2006 Bears Draft Recap
By Benjy Lipsman in News on May 1, 2006 3:14AM
Coming off an 11-5 season, with all 22 starters returning, the Bears entered this weekend's draft without the glaring holes of recent years. None-the-less, they did have some areas in which upgrades clearly would help the team.
With one of the league's worst offenses, and the best defense, clearly they needed to address their offensive holes. Especially with this week's signing of Ricky Manning Jr., which helped fill a void created by Jerry Azumah's retirement. With more depth added to the secondary, the most glaring holes were tight end, wide receiver and kick/punt returner. Did they address those areas in this weekend's draft?
Chicagoist sat in front of ESPN for hours, anxiously awaiting the Bears first round pick. Instead, we saw the Bears trade out of the first round, once they were already on the clock. They sent their pick (26th overall) to the Buffalo Bills for second and third round picks, and Chicagoist had to endure the rolling of the eyes from our girlfriend, who thought it silly to plan our day around seeing who the Bears first draft pick would be anyway.
Seeing the Bears finally draft for the first time, in the second round, certainly lacked the drama of having a first round pick. With that first selection (42nd overall), the chose cornerback/safety Danieal Manning, from Abilene Christian. OK, we hadn't expected that move ... but the Bears could use some help at safety. And he's fast, so he might make a good returner.
With thier next pick, in the third round (57th overall) the Bears selected Devin Hester, a wide receiver/cornerback who was Miami's primary kick returner. So the Bears seem to have locked down the returner roles in the second round. Now for a tight end, right?
In the third round, the Bears selected Defensive Tackle Dusty Dvoracek, out of Oklahoma. We question this pick, both because of the problems he's experienced on and off the field, as well as his apparent lack of athleticism -- a hallmark of the Bears' defense.
In the fourth round, the Bears selected Linebacker Jamar Williams, from Arizona St. From the scouting reports, he sounds like a career backup player and probably would still have been on the board in later rounds, after they'd addressed more serious needs. We question this choice, too. They took Defensive End Mark Anderson (Alabama), in the 5th round; Fullback JD Runnels (Oklahoma) and Guard Tyler Reed (Penn St.) with their two picks in the 6th round.
Overall, we were not that impressed with the Bears' 2006 draft. Seven draft picks, and not a single receiver or tight end. Way to fill needs. Jerry Angelo has found some underappreciated players in the middle rounds who have become significant contributors, in fact he seems to have better luck finding quality starters in the later rounds than in the first round. But has he become too enamored with his ability to find those overlooked guys? We believe he may have stretched this time, rather than taking safer picks that filled more urgent needs. He's already feelng the heat for his inability to address the team's needs in the draft.
While Santonio Holmes went one pick ahead of their original first round pick, they could have used the pick on a quality Tight End like UCLA's Marcedes Lewis, who went 28th. Or, having made the trade, they could have chosen WR Sinorice Moss from Miami or Georgia Tight End Leonard Pope. They passed on players who could have filled their needs, to go after players of questionable need and skill.