The Chicago Bears with the seventh pick in the 2015 NFL Draft
will be looking for an upgrade at the wide receiver position, a true nose guard
to fit the 3-4 defense or a new franchise quarterback.
I will rank each player from top to bottom, top being the
best pick for Chicago.
1. Amari Cooper
After Chicago traded Brandon Marshall to the New York Jets
for a fifth round draft pick, Chicago will be looking to add another playmaker
on offense. Amari Cooper would be the perfect replacement for Marshall.
According to NFL.com, Cooper is rated the number one wide
receiver in the draft with a rating of 7.13. The Rating system is out of 10 and
Pro Bowl-caliber players rank from 7.00-7.49.
Cooper was a winner of the Biletnikoff Award, an award given
to the best receiver in college football and also was a finalist for the Heisman
trophy for his 2014 junior season.
Cooper reminds me a lot of Kansas City wide receiver Jeremy
Maclin. Here is how the two receivers match up. These are Maclin’s stats when
he competed in the NFL combine in 2009.
Amari Cooper: Jeremy Maclin:
Height - 6’1’’ Height –
6’0’’
Weight – 211LBS Weight – 198LBS
40 Time – 4.42 SEC 40 Time – 4.48 SEC
Each receiver player in 14 games in their final year and
their numbers are quite similar. These stats are from sports-reference.com
Cooper (JR): Maclin (SO):
124 Rec 102 Rec
1727 yds 1260 yds
16 TD’s 13TD’s
Maclin was also a factor in the running game with 40 rushing
attempts for 293 yards and two touchdowns. Cooper only had five rushing
attempts for 23 yards.
I think Cooper can be a dynamic player in the NFL and Chicago
can’t pass up on taking a wide receiver with his skill set. He can go get the
deep ball, make defenders miss in the open field and has great hands.
2. Danny Shelton
With Chicago changing from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense, a
nose tackle who can cause havoc in the middle is something Chicago will look to
address in the draft. Chicago has plenty of lineman but after losing Stephen
Paea, they need to get a nose tackle who can take on two blockers at a time and
also cause pressure right up the middle.
Danny Shelton is 6-foot-2-inch and weighs 339 pounds. According
to NFL.com, Shelton was tied for second with 34 reps at bench press in the NFL
combine.
Chicago has the defense ends/outside linebackers to get
pressure on opposing quarterbacks but pressure up the middle disrupts a QB the
most. With pressure on the outside QB’s can step up in the pocket, when it
comes in the middle QB’s have less mobility.
According to NFL.com, Shelton received a 6.35 rating out of
10 and is projected to be an instant starter.
I believe Shelton can be that force in the middle that takes
on double teams and lets the linebackers clean up anything that gets through
the line.
Chicago needs to bring back the defense of old and Shelton
can be the guy to help do that.
3. Marcus Mariota
If Marcus Mariota is still on the board and Chicago is on the
clock, you draft your new franchise QB.
Mariota has won plenty of awards in his 2014 season at Oregon
and they are the following:
·
Heisman Trophy
·
Maxwell Award
·
Davey O’Brien National QB Award
·
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
Mariota also performed exceptionally
well at the combine. He was a top performer in the following competitions:
·
40 Yard Dash - Mariota ran a 4.52 sec 40, which
was the fastest time by a QB in the draft.
·
Vert Jump - Mariota tied for third with
36.0inches
·
Broad Jump – Mariota tied for third with
121.0inches
·
3 Cone Drill – Mariota placed first with 6.87sec
·
20 Yard Shuffle – Mariota placed in third with
4.11sec
Mariota is an athlete to say the least and I believe the best
QB in the draft.
Some say that Mariota is just a
system QB but Ryan Pace, Bears GM thinks otherwise.
According to ChicagoBears.com, the team has done a lot of research
on Mariota. Pace isn’t afraid of Mariota being a system QB.
I think it’s time for change at the quarterback position.
We know what we get from Cutler each year. Someone who doesn’t
show leadership, is turnover prone and a guy who has only beat the Packers once
in his career as a Bear.
