April 26 is an important day for football fans: the NFL draft. What does this mean for the two most important teams in the NFL, the Bears and the Packers?
Both teams have needs and have waited until the draft to fill most of them. Let’s first look at the needs of the Packers.
The Packers have eight picks in this year’s draft, with six of them in the first four rounds. They have the 30th, 56th, 60th, 91st, 128th, 135th, 162nd and the 237th picks.
The team needs a cornerback, an offensive tackle, a tight end and now they need a back up quarterback. This draft is loaded with tackles, but is a bit thin in cornerbacks.
With that in mind, the Packers should look into getting one of the better cornerbacks in the draft. Since they have a lower pick in the first round, Leodis McKelvin from Troy and Mike Jenkins from South Florida might already be taken, but if they are available the Packers should take them. Cornerbacks that should be available include Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from Tennessee State and Antoine Cason from Arizona.
Rodgers-Cromartie is the tallest of the cornerbacks at 6 feet 2 inches and he had the fastest 40-yard dash time at 4.29 seconds. His downside is that he did not play in a major conference, so there are questions if he can succeed at the next level. I would think that he would be a good fit for the Packers in the first round.
In the second round the Pack should look into an offensive tackle. Gosder Cherilus, a tackle from Boston College, should still be available at the 56th pick. He would be a good shot of youth into an aging offensive line. At 6 feet 7 inches and 317 pounds, he has the right size, but some question his instincts. He should be a great pick for Green Bay here.
For the rest of the draft, the Packers should look into another cornerback and tackle, and fill the needs of a backup quarterback and a tight end, but if they get Cromartie and Cherilus with their first two picks, they should be looking good.
The Bears have eleven picks in the upcoming draft, with five of them in the first four rounds. They have the 14th, 44th, 70th, 90th, 110th, 142nd, 175th, 222nd, 243rd, 247th and 248th picks.
The Bears also need an offensive tackle, running back, wide receiver and a quarterback (like always). As said before, this draft has plenty of tackles, and with a higher first round choice, the best pick for the Bears is a tackle.
In a move a bit different here for the Bears, they should take Rashard Mendenhall, running back out of Illinois. He has speed and strength, something you would want a first rounder to have.
Mendenhall also has far less mental aspects to worry about than the last Bears first round running back. He would be a great fit in Ron Turner’s offense, especially since Turner recruited him back when he coached the Illini.
The Bears could address their need at tackle in the second round. Sam Baker out of the University of Southern California should still be available in the second round. He has the size that scouts look for, but he lacks some of the footwork. He would still help a really aging Bears line.
The Bears should look for another offensive lineman or quarterback or a wide receiver with their two third picks and their fourth rounder.
The Packers were one win away from the Super Bowl last year and the Bears were there the year before. If their drafts turn out to be good ones, they both could see each other for a third time next season.
Popularity: 11% [?]
