My Bears Big Board

With the draft almost upon us, I thought I'd post my Bears Big Board.  The Bears have the 19th and 50th picks in the first two rounds, so here's how I'd rank my top 50 prospects in terms of where they'd fit for Chicago.  Keep in mind that this list is Bears specific.  For example, I think that Courtney Upshaw is a top 30 talent in this draft, but I have him listed as 46th on my Bears board since he doesn't fit as well in a 4-3 defense.  Here it is with a brief write-up on each player.

1. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford.  No team, regardless of QB situation, should pass him up.
2. Matt Kalil, OT, USC.  Best LT in this draft.  
3. Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma St.  Plays big.  Best WR in this class.  Think Larry Fitzgerald.
4. Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU.  Good size, speed.  Fluid hips.  AMAZING ball skills.  Former WR, plays like it.
5. Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College.  A top 10 player in this draft.  Great instincts and is excellent in coverage.  Good range vs the run and good ball skills.
6. Fletcher Cox, DT, Miss St.  Excellent size and elite speed.  Excellent bull rush and is very disruptive in pass rush.  His strength helps vs the run, but real value is vs the pass.
7. Mark Barron, S, Alabama.  Good size, speed.  Very hard worker.  Very good instincts, awareness.  Quick break on the ball.  A good tackler who's effective in the box.
8. Melvin Ingram, DE, S. Carolina.  Squatty frame with short arms.  Despite size, often gets OT's off balance with initial burst off LOS.  Great motor.  Great speed, power, moves.
9. Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse.  Ideal size.  Great athleticism.  High motor, high character.  A bit raw.  Ideal fit as a LDE.  Great against the run.
10. Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame.  Big.  Great ball skills.  Loads of potential.
11. David DeCastro, OG, Stanford.  Shows a mean streak in run blocking.  Maintains blocks through whistle.  Above average in pass pro.
12. Michael Brockers, DT, LSU.  Good power and bull rush.  High motor and high on-field character.  Huge potential.  Plays a bit high at times.
13. Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford.  Great in pass-pro.  Sometimes doesn't drop deep enough, more of a coaching issue than a talent issue.  Good run-blocker.
14. Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama.  Ideal cover-2 corner.  Big and physical in run support and good in a zone.  Durability is a concern.  
15. Quentin Coples, DE, North Carolina.  Explosive first step.  Played all over the line.  Good against run.  Good at beating double teams.  Sometimes quits plays early.
16. Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis.  Physical freak.  Space eater.  Doesn't get much penetration despite size and athleticism.  Short arms and lack of dominant tape are concerns.
17. Andre Branch, DE, Clemson.  High motor.  Excellent change of direction skills.  Can drop in coverage.  Flashes excellent burst off LOS, though inconsistent at times.  Attacks football for turnovers.
18. Dont'a Hightower, ILB, Alabama.  A thumper.  Hard worker and very intelligent.  Best fit as a 3-4 ILB, but could play the SAM in a 4-3.
19. Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama.  Significantly overrated.  Looks sluggish in games.  Excellent ball security.
20. Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford.  Elite TE prospect.  Not super quick in and out of breaks, but reminds of Jimmy Graham the way he smoothly gets separation.  Also good run blocker.  Great ball skills.
21. Reilly Reiff, OT, Iowa.  Struggles against bull rush.  Looks to me as if he's often overmatched. Short arms are a concern, lets DEs get into his body.
22. Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina.  Excellent measurables and durability.  Above average at everything with no real weaknesses.  
23. Harrison Smith, S, Notre Dame.  Excellent size and very smart.  Great in the run game.  Speed is good, not great.
24. Stephen Hill, WR, Ga Tech.  Big, fast and raw.  Needs to work on route running.  Has huge potential.  Excellent body control and huge catch radius.  Has struggled with drops.
25. Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor.  Little.  Fast.  Afraid to go over the middle?  Think DeSean Jackson.
26. Nick Perry, DE, USC.  Good speed off the edge.  Decent in run game.  Has shown a spin move, but needs to develop more pass rushing moves.
27. Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia.  Elite size, strength, speed.  Has shown a tendency to lunge instead of keeping balance.  His play and effort get lax at times.
28. Kevin Zeitler, OG, Wisconsin.  Average size.  Hard worker.  A true mauler in run game.  Good fit in a power run game.
29. Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin.  Best center in this draft.  Not an amazing athlete, but strong and smart.  Looks stronger on film than combine results would suggest.
30. Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall.  Disruptive.  One of the hardest workers you'll ever see.  Makes lots of backside plays due only to effort.  Slow to diagnose misdirection plays.
31. Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois.  Great speed off edge, but lacks any other pass rush moves.  Easily discarded against the run, a major liability in that area.  Think Mark Anderson.
32. Kendall Reyes, DT, UCONN.  Good size and great work ethic.  Disruptive vs run and pass.  Initial pad level is excellent but tends to rise up after initial contact to try to locate ball.
33. Brian Quick, WR, Appalachian St.  Big.  Quick.  Played in 1-AA.  Willing blocker in run game.  
34. Reuben Randle, WR, LSU.  Fast.  Good after the catch.  Good size.  Doesn't much care to block in the run game.
35. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon.  Speedster.  Durability a concern due to small stature.  High football character.
36. Doug Martin, RB, Boise St.  Good, not great at everything (physical nature, elusiveness, receiving, etc.). Ex linebacker.  Some issues with ball security.
37. Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma.  Underrated due to small size.  Consistently gets separation underneath.  Wes Welker clone.
38. Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan St.  Big.  Space eater.  Good snap anticipation.  Not a very effective pass rusher.
39. Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M.  Converted WR.  Only 19 games at QB.  Very intelligent but little experience.  Great physical tools.
40. Robert Griffin III, QB, Butler.  Overrated.  Kendall Wright and weak defenses made him look better than he is.  Progressions never made him work from one side of the field to the other.
41. Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State.  Excellent size, length.  Character and inconsistent play are concerns.  Inconsistent effort is maddening.  On-field character very questionable.
42. Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson.  Not overly fast, but great ball skills.  Also good in the run game.  Doesn't have elite upside, but should be a good NFL TE.
43. Amini Silatolu, OG, Midwestern St.  Played in Division II.  Was a dominant run blocker and very good in pass pro.  Step up in competition and his mental accumen are question marks.
44. Lavonte David, OLB, Nebraska.  Undersized but has great potential as a WILL backer.  Excellent range and instincts.  Does a great job wrapping up as a tackler, not a thumper.
45. Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama.  Fast, hard worker.  A bit undersized with short arms.  Best fit as a 3-4 OLB.  Excellent against the run and very good as a pass rusher.
46. Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama.  Tremendous potential and character concerns.  Great hips and ball skills.  Also good in run game.
47. Marvin McNutt, WR, Iowa.  Durability concerns despite size.  Not overly elusive but decent top end speed.  Great fakes at top of routes.  Good hands but sometimes lets ball into body.  No major weakness.
48. Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina.  Big.  Physical runner, not elusive.  A little slow off LOS.  Despite great size, vertical is lacking.  Sluggish at times.  Bust potential?
49. A.J. Jenkins, WR, Illinois.  Nagging injuries a concern.  GREAT hands, never lets ball into body.  May struggle vs press.  Sometimes wastes steps in and out of breaks.
50. Devon Still, DT, Penn St.  Durability concerns.  Inconsistent play/effort.  Looks like a pro-bowler at times and a benchwarmer others.

Scouting for the NFL draft is clearly not a perfect science, so feel free to leave comments below on anything you agree or disagree with.  Either way, enjoy the draft.  Bear down!