Time to play 20 questions.
Time to candidly evaluate the Bears` draft harvest. With 20 prospects from last week`s National Football League draft, the Bears` scouts tell us what they saw in the club`s selections. On paper, at least, the Bears addressed needs on defense at end, cornerback and linebacker instead of treading through the uncharted free-agent waters.
”Some of the (scouting) grades weren`t as high as some of the free agents we`ve gotten in the past,” said personnel chief Bill Tobin. ”That was a little because of the lack of depth of the overall draft. But we were able to draft some big people on both sides of the ball, linemen in particular.”
The Bears` 20 picks tied an NFL record and compensated for the fact that they did not sign any of the Plan B unprotected free agents while losing nine of their own.
”I do feel comfortable with what we did in having the extra picks. It was well worth it, not only for this year but for the years to come,” said Tobin.
The Bears will conduct a mini-camp May 16-19 in Lake Forest. The summer camp opens July 28 in Platteville, Wis.
Here`s what Tobin, coach Mike Ditka and scouts Jim Parmer, Don King, Rod Graves and Jeff Shiver had to say about the Bears` picks:
Cornerback Donnell Woolford, Clemson-Tobin: ”He`s shown ability in both zone and man-to-man, which we feature here in Chicago. He led the nation as a junior with almost a 16-yard average returning punts. We like that added dimension.”
Defensive end Trace Armstrong, Florida-Ditka: ”He`s our kind of player. To me, he`s a young Dan Hampton. And anytime I mention Dan Hampton`s name, I love it.”
Linebacker John Roper, Texas A&M-Parmer: ”I rated Roper to go in the first round. I`m sure he is disappointed about not being taken on the first round. He may be a tad arrogant about that, but I think he`s a good kid.”
Offensive tackle Dave Zawatson, California-King: ”He played right tackle at Cal and left tackle in the Senior Bowl. He could back up at both positions.”
Guard Jerry Fontenot, Texas A&M-Parmer: ”Instead of knocking your tail off the line of scrimmage, he`ll finesse you. A very good athlete.”
Safety Markus Paul, Syracuse-Tobin: ”He has excellent hands. Very aware. He`s more of a zone player than a man-to-man right now.”
Running back Mark Green, Notre Dame-Tobin: ”Green has potential as a return guy as well as a halfback. He will be excellent competition for
(Thomas) Sanders.”
Linebacker Greg Gilbert, Alabama-Tobin: ”He was overshadowed by
(Derrick) Thomas. This kid played in the middle. A little bit undersized. We anticipate using him on the outside.”
Safety Richard Brothers, Arkansas-Parmer: ”He was a cornerback at Arkansas, but he will probably wind up as a safety. A solid hitter who is hard to catch after he intercepts the ball.”
Quarterback Brent Snyder, Utah State-King: ”He is a big, strong guy, but he is not very fast. Of the quarterbacks I scouted, this guy was my top guy behind (Troy) Aikman and (Timm) Rosenbach. I had this guy ahead of (Rodney)
Peete.”
Defensive tackle Tony Woods, Oklahoma-Parmer: ”He is a very good athlete, but he is not a good football player right now. Maybe we can coach him out of his shortcomings.”
Offensive tackle Chris Dyko, Washington State-King: ”He told me he was worrying so much about the draft that he dropped down to 299 pounds. He`s huge and we visualize him more as being a strong-side tackle.”
Linebacker LaSalle Harper, Arkansas-Parmer: ”A heavy hitter as a one-year starter. A middle linebacker who is a very tough kid.”
Running back Byron Sanders, Northwestern-Tobin: ”He is an upright runner with good vision. He is a good ninth-round pick. Not a big kid, but big enough.”
Tight end Todd Millikan, Nebraska-King: ”He is a typical Nebraska tight end who is a good pass receiver and decent blocker.”
Wide receiver John Simpson, Baylor-Parmer: ”He has made some great catches and he could be pretty good. He has been inconsistent, though.”
Defensive tackle Joe Nelms, California-King: ”He doesn`t do anything real good or real bad. He may be an end for us. He performs best against the run. He`s a plugger.”
Safety George Streeter, Notre Dame-Shiver: ”A lot of people were talking about moving him to linebacker, but I would imagine we`d keep him at safety. The knock on him was his speed. He didn`t run well late in the season.”
Wide receiver Freddy Weygand, Auburn-Graves: ”Good possession-type receiver. Not afraid to catch passes across the middle. Also returns kicks.” Offensive tackle Anthony Phillips, Oklahoma-Parmer: ”An honest football player who will give you what he`s got. Doesn`t know how to pass-block yet. The Oklahoma kids who have stayed in the league are the ones who learn how to pass-block quick.”
