Bears' Draft Earns High Grade

[AddisonStSox]

"LAKE FOREST, Ill. - It's impossible to truly assess a draft class for three or four years, but that doesn't stop NFL experts from providing their immediate evaluations.

 

In a survey of national and local pro football writers, the Bears earned high marks for a 2005 draft crop comprised of Texas running back Cedric Benson, Oklahoma wide receiver Mark Bradley, Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton, Clemson wide receiver Airese Currie, Louisiana-Monroe safety Chris Harris and South Carolina linebacker Rod Wilson.

 

Here's how the Bears draft was graded:

 

Don Pierson, Chicago Tribune

Grade: B

Analysis: General manager Jerry Angelo addressed critical needs in effort to jump-start worst offense in league. Benson is accustomed to carrying a big load and won't need much help from Thomas Jones. A real key is how fast young receivers Bradley and Currie can develop in new coordinator Ron Turner's offense to complement free agent Muhsin Muhammad. Orton a bargain in fourth round.

 

Cedric Benson immediately upgrades the Bears offense.

Mike Mulligan, Chicago Sun-Times

Grade: B

Analysis: The goal was to add playmakers to the offense, and first-round pick Cedric Benson provides an immediate upgrade to the running game. He'll be able to handle a heavy load of carries and get tough yards between the tackles and in the red zone. Wide receivers Mark Bradley and Airese Currie should help in the vertical passing game, and Kyle Orton was an excellent value pick. The Bears failed to come away with a kicker, an offensive lineman or a cornerback but did well with limited picks.

 

Bob LeGere, Daily Herald

Grade: B-

Analysis: RB Cedric Benson at 4 is a durable, powerful workhorse who should thrive in Ron Turner's offense. Big, fast WR Mark Bradley (39) is a premier athlete but a project because of limited playing time and production, although he will be an immediate contributor on special teams. Went back to WR at 140 for sprint champion Airese Currie, Clemson's go-to guy. QB Kyle Orton (106) has a strong arm and good size, but he doesn't seem like a good fit for the offense, having played in a shotgun scheme at Purdue, where he put up great numbers.

 

Gene Chamberlain, Daily Southtown

Grade: B

Analysis: Running back Cedric Benson can immediately help the Bears' fortunes as a player who handles the ball 20 to 25 times a game. It didn't hurt the Bears to add speed at wide receiver in the person of Oklahoma's Mark Bradley and Clemson's Airese Currie. Clemson had billed Currie as the fastest receiver in college football last year based on his impressive track exploits.

 

Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN

Grade: A-

Analysis: Cedric Benson has all the makings of a star running back and Mark Bradley fills a need at wide receiver while also bringing excellent special-teams skills to the table. Getting Kyle Orton gives the Bears a nice backup who will fill in capably should quarterback Rex Grossman go down again. Receiver Airese Curry made sense in the fifth round and the late-round safeties could become contributors as well.

 

Oklahoma's Mark Bradley adds speed at the receiver position.

Dan Pompei, The Sporting News

Grade: B+

Analysis: Cedric Benson fits the offense, and they added needed speed with wide receivers Mark Bradley and Airese Curry. My favorite pick was quarterback Kyle Orton in the fourth round.

 

Pete Frisco, CBS Sportsline.com

Grade: B-

Best pick: Second-round pick Mark Bradley adds much-needed speed to a receiving group that craves it.

Questionable move: Taking Cedric Benson with Cadillac Williams on the board will be a pick that is scrutinized for years to come. Williams is the better player.

Steal: Getting Kyle Orton in the fourth round was a great move. Orton was having a great season in 2004 before he was hurt. He has a big arm, and his mechanics can be fixed.

Summary: If Benson works out, it's a great draft. If he doesn't, it won't be. It's that simple.

 

Bob Rang, America Online

Grade: A-

Analysis: With only two selections on day one, the Bears have to make them matter. They did. Cedric Benson will give this club a few victories himself. Receiver Mark Bradley was considered a possibility for the first round and has the athleticism to eventually be considered one of the real steals of this draft. Chicago's day two highlights include more attention on their beleaguered offense. Kyle Orton is a future NFL starter and gives the club nice flexibility should Rex Grossman never develop as hoped. Airese Currier is a similar multi-dimensional player as the club's second-day find last year, Bernard Berrian. Instant impact ability from Benson and future options from Bradley, Currie and Orton make this a very solid effort.

 

Jarrett Bell, USA Today

Grade: Field goal (the second best of four categories)

Analysis: The league's worst offense got better with bruising, workhorse RB Cedric Benson and speed-burning WR Mark Bradley. With only so many picks, the Bears didn't address the O-line. But Purdue's Kyle Orton was a popular pick to develop at QB."

 

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[SoxFan1]

Meh, I gave them a C. Maybe there is something we don't know about Bradley's ability or Orton's stealness.

[T R U]

Meh, I gave them a C. Maybe there is something we don't know about Bradley's ability or Orton's stealness.

 

Orton wont even matter if Grossman works out, but he will be a solid backup..

[Goldmember]

Orton wont even matter if Grossman works out, but he will be a solid backup..

 

at least he can't be any worse than quinn or krenzel...

[southsider2k5]

at least he can't be any worse than quinn or krenzel...

 

No doubt about that... and hopefully the QBs get longer than a 3 step drop to throw the ball.

[MurcieOne]

Cedric Benson is awesome, and i dont care what problems he's had in his past.... the guy i saw during his press conference was mature and ready to be a star in this town who loves their football players. How can you argue with 2000 total yards last year and 20 Td's this kid is gonna be a stud.

 

Bradley....is a question mark, but there is a reason why this kid was thought so highly of, his vertical is supposedly sick, and he's a burner to boot. Troy Williamson - drafted 7th by the Vikings... had the same number of touchdown catches that Mark Bradley had in 2004 (7) just something to think about. He also played behind 5 guys who are gonna be NFL recievers. Im excited about this guy.

 

Just my opinion.... but after the initial dissapointment of not getting Mike Williams i gotta give this draft an A- and say that we drafted better than atleast Greenbay and Detroit.

[Capn12]

Cedric Benson is awesome, and i dont care what problems he's had in his past.... the guy i saw during his press conference was mature and ready to be a star in this town who loves their football players. How can you argue with 2000 total yards last year and 20 Td's this kid is gonna be a stud.

 

Bradley....is a question mark, but there is a reason why this kid was thought so highly of, his vertical is supposedly sick, and he's a burner to boot. Troy Williamson - drafted 7th by the Vikings... had the same number of touchdown catches that Mark Bradley had in 2004 (7) just something to think about. He also played behind 5 guys who are gonna be NFL recievers. Im excited about this guy.

 

Just my opinion.... but after the initial dissapointment of not getting Mike Williams i gotta give this draft an A- and say that we drafted better than atleast Greenbay and Detroit.

 

 

Troy Williamson also played in a Lou Holtz run first, run second, pass when we are 10+ points behind offense, WITH no quarterback that could get him teh ball. I'm not discounting Bradleys skills, but Williamson accomplished what he did 95% of his own accord, DESPITE the offense he played in.

[MurcieOne]

Troy Williamson also played in a Lou Holtz run first, run second, pass when we are 10+ points behind offense, WITH no quarterback that could get him teh ball. I'm not discounting Bradleys skills, but Williamson accomplished what he did 95% of his own accord, DESPITE the offense he played in.

 

Well of course, there is a reason why people were so high on Williamson despite his paltry numbers, the guy is really talented. None the less Bradley's # of touchdowns is impressive consider the amount of catches he got last year.

 

At this point: Williamson > Bradley w/o a doubt

[Capn12]

I sat in the stands and watched Troy the last 3 years....the one play I'm sure alot of folks who watched the draft saw...a WR screen on our own 2 yardline...Troy gets it and by the time he turns upfield, its already over for 98 yards. The kid will be a playmaker if he stays healthy. I know I sure wish we had Williamson coming back for his final year to be the #1 WR under a Steve Spurrier offense....but I completely understand his decision obviously.