Team-by-Team Draft Recap: Chicago Bears
As a lifelong Bears fan, 2013 was the very first time in basically forever where I was actually proud of the offense. It was for good reason, too! The Bears were second in the league in points per game last season (trailing only the Denver Broncos) and eighth in yards per game. I would gladly take that each and every year.
As a result of the offense being so productive, the Bears really didn’t do much of anything to change it up in this year’s draft, instead focusing almost exclusively on the defensive side of the ball, trying to replace aging and injured talent. If the Bears can improve their defense (which is a very strange phrase to utter about a team which has built around their defense for decades) they have the offense to be a super bowl contender. The question of course is if they made the right moves to shore up the middle and back end of their defense to make them a complete team.
[am4show  have=’p2;p3;p4;p5;p6;’  guest_error=’sub_message’  user_error=’sub_message’ ]
Defensive additions: Kyle Fuller, CB; Ego Ferguson, DT; Will Sutton, DT; Brock Vereen, S
The first three rounds of draft picks for the Bears went to the defensive side of the ball. They also added in another defender with their second fourth round pick, resulting in four of their first five picks being defenders. I’m not going to get into the IDP merits of any of these players because our IDP specialists work on that. However, I do want to talk a bit about how these additions will impact the potent offense of the Bears.
While the offense was one of the best in the league last year, the defense was one of the worst by almost every measurement. It was especially bad up the middle of the defense due to injuries and just bad play by a few guys. Drafting a pair of defensive tackles to throw into the competitive mix at the position should help ensure the best players win out at the position. In the Bears defense, that means stopping the interior run.
If you can stop the run up the middle, it means forcing teams to pass or run outside, which is where Fuller and Vereen come in. Both are physical players with the ability to play a variety of roles. They can cover or them can come up to stuff the run. While it would have been nice to see them draft safety a little bit earlier or to possibly add a true middle linebacker, the Bears did a solid job of shoring up the defense which should give the explosive offense an extra possession or two each game.
If you own any of the Bears, you need to be happy with what they did!
Ka’Deem Carey, RB (Round Four, #117 overall)
Carey was the only real addition to the offense by the Bears in this year’s draft. He is a player who many had as the top fantasy running back on their board a few months ago thanks to him being one of the most productive runners in all of college football over the last two seasons. Personally, I never saw what they saw when I watched Carey. I didn’t see a skill set which translated to being a stud player in the NFL. I think it was more the system which made him ultra-productive than his talent level.
Taken in the fourth round of the draft with pick 117, Carey was the eleventh running back drafted this year. In other words, many NFL teams weren’t very high on him either. He is a little bit smaller than most NFL teams like and he is lacking in the speed department. When you put both of those together, you get a draft day slide like he saw even with the great college production.
Landing behind clear cut three down running back Matt Forte wasn’t ideal either. Carey is likely to see only single digit snaps for the majority of the season and only a handful of touches each game. He isn’t going to be a major part. In the case of injury to Forte, the system is a nice fit for Carey. He isn’t talented enough to take full advantage of the system, but he could push for flex value in that kind of situation.
In the long run, I don’t see Carey as the running back of a future for the Bears. Forte’s contract ends around the same time he turns 30, which is in two more years. Between now and then I would expect the Bears to invest in someone with a more complete skill set than the one Carey possesses. There are going to be some who think Carey, with some grooming, can be the future, but I don’t see it. For fantasy purposes, he’s little more than a handcuff until the Bears draft the next franchise runner in a year or two.
David Fales, QBÂ (Round Six, #183 overall)
Fales was the only other skill position player the Bears drafted. They drafted a punter and an offensive lineman in the sixth and seventh rounds, but there isn’t much to say about either one from a fantasy perspective. The drafting of Fales was a little bit of a surprise given the Bears GM has been quoted a few times as saying he doesn’t see the point of drafting a developmental quarterback. Either it was a big smokescreen for a late round pick or Marc Trestman (aka, the quarterback whisperer) managed to win a debate in the draft room. Either way, Fales is with the Bears as a project.
He is a small school prospect out of San Jose State in the Mountain West conference. Fales has a very accomplished college career and showcased a great work ethic combined with supreme leadership. He is also a fairly cerebral quarterback who loves the game and tends to make the correct read and throw more often than not. He should be able to pick up and shine in a Trestman style offense fairly well. The problem for Fales comes down to physical talent, or rather lack thereof. He isn’t very athletic or mobile in the pocket. He also doesn’t have a very strong arm, which is a big deal when you’re playing in the Windy City.
Unless you’re in a very large league (I’m talking 32 teams), Fales doesn’t deserve any fantasy attention. He isn’t a lock for the number two quarterback spot as a rookie, and long term he doesn’t ever project as anything more than a backup. Look at some of the higher upside, more raw quaterbacks in this draft if you need someone for your fantasy team.
[/am4show]
- Final 2021 Pre-Draft Rookie Mock: Round Three - April 28, 2021
- Final 2021 Pre-Draft Rookie Mock: Round Two - April 26, 2021
- Final 2021 Pre-Draft Rookie Mock: Round One - April 25, 2021
