My 2018 individual draft grades

I give credit to anyone rating anything on this message board when they put out a legit write up on why

I think it’s lame though that the smith pick gets marked down cause a trade down never happened. You are assuming there were no worries anyone else coveted smith. You are also assuming there was a trade down opportunity that didn’t take us to the wrong end of the first round

bearmick said:

Smith is the same size as Patrick Willis.

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Hoo-ray!!!! Look, ive been watching alot of the kids highlights again because ive been excited about the pick. I still am despite what i see when he tackles college kids. I hope he murders people. Patrick willis hits 1000 times harder, his size comparison means fuck all. Hes a different player.

BearDownTexas said:

Hoo-ray!!!! Look, ive been watching alot of the kids highlights again because ive been excited about the pick. I still am despite what i see when he tackles college kids. I hope he murders people. Patrick willis hits 1000 times harder, his size comparison means fuck all. Hes a different player.

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Exactly. He is also the same size as numerous others star LBs such as Ray Lewis, Thomas Davis, etc. Just because someone is the same size, has no relation to if their body can last.

Second Round: Anthony Miller



Trading a draft pick to move back into the second round and draft a WR in an allegedly weak class is usually a dubious decision. But there is just something aboot Anthony Miller. He seems to have this star aura that all the other WR prospects simply never had.

Anthony Miller reminds me so much of Jarvis Landry with a little more juice in his wheels. The most obvious similarity is their mindsets. Both Miller and Landry wanted to play on kickoff/punt coverages. This is not something common in starting WR’s. They both play with a huge chip on their shoulder, as though the opposing team has somehow terribly wronged them. This type of mentality should be contagious and elevate the entire offense.

As far as the tape, the first thing that stands out is Landry and Miller’s massive hands. They could both make one handed circus like catches.

Landry

Miller

Watching the film, they are both used very similarly. Both have kickoff/punt return skills, run the jet sweep, and they excel in the screen game. One glaring similarity is the fact that Anthony Miller is not afraid to cut a WR screen back into the middle of the field. You do this one too many times as a WR, and you are bound to be leveled. It’s something that Landry does consistently, and it’s something that Miller does fearlessly.

Miller screen

Another obvious similarity is that they both are always falling forward for extra yards as they are being tackled...

Forward 1

Forward 2

And they finish the play seeking out contact...

Contact

They both utilize their speed to get open...

Quickness

And once open, they make even the worst passes look easy...

Terrible pass 1

Terrible pass 2

Terrible pass 3

And then of course we have body control and positioning. These two dudes can contort their bodies to adjust for the balls trajectory while their bodies are in the air and the ball is in the air...

Body control

And finally, we have the clutch factor. When the game is on the line, these guys are getting the ball. Here is a critical 4th down late in the 4th quarter. The QB throws a Brock Lobster type pass, but Anthony Miller saves the Day...

Clutch 1

And here is a 4th down in double overtime. The difficulty level of this play is at a 10...

Clutch 2

There are only a couple of weaknesses to Miller’s game that diverge from Landry. While he is tough as nails, he is not a good blocker. And it could cause him to miss out on some snaps early on. Sometimes he just looks clueless, while other times he gets ragdolled. Here is the infamous Mike Hughes block that turned Miller into a human pinball...

Block

And while Miller catches a lot of passes he has no business catching, he also drops some passes he has no business dropping...

Drop

All in all, Anthony Miller will be an incredibly valuable player for Mitchell Trubisky in the slot, as Trubisky was the 2nd most accurate passer in the difficult deep seam throws (Aaron Rodgers).

Overall draft grade: B

Points deducted for preexisting injury and extra draft capital used.

Next up: LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe

PeteFootball said:

Speak for yourself when you say Roquan wasn’t on our radar. He wasn’t on your radar, was in mine since last year

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Thanks for the nickname.

m

iueyedoc said:

Didn't realize you had your finger on the pulse of all of CCS. I can't wait to see what we thought about Anthony Miller.

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Your wait is finally over.

bears51/40 said:

Why do you think he won't hold up?

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He's a smaller guy playing in the area of giants. Again, hope I'm wrong on this.

BearDownTexas said:

Hoo-ray!!!! Look, ive been watching alot of the kids highlights again because ive been excited about the pick. I still am despite what i see when he tackles college kids. I hope he murders people. Patrick willis hits 1000 times harder, his size comparison means fuck all. Hes a different player.

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This exactly. Shea McClellin and Brian Urlacher had near identical measurables and combine performance. I am hopeful about the R Smith pick, but his lack of ferocity is worrying, despite Pace saying he hits with authority. His junior season tape is just a litany of ankle tackles created by other teammates causing players to cut back to him. This last season was better, but he far from has a history of bringing the hammer.

MojoRisin said:

I wish they would have Daniels play center since he excelled there. While Whitehair has been good at center, I think Whitehair would make an awesome OG while Daniels just seems to be built and wired to play center. For some reason, I don't expect Daniels to play as well this year as Whitehair did in his rookie year.

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I believe they said they wanted Daniels to learn the Guard position in the NFL....I don't think they said how long he would stay there

iueyedoc said:

This exactly. Shea McClellin and Brian Urlacher had near identical measurables and combine performance. I am hopeful about the R Smith pick, but his lack of ferocity is worrying, despite Pace saying he hits with authority. His junior season tape is just a litany of ankle tackles created by other teammates causing players to cut back to him. This last season was better, but he far from has a history of bringing the hammer.

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This is a valid point, and you don’t even have to go that far back to do a strength comparison. Reuben Foster is the same size as Roquan Smith and he literally lays people out with every single hit...

[video=youtube_share;IPgiyYDKQe8]https://youtu.be/IPgiyYDKQe8[/video]

But Urlacher wasn’t even a heavy hitter and he did just fine. Tremaine Edmunds was a soft tackler, and he had 25 lbs on Roquan.

iueyedoc said:

This exactly. Shea McClellin and Brian Urlacher had near identical measurables and combine performance. I am hopeful about the R Smith pick, but his lack of ferocity is worrying, despite Pace saying he hits with authority. His junior season tape is just a litany of ankle tackles created by other teammates causing players to cut back to him. This last season was better, but he far from has a history of bringing the hammer.

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But he has a history of getting sideline to sideline on patrol and tackling anything he gets his hands on. Our defense creates similar chaos so he should thrive cleaning up.

iueyedoc said:

This exactly. Shea McClellin and Brian Urlacher had near identical measurables and combine performance. I am hopeful about the R Smith pick, but his lack of ferocity is worrying, despite Pace saying he hits with authority. His junior season tape is just a litany of ankle tackles created by other teammates causing players to cut back to him. This last season was better, but he far from has a history of bringing the hammer.

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But he has a history of getting sideline to sideline on patrol and tackling anything he gets his hands on. Our defense creates similar chaos so he should thrive cleaning up.

Adipost said:

This is a valid point, and you don’t even have to go that far back to do a strength comparison. Reuben Foster is the same size as Roquan Smith and he literally lays people out with every single hit...



But Urlacher wasn’t even a heavy hitter and he did just fine. Tremaine Edmunds was a soft tackler, and he had 25 lbs on Roquan.

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There is so much positive press on Smith from players, former players, scouts, etc that I tend to assume my original opinion on him is probably wrong. I saw a guy that cleaned up a lot of the trash in a play in unspectacular fashion. Of course the homer in me hopes I was completely off base and he is pocket Luke Kuechly, making plays sideline to sideline.

Raskolnikov said:

But he has a history of getting sideline to sideline on patrol and tackling anything he gets his hands on. Our defense creates similar chaos so he should thrive cleaning up.

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Defintely. That's alot of the reason im so excited about him. RIDICULOUS instincts, speed and intelligence on the field. Those yards after contact though...

Whitehair was learning OG at this point in his career as well.

BearDownTexas said:

Defintely. That's alot of the reason im so excited about him. RIDICULOUS instincts, speed and intelligence on the field. Those yards after contact though...

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Yeah...I agree but I'm thinking its less important with our 3-4 front stuffing runs at the line, and him being utilized the most in coverage in what is becoming a coverage league.

He may not be the ideal backer of yesteryear, but I have a feeling in Fangio's hands he is the ideal backer of today, and that is why they drafted two of them. He may get hurt. Absolutlely, its a tough league and Fang's burned up Willis and Bowman bad. They got sideline to sideline and used up in 4 years.

But WR's are smaller, RB's are smaller, ...and we need a smaller backer to hang with them in the passing game and his intelligence is the best part. He diagnosis plays and starts sprinting there. That is why he is always cleaning up...he is getting everywhere, and at that level some teams are avoiding his zone.

I didn't see the YAT issues of say Edmunds. But he is small so when a big back gets him he may go for a few rides in this league. Or a Gronk. Its gonna happen, but what he does do well is give you an extra DB in the passing game and your nickel is now a dime essentially with a tweener patroling the middle in case you do run.

4th round: Joel Iyiegbuniwe



Joel grew up in Bolingbrook, and his family is from Nigeria. He’s a very smart dude, actually wants to become a doctor. There is not much tape on him, but from the highlights Joel looks very speedy and athletic. He’s good in coverage and has excellent catch up speed.

One thing that I found interesting is the fact that Western Kentucky actually used Joel at edge rusher for a good portion of his playing time. So he could have some pass rush upside. He was also a great special teamer and has the potential of becoming a special teams ace.

Overall Grade: C-

The 4th round round could be a bit early to draft a small school diamond in the rough. Also, ILB was already addressed in the 1st round. This could signal a change for Kwiatkoski getting some reps at OLB.

Next up: Bilal Nichols


5th Round: Bilal Nichols



Rather than go through his 2017 film, I’ll leave you with this nugget from Mike Mayock...

[video=youtube_share;TUYnJ9QaEGs]https://youtu.be/TUYnJ9QaEGs[/video]

Basically, Nichols was used primarily as a block absorber in 2017. But looking back at his 2016 time in a different role, his explosion really shined. This has the makings of being that magical late round small school hit of a pick.

Watching Nichols in Bears training camp, Nichols looks like the biggest and strongest guy in the room. Combine that size and strength with his explosive ability, and Bilal Nichols has a very high ceiling.

This is a guy that is obviously strong enough to hold up against the run with legitimate pass rush ability. Looking at his impressive combine, his broad jump, 40 yard dash, 10 yard split, and shuttle all rival the big school 1st and 2nd rounders.

Nichols actually reminds me a bit of a former Oklahoma DT...




Overall Draft Grade: A

Under the radar small school player hidden by scheme with a great combine and east/west game. Nichols could be a steal.


Next up: OLB Kylie Fitts


6th Round: Kylie Fitts



Reading up on Fitts, he was apparently supposed to be a good pass rusher. So when watching his film, that’s what I looked for. In 2015, Fitts was in fact an up and coming pass rusher. Watching the 2015 bowl game, you could see that he had the ability to get around the edge...

2015 Pass rush 1

2015 pass rush 2

2015 pass rush 3

Fitts was injured throughout most of 2016, and going into the 2017 season he had lost something in that time. What he lost was any and all his pass rush ability. He went entire game after entire game where he didn’t get even remotely close to the QB. That first step of his was not beating any halfway decent OT, and once someone got his hands on him Fitts was done 100% of the time.

Kylie Fitts says he’s completely healthy and he had really good combine scores, but it just doesn’t show up on the tape. Most OT’s had the day off when pass blocking against Fitts in 2017. Most plays looked like a slow dance, something like this...

Slow dance

But Fitts is a very strong dude that I think can hold up in the run game. I see him as a Sam Acho type player playing predominantly on run downs; smart, won’t be out of position, non stop motor, won’t be pushed around.

Overall draft grade: D

Not only did the Bears wait all the way to the 6th round to pick up the crucial edge rusher, they drafted a guy that can’t get to the QB. Not an F because he could somehow regain his 2015 form.

Next up: WR Javon Wims

7th Round: Javon Wims



Javon Wims is a very hard player to evaluate. He has no shortage of incredible catches. Turn on one of his highlight videos and you’d think Wims is one of the best players in all of college football. He compares favorably to Allen Robinson both physically and athletically.

So why did he drop down all the way to the 7th round? Well, it’s because he can’t create separation. He can’t get open on his own. But it actually goes much deeper than that. You see, almost all the great jump ball receivers in the NFL were knocked with the same exact flaw, creating separation. Here is the scouting report on perhaps the best jump ball receiver in the game, Mike Evans

Monotone mover with pedestrian speed. Cannot separate vertically or pull away from the pack. Unsudden acceleration. Stiff hips. Will have to make a living in traffic at the next level. Will struggle to separate vs. quick-twitch NFL cornerbacks.

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I believe there is a razor thin line between a great jump ball wr and one that will be out of the league in a hurry. There are plenty of tall athletes who can jump really high and catch footballs. What separates the two is a minute time frame while the ball is in the air. In this fraction of a second, the greats are able to create this little bit of extra separation that cannot be quantified, but makes all the difference.

Wims has all the tools necessary to become a legit jump ball WR in the league. Time will tell whether he has that something extra to stick.

Overall draft grade: B

Very hit or miss type of player, but upside could be huge.

Adipost said:

Second Round: Anthony Miller

Trading a draft pick to move back into the second round and draft a WR in an allegedly weak class is usually a dubious decision. But there is just something aboot Anthony Miller. He seems to have this star aura that all the other WR prospects simply never had.

Anthony Miller reminds me so much of Jarvis Landry with a little more juice in his wheels. The most obvious similarity is their mindsets. Both Miller and Landry wanted to play on kickoff/punt coverages. This is not something common in starting WR’s. They both play with a huge chip on their shoulder, as though the opposing team has somehow terribly wronged them. This type of mentality should be contagious and elevate the entire offense.

As far as the tape, the first thing that stands out is Landry and Miller’s massive hands. They could both make one handed circus like catches.

Landry

Miller

Watching the film, they are both used very similarly. Both have kickoff/punt return skills, run the jet sweep, and they excel in the screen game. One glaring similarity is the fact that Anthony Miller is not afraid to cut a WR screen back into the middle of the field. You do this one too many times as a WR, and you are bound to be leveled. It’s something that Landry does consistently, and it’s something that Miller does fearlessly.

Miller screen

Another obvious similarity is that they both are always falling forward for extra yards as they are being tackled...

Forward 1

Forward 2

And they finish the play seeking out contact...

Contact

They both utilize their speed to get open...

Quickness

And once open, they make even the worst passes look easy...

Terrible pass 1

Terrible pass 2

Terrible pass 3

And then of course we have body control and positioning. These two dudes can contort their bodies to adjust for the balls trajectory while their bodies are in the air and the ball is in the air...

Body control

And finally, we have the clutch factor. When the game is on the line, these guys are getting the ball. Here is a critical 4th down late in the 4th quarter. The QB throws a Brock Lobster type pass, but Anthony Miller saves the Day...

Clutch 1

And here is a 4th down in double overtime. The difficulty level of this play is at a 10...

Clutch 2

There are only a couple of weaknesses to Miller’s game that diverge from Landry. While he is tough as nails, he is not a good blocker. And it could cause him to miss out on some snaps early on. Sometimes he just looks clueless, while other times he gets ragdolled. Here is the infamous Mike Hughes block that turned Miller into a human pinball...

Block

And while Miller catches a lot of passes he has no business catching, he also drops some passes he has no business dropping...

Drop

All in all, Anthony Miller will be an incredibly valuable player for Mitchell Trubisky in the slot, as Trubisky was the 2nd most accurate passer in the difficult deep seam throws (Aaron Rodgers).

Overall draft grade: B

Points deducted for preexisting injury and extra draft capital used.

Next up: LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe

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Wait, what?

I thought this was the best move in the draft. We gave up a 4th. The 2nd was for a 2nd and we got a genuine playmaker. In effect, moving up in the draft with a 4th to get a player that fell in the 2nd is good drafting. No, we don't have a 2nd next year. Instead, we have that pick this year with an extra year of play. That's easily worth a 4th to me, especially when there may not be a WR as good available for us to draft there in 2019. Bird in the hand.

It may have been a weak class but that had more to do with 1st round talent and back end depth. I actually like the 2nd level WRs of this draft, as did the NFL with 8 taken in the 1st 2 rounds. CBS gave an A+ for the pick and NFL.com gave their highest grade of A. I agree with those. Thought it was an awesome move.

Don't want to make too big a point of it. It's a draft. We won't know who's wrong or right for a while.

Bearly said:

Wait, what?

I thought this was the best move in the draft. We gave up a 4th. The 2nd was for a 2nd and we got a genuine playmaker. In effect, moving up in the draft with a 4th to get a player that fell in the 2nd is good drafting. No, we don't have a 2nd next year. Instead, we have that pick this year with an extra year of play. That's easily worth a 4th to me, especially when there may not be a WR as good available for us to draft there in 2019. Bird in the hand.

It may have been a weak class but that had more to do with 1st round talent and back end depth. I actually like the 2nd level WRs of this draft, as did the NFL with 8 taken in the 1st 2 rounds. CBS gave an A+ for the pick and NFL.com gave their highest grade of A. I agree with those. Thought it was an awesome move.

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He's still upset the future HOF player Meredith walked.

Adipost said:

Thanks for the nickname.

m



Your wait is finally over.

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Pokémon Smith will be up there with the great linebackers in bears history.
1) Urlacher
2)Butkus
3)Singletery
4)Pokémon
5)Briggs