With the 29th pick in the 2011 Dawgs By Nature Community Mock Draft, the Chicago Bears select...
Benjamin Ijalana, OT, Villanova
This selection and write-up was made by jharbdo:
When I first signed up for this mock draft, I believed it was going to be a walk in the park. I figured the major glaring need of the Chicago Bears was obvious. In my 4 years of living in Chicago and following the Bears, the need for a wide receiver has been looming and they seem in no rush to solve this problem. When the Bears brought in Jay Cutler everyone wondered, "Who is he going to throw it to?" Everyone assumed they would bring in a tall, strong receiver who could stretch the field and catch everything in sight much like Brandon Marshall did for Cutler in Denver. Free agency and last year’s draft came and went and no sight of a dominating WR emerged. Mike Martz was brought in and again the question mark that loomed was the wide receivers. Did Matt Forte, Johnny Knox, Devin Hester, Danny Aromashodu, and Earl Bennett really compare to "The Greatest Show on Turf" with Marshall Faulk, Tory Holt, Isaac Bruce, Az-Zahir Hakim, and Ricky Proehl? I think we can all agree there really is no comparison. However, by the time I got done doing my research and speaking with my friends in Chicago, my feelings were much different.
When you look at the roster, this team got much farther in the playoffs than it should have. The Bears had almost a complete turnover of the offensive line in the offseason, a completely different offensive scheme with Mike Martz, their wide receivers are average at best, and their defense is aging with a significant lack in depth. Taking names and records away, you would think they weren’t much different from the Cleveland Browns, but as we all know, they are different and their needs are a little less severe. Since the Bears only have 1 pick in the first sixty selections of the draft, I decided the best strategy for this selection would be Best Player Available between WR and OL. The Bears also have a need on the defensive side of the ball, particularly the secondary and defensive line, but I think if Tillman stays healthy, the concerns are more depth related and may be able to be addressed in the later rounds.
Interestingly enough, pretty much all "First Round Talent" for WR and OL have been taken already so I am in the "Best of the Rest" category now. My pick came down to Danny Watkins (OG), Stefan Wisniewski (C), Benny Ijalana (OT), Jon Baldwin (WR), and Leonard Hankerson (WR). I believe the second tier of WR after Julio Jones and AJ Green runs pretty deep so I think the Bears can still grab a big and fast receiver later on (e.g. Torrey Smith, Terrance Tolliver, Austin Pettis, etc.) . The Bears need someone to come in and start right off the bat, or sit for a year, learn Martz’s complex system and contribute very strongly next year. The Bears already have 6 Guards on the roster, only one true Center (Olin Kreutz), and 3 Tackles (2 of which were Rookies last year). Kreutz is man-child and in his 13th season (6 Pro Bowl selections) and really has shown no sign of wearing down; however, he can’t outlast the beating he takes in the trenches forever. Last year, the offensive line started to mesh towards the end of the season and sacks started to decline, but Cutler still had limited time. As we all have seen, less time for Cutler is a very bad thing. That is why with the 29th selection of the 2011 NFL Draft the Chicago Bears select Benjamin Ijalana OT from Villanova.
I believe Ijalana can come in and immediately produce for Chicago. Even if he sits for some of the year to learn Martz’s system, I think he will end up starting by the end of the year. He has shown constant improvement throughout his career and the quickness and strength to succeed at the next level. National Football Post has him ranked as 4th best tackle. As a side note, I don’t completely agree, but National Football Post ranks Ijalana ahead of Castonzo and Solder. He lacks the overwhelming size of some tackles in the league standing at 6’4" 320lbs, but I believe he possesses the speed, strength, and bulk that is need to succeed at the position. Ultimately, I believe a higher ranked OT falls to this spot and Ijalana goes in the 2nd round, but with the way this draft is going, I don’t think Chicago can afford to pass him up.
Anything that addresses the offensive line for the Bears is considered a "win." This is really the only route they can go to give Cutler some more time, as I don't think they can improve their line enough through free agency.
The New York Jets are on the clock next (email will be sent to Roger Dorn).
Pos | Team | Player | Pos | School | Drafter |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Carolina | Cameron Netwon |
QB | Auburn | BrownDawg1409 |
2 | Denver | Marcell Dareus | DT | Alabama | Bernie19Kosar |
3 | Buffalo | Da'Quan Bowers | DE | Clemson | discoinferno083 |
4 | Cincinnati | A.J. Green | WR | Georgia | macdowellm03 |
5 | Arizona | Patrick Peterson | CB | LSU | Browns town |
6 | Cleveland | Cameron Jordan | DE | California | golanbatrac |
7 | San Francisco | Prince Amukamara | CB | Nebraska | rufio |
8 | Tennessee | Von Miller | OLB | Texas A&M | iwearmocs |
9 | Dallas | Nick Fairley | DT | Auburn | Granville74 |
10 | Washington | Robert Quinn | DE | North Carolina | Rounds94 |
11 | Houston | Aldon Smith | DE | Missouri | rdy |
12 | Minnesota | Blaine Gabbert | QB | Missouri | Simmsinns |
13 | Detroit | Tyron Smith | OT | USC |
Bernie19Kosar |
14 | St. Louis | Julio Jones | WR | Alabama | Don'tByBrownsQBJerseys |
15 | Miami | Mike Pouncey | OG | Univ. of Florida | jaws |
16 | Jacksonville | Ryan Kerrigan | DE | Purdue | sleepy042 |
17 | New England | J.J. Watt | DE | Wisconsin | Onyx Lightning |
18 | San Diego | Akeem Ayers | OLB | UCLA | Adrock2099 |
19 | N.Y. Giants | Kyle Rudolph | TE | Notre Dame | Red-Right-88 |
20 | Tampa Bay | Justin Houston | OLB | Georgia | Legoman0721 |
21 | Kansas City | Anthony Castonzo | OT | Boston College |
|
22 | Indianapolis | Nate Solder | OT | Colorado | PaduaDSP |
23 | Philadelphia | Gabe Carimi | OT | Wisconsin | booobs33 |
24 | New Orleans | Muhammed Wilkerson | DT | Temple | Buckeye Brad |
25 | Seattle | Jimmy Smith | CB | Colorado | bross09 |
26 | Baltimore | Derek Sherrod | OT | Mississippi State | Ecwingen |
27 | Atlanta | Brooks Reed | OLB | Arizona | Clinton Blankenship |
28 | New England | Mark Ingram | RB | Alabama | Onyx Lightning |
29 | Chicago | Benjamin Ijalana | OT | Villanova | jharbdo |
30 | N.Y. Jets | Roger Dorn | |||
31 | Pittsburgh | SpecialBrownie | |||
32 | Green Bay | ScottJC |