Bleacher Bums Forum

Here's the argument for NOT taking a 3-4 DE at pick 11:

Unless the DE is a difference maker and I mean a very good pass rusher  I don't want to spend pick 11 on a run stopper that is a part time player and comes out on 3rd down.  On 3rd down (passing) we're going to see 2 of our OLBs line up at DE and probably Goldman line up at DT with Hicks at the other DT.

Yeah, we need a starting quality 3-4 DE (right now it's the biggest hole on the team) but this draft is deep at this position so I'd be leaning more to taking a playmaker at 11...or possibly a stud LT.

We already have that in Ferguson. Good point. It is deep but the candidates fit more for a 4/3 DE which is not what we are looking for. We need more of a Hicks size DE to make it a bookend on the line.

I could see a swap of 1sts with the Jets provided they traded Wilkerson to the Bears in the deal. The Jets are at 20 and they might want Paxton Lynch there.

I think the Bears would do that in a hearbeat.  More likely though would be us giving up pick 11 and maybe getting back the Jets second or third round pick (essentially a bigger trade down).  Kind of like what the Jets did to us when we traded Brandon Marshall.

You are right we would have to sweeten the deal but I cant see the Bears coughing up a 2nd or 3rd in addition to a 1st round swap, but I could see the Bears coughing up the Pats 4th or even their own 4th instead

Check out this recent mock based on free agency signings - unless I missed something A'Shawn Robinson doesn't even go in round 1:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2016/03/23/2016-nfl-mock-draft-a-post-free-agency-first-round-projection/

Who are the names that you absolutely DO NOT pass on if available at #11?

Tunsil, Buckner, Bosa are pretty obvious choices.

What about Hargreaves? Stanley? Jack? Goff? Wentz? Ramsey?

Potential 3-4 DEs that might be available with our pick in round 2:

32 *Kevin Dodd DE 6 Clemson rJr 6-5 277 1-2
35 Vernon Butler DT 6 Louisiana Tech Sr 6-4 323 1-2
36 *Kenny Clark DT 7 UCLA Jr 6-3 314 1-2
41 Jonathan Bullard DE 7 Florida Sr 6-3 285 2
44 *Austin Johnson DT 8 Penn State rJr 6-4 314 2

Personally, I like Bullard.

In most of my mocks, Dodd is gone by our pick in the 2nd, but those other guys are all available.

I like Butler and Bullard.

Butler has the right measureables but he played for a small school. Bullard is more a 4/3 guy. I guess based on that I'd still take Butler. But measureables isn't the only criteria, its how they play and can they adapt. In the past the Bears have gone cheap and gone small school because they might have to pay big money to keep a player if they took some name player from a big school rather than taking the best player. My point here is that you are at #11, you desperately need a DE to play in a 3/4 and Buckner will be gone. You have to come out of the draft with the next best fit. You have to identify who that is and you have to get him whether its at 11 or somewhere in between rounds 1 and 2.

I think I would be pretty dang happy if this happened:

http://www.profootballweekly.com/draft/mock/hub-arkush/