Day: March 25, 2011

Bob LeGere at the Daily Herald asks the key question as the NFL Draft and (hopefully) free agency approaches:  “Where will Chris Williams play?”

The Beas will almost certainly pick up at least one good offensive lineman who they will be expected to compete to start right away.  If the Bears pick up a good tackle, Williams will be at guard.  If its a good interior lineman, he will be at tackle.

Williams is probably a better right tackle than a guard but where ever he ends up, here’s hoping the Bears put him there and keep him there.  He’ll never develop if they continue to shuffle him around.

According to Vaughn McClure at the Chicago Tribune Bears offensive line coach Mike Tice worked out Arkansas offensive tackle DeMarcus Love.  Love is expected to go anywhere from rounds three to five.  The article also had this nugget in it:

“[Bears general manager Jerry] Angelo mentioned [earlier this week] how teams typically have to invest a higher pick in a tackle while finding help at guard or center in later rounds.”

I’m not a big fan of this attitude.  I understand the tendency to take tackles earlier in part because they can become interior linemen if they don’t workout.  But if the help that Steve Hutchinson brought to the Vikings offensive line taught us anything its that general managers need to stop under appreciating the position.  Though many still subscribe to it, that old saw about finding good guards later in the draft is out dated.

If a good tackle that Angelo really likes falls to them, then they should take him, of course.  But at the end of the first round I think you are more likely to see an undervalued guard like Danny Watkins out of Baylor and generally speaking I’d rather have that than an overrated tackle.