Kansas St. QB Josh Freeman

Holmeslice with the pick...

The popular opinion surrounding the Bears is that they will go WR, OL, or DE with their first pick. Anything is possible, but they did go OL last year, and even with the retirement of Tait they don't want to reach too badly on need with Oher, A. Smith, Monroe, J. Smith off the board already. And what have the Bears been (in)famous for when it comes to the Wide Receiver position? Not having one, or having one excel when he gets away from the Bears. Well, Crabtree is long gone, and the other top guys are Maclin and Harvin. They are quick, game breakers listed right around 6 foot 200 lbs, just like Devin Hester. Darrius Heyward-Bey (DHB) remains, and surely many fans who started paying attention around the time of the combine will be clamoring for him. DHB could be an absolute stud in the NFL, but in several prospect reports he is labeled as a 'boom or bust' type, comparable to Ashley Lelie, someone who is inconsistent and somewhat of a workout warrior.

The Bears haven't had that all-star WR because, well, look at their QB's of the recent past: Griese, Grossman, Orton, Chad Hutchison, Craig Krenzel, Jonathan Quinn, Kordell Stewart, Chris Chandler, Cade McKnown.. Alright, I'm going to stop there. No ridiculously good receivers, no ABOVE average QBS either. Enter Josh Freeman out of Kansas State. Ask the scouts about him, and most of them would become so excited that they would hesitate to stand up for a few minutes. He is a "more intelligent JaMarcus Russell," some scouts say. Would this be a reach? Some people say he is a high second rounder, but many mocks and scouts think he will wind up in Tampa Bay who is picking right after the Bears. The guy stands at 6' 6" and weighs around 250 lbs, and is said to be very coachable. His primary mistakes were fumbles and poor decision making, which are the most easily corrected part of a QB's game. Freeman has an arm not unlike Joe Flacco, and many comparisons have been drawn. His accuracy is best on short throws and he often struggles with the longer ones, but that opens up the possibility of turning him into a "game manager" type like Flacco with the Ravens. To slightly one up Flacco, Freeman has scrambling ability and is used to playing behind a porous offensive line at KSU. If the Bears struggle to replace Tait, at least Freeman will be able to run around better than Orton could.

Da Bears could count on their crushing defense and bursts on special teams to keep eeking out wins and hope to make the playoffs. In fact, that's probably pretty likely because it worked in the past and they may be trying to recreate that. But it isn't likely to endure, and a quarterback like Kyle Orton is not the guy they need. Orton is consistently mediocre, a guy who matches TD passes with INTs, who struggles with accuracy, and who doesn't put a team on his back and will them to anything. Is Freeman that guy? Could be, and if I were GM Jerry Angelo, I would be more excited about finding a top notch coach for Freeman and getting him ready to go for 2010. Lovie Smith could likely solidify his job with the Bears for a few more years as they continue to win with defense and finally develop an above average quarterback to create a balanced contender. There is always a risk going for a high round QB, and Freeman is no different. I believe it will all be on him and his ability to dig down and learn for him to be at all successful in the NFL. The Bears are notoriously 'cheap' and grabbing a QB at the 18 slot is a lot more affordable than jumping into the top ten to do it. Josh Freeman is a guy who has a chance to be a top 15 starter in the NFL and every single weakness he possesses is something that could be corrected with excellent coaching and his willingness to succeed.

Previous pick: QB Mark Sanchez

Read more: Scouting Report (Mocking the Draft)

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When I first saw the pick my immediate thought was "Reach!" but I read Holmeslice's arguments and I think this is a decent pick. I still can't shake the Andre Woodson comparison out of my head though.