In Phil Emery's inaugural draft I was highly critical of taking Shea McClellin with the 19th overall pick. Not only was McClellin rated as a tweener (OLB\Rush DE) and suited for a 3-4 defense, he was rated 53rd on my big board. Many top prospects still remained in several positions that could have bolstered the Bears but Emery stubbornly forged ahead despite Bruce Irvin (the OLB\DE he coveted was taken at the 15 position and rated even further back on my value board) decided to continue to pinpoint DE. Given the state of the Bears offense (namely OL and WR), Emery could have gone in several directions but remained stubborn.
This year was no different. Emery finally decided that o-line was the top priority this draft only to watch all the top talent including the best Tackles and Guards go off the board in the first 15 picks. Chicago tried to trade back for more picks but it was a buyers market so they forged ahead. With guys on the board like 2 and 2A Cornerbacks Xavier Rhodes and Desmond Trufant, DT Sharrif Floyd and a wealth of top-rated Linebackers ... Emery opted to take the 8th or 9th best offensive lineman who's started a whopping 4 games in college. Long rated 54th on my value board (at least he's consistent) and rated at best a mid-2nd to 3rd-round pick by most experts.
The 1st-round, for intelligent drafting organizations, is a place where you find athletes who can make an immediate impact on your team. Not only is Kyle Long going to be a 25-yo rookie with little playing experience, a history of substance abuse, AND an underachiever; he provides no immediate improvement to the Bears o-line!
Phil Emery tried to bolster his choice saying that “We see a player who is going to contribute right away” already penciling Long in at Left Guard. Emery went on to say that "Kyle was the player that we targeted,” the general manager said. “We targeted him for the last couple of weeks. He had to be gone for us to move back. We were not going to move off that spot if Kyle Long was still there.”
If that is true, than Emery and the entire scouting department should be fired. When you have a top-20 pick and you are targeting an unproven, 25-yo Guard\Tackle tweener instead of finding the best player on the board when you have deep holes needed filled ... that's the recipe for being mediocre for years to come. Take into account that Emery's words completely and utterly contradict what was being said by not only Kyle Long but Marc Trestman.
“It’s been clear from the beginning in conversations with (Trestman) that I’m a very raw player,” Long said. “And they’re on the same page as me in that I think my best ball is ahead of me.”
Does that sound like a guy who the head coach is going to place at starting Left Guard in four months time?
Noted publisher of Pro Football Weekly, Hub Arkush was left in shock with the results of the day. “I believe we heard Emery quoted several times in the last couple of weeks (saying) that there’s a couple of guys that we love – that we know what we’re going to do when we get there," said Arkus on 670 The Score. "If this was it, wow. I’m a little taken back by this one. I was bummed with Shea McClellin last year. This (pick) makes that look like they (got) Barry Sanders with Shea McClellin. I don’t get this pick. It’s disappointing”
Emery once again showed his inability to work the first round of the draft or be flexible in his approach. The same lack of production in early rounds cost the last GM his job. In the do-or-die, win-it-now world of the NFL, once is a coincidence, twice is a pattern. Phil Emery, your tenure is now on the clock.
This year was no different. Emery finally decided that o-line was the top priority this draft only to watch all the top talent including the best Tackles and Guards go off the board in the first 15 picks. Chicago tried to trade back for more picks but it was a buyers market so they forged ahead. With guys on the board like 2 and 2A Cornerbacks Xavier Rhodes and Desmond Trufant, DT Sharrif Floyd and a wealth of top-rated Linebackers ... Emery opted to take the 8th or 9th best offensive lineman who's started a whopping 4 games in college. Long rated 54th on my value board (at least he's consistent) and rated at best a mid-2nd to 3rd-round pick by most experts.
The 1st-round, for intelligent drafting organizations, is a place where you find athletes who can make an immediate impact on your team. Not only is Kyle Long going to be a 25-yo rookie with little playing experience, a history of substance abuse, AND an underachiever; he provides no immediate improvement to the Bears o-line!
Phil Emery tried to bolster his choice saying that “We see a player who is going to contribute right away” already penciling Long in at Left Guard. Emery went on to say that "Kyle was the player that we targeted,” the general manager said. “We targeted him for the last couple of weeks. He had to be gone for us to move back. We were not going to move off that spot if Kyle Long was still there.”
If that is true, than Emery and the entire scouting department should be fired. When you have a top-20 pick and you are targeting an unproven, 25-yo Guard\Tackle tweener instead of finding the best player on the board when you have deep holes needed filled ... that's the recipe for being mediocre for years to come. Take into account that Emery's words completely and utterly contradict what was being said by not only Kyle Long but Marc Trestman.
“It’s been clear from the beginning in conversations with (Trestman) that I’m a very raw player,” Long said. “And they’re on the same page as me in that I think my best ball is ahead of me.”
Does that sound like a guy who the head coach is going to place at starting Left Guard in four months time?
Noted publisher of Pro Football Weekly, Hub Arkush was left in shock with the results of the day. “I believe we heard Emery quoted several times in the last couple of weeks (saying) that there’s a couple of guys that we love – that we know what we’re going to do when we get there," said Arkus on 670 The Score. "If this was it, wow. I’m a little taken back by this one. I was bummed with Shea McClellin last year. This (pick) makes that look like they (got) Barry Sanders with Shea McClellin. I don’t get this pick. It’s disappointing”
Emery once again showed his inability to work the first round of the draft or be flexible in his approach. The same lack of production in early rounds cost the last GM his job. In the do-or-die, win-it-now world of the NFL, once is a coincidence, twice is a pattern. Phil Emery, your tenure is now on the clock.
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