position Rank: 3

13

44

2nd Round    Matt Forte, RB Tulane Forte is the back for those who believe breakaway speed is overrated. After all, how many backs tear off 40-yard runs? Forte doesn't have great straight-line speed, but he's a strong inside runner who was extremely dependable last season rushing for 2,127 yards and 23 touchdowns for the Green Wave. A big runner who pounds away, he's a positive carry every time he touches the ball. If you're looking for a thrilling back who'll make the highlight reel, that's not Forte. If you're looking for a steady, dependable all-around back who can catch, pound, and work his tail off, that's Forte. CFN Value Rank: Third Round    CFN Position Rank: 9

7

70

3rd Round    Earl Bennett, WR Vanderbilt Bennett faced the best of the best defensive backs in the SEC and still produced becoming the league's all-time leading receiver in fewer than three years. While he was great with Jay Cutler throwing to him, he put up even better numbers working with far less talented passers. Not a blazer, he's more quick than fast with great hands that snags everything that comes his way; he made his Vanderbilt quarterbacks better, including Cutler. He'll be erased at times by the speedier NFL corners, but he'll flourish as a complementary target. CFN Value Rank: Mid-Second to Third Round    CFN Position Rank: 9

27

90

3rd Round   Marcus Harrison, DT Arkansas Character and durability are going to be the main concerns, and he'll never get to the quarterback, but at 6-2 and 317 pounds with shocking athleticism and the strength to handle two blockers without a problem, he's a major prospect. The key is his health. As his knee gets better and better, so should his production. On skills he's a first rounder, but on intangibles he's a question mark. CFN Value Rank: Late Second Round to Early Third Round  CFN Position Rank: 9

21

120

4th Round (from trade)  Craig Steltz, SS LSU After a few nice years as a tough backup, Steltz was the best defensive back in college football in 2007 making 101 tackles, six interceptions, and seemingly coming up with every big play needed. He's not all that fast and he's not huge, but he has a great motor, never dogs it, and can be used early on in nickel situations if he can't get a starting gig. He's still improving; he could be a far better pro than a collegian. CFN Value Rank: Fourth Round to Fifth  CFN Position Rank: 7

7

142

5th Round   Zach Bowman, CB Nebraska Speed, speed, speed. A 4.4 defender with decent size, he has good measurables and has the all-around athleticism to stay with just about anyone. However, he's not a very good football player. Out all of 2006 knee injury and after struggling last year. partially because he started out with a hamstring problem, he's not going to stay healthy. CFN Value Rank: Free Agent       CFN Position Rank: NR

23

158

5th Round (from trade)  Kellen Davis, TE Michigan State The prototype. At 6-6 and 262 pounds with 4.6 speed, he has the size/speed/athletic ratio that screams Pro Bowl tight end. The problem is his blocking; he doesn't do it. While he had a nice senior season, he was a stunning disappointment for the first three years of his Spartan career and didn't blow up like he should have. If the proper fire is lit, he could be the best tight end in the draft. That's a huge if. CFN Value Rank: Late Third Round to Early Fourth      CFN Position Rank: 8

1

208

7th Round (from trade)  Ervin Baldwin, DE Michigan State A nice player, but nothing special, Baldwin got on the map with a big pro day running a 4.62. While he doesn't have the ideal size, he's an interesting pass rushing prospect who needs to develop into a more complete player. Worth a flier, he'll have to show right away in camp that he can get into the backfield.  CFN Value Rank: Free Agent   CFN Position Rank: NR

15

222

7th Round  Chester Adams, OG/OT Georgia He's versatile enough to play either tackle or guard, but he's not good enough to be a regular at either spot. He has the size, he has the strength, and he has the athleticism, but he doesn't always play up to his measurables. He was a good college player who earned enough respect to be a captain, but he didn't dominate like he should've. CFN Value Rank: Fifth Round  CFN Position Rank: 13

36

243

7th Round  Joey LaRocque, LB Oregon State A good, productive college player who made plenty of tackles, he's a football player. At only 226 pounds and without much in the way of speed, he doesn't have much upside and will have to be a major factor on special teams to stick. CFN Value Rank: Free Agent   CFN Position Rank: NR

40

247

7th Round  Kirk Barton, OT Ohio State A weight-room warrior who's a cut 6-4 and 300 pounds, he was a four-year starter for the Buckeyes and got a lot of attention and plenty of all-star honors. While he was a key cog in the OSU offense for his entire career, and the line was his for his final two years, he didn't improve by leaps and bounds over the course of his career. He's not smooth enough to handle an average NFL end. He'll get by for a while in camp on reputation. CFN Value Rank: Sixth Round   CFN Position Rank: 18

41

248

7th Round  Marcus Monk, WR Arkansas Monk was on the verge of being one of the SEC's most dangerous receivers and a big-time weapon with everyone paying attention to the running game, and then he got hurt and never got healthy. After several surgeries, he finally got his leg healthy enough to get on the field, but he wasn't the same player he was in 2006. However, at 6-4 and 222 pounds with good red-zone ability, he's an interesting flier to take. If given another year to heal and get back into his old physical form, he could be a major steal. CFN Value Rank: Free Agent   CFN Position Rank: 41