Chicago Bears Midseason 2014 NFL Draft Review
Finding a silver lining in a 3-5 record for the Chicago Bears is not an easy thing to do. But if you’re looking for an area that deserves a thumbs up, look no further than the rookie class.
General manager Phil Emery has struggled to find productive players in his first few drafts with the front office—Shea McClellin in 2012 and Jon Bostic in 2013, for example—so those inside Halas Hall have to be thrilled with the performances of the new faces this season.
Led by first-round draft pick, cornerback Kyle Fuller, the Bears 2014 class has impressed quite a bit through the first eight games of the season. Fuller has received Rookie of the Week and Rookie of the Month awards thus far, at one point leading the NFL in interceptions.
Fuller is only one of seven, so why don’t we take a look at the rest of the draft class.
Note: Undrafted rookies will be evaluated in a post dedicated to those undrafted.
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus (subscription required) unless otherwise noted.
1st Round (14th Overall): CB Kyle Fuller, Virginia Tech
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Cornerback wasn’t even the Bears biggest need heading into the 2014 NFL Draft. The biggest need was safety. So when Emery passed on the best two safeties in the draft—Calvin Pryor and Ha Ha Clinton Dix—to select Fuller, more than a few eyebrows raised.
The rookie out of Virginia Tech started the season as the Bears’ nickel corner, but he moved into the starting lineup when Charles “Peanut” Tillman suffered a season-ending injury Week 2 in San Francisco.
Fuller has started six games this season for the Bears. He’s shown to be a very physical tackler and breaks aggressively on the ball. His best performance came against San Francisco, not long after Tillman went down. The first-round pick intercepted two Colin Kaepernick passes and recorded seven tackles. He followed up that performance with a one-interception, two forced-fumble performance against the New York Jets.
Those two performances are what won Fuller the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Month award for September. To go along with the impressive award, opposing quarterbacks have a QB rating of 60.4 when Fuller is the primary coverage on the intended target, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Fuller has arguably been the most successful Bears rookie since Matt Forte in 2008, when the running back gained a 1,715 yards from scrimmage to go with 12 total touchdowns.
The cornerback, just a few weeks ago, was considered by many to be the frontrunner for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, but injuries have slowed his case of late.
Grade: B+
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus (subscription required) unless otherwise noted.
2nd Round (51st Overall): DT Ego Ferguson, LSU
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Ferguson has played the fewest defensive snaps (144) of any linemen who has been active for all eight games. But that hasn’t stopped the rookie from recording two quarterback sacks and three batted passes.
His best game came in a Week 5 loss to the Carolina Panthers, where he had two tackles and two tipped passes, one of which resulted in a Lance Briggs interception.
The rookie has looked better and better with each passing week, and he could see an expanded role as the Bears come off their bye. With defensive end Lamarr Houston now out for the season with a torn ACL, Ferguson likely will be called upon to take some of Houston's snaps.
In pass-rushing situations, the Bears will need to fill the 3-technique, which is an area Ferguson has looked good this season.
A lack of depth was a big problem for the Bears in 2013, it’s good to see Ferguson thriving in the minimal work he’s seen thus far.
Grade: B- (only due to lack of sample size)
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus (subscription required) unless otherwise noted.
3rd Round (82nd Overall): DT Will Sutton, Arizona State
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Sutton started three games and has appeared in all eight this season, playing 248 total snaps. While he has yet to record a sack, Sutton’s 11 defensive stops is tied for fifth on the roster, in much fewer snaps than those in front of him.
Sutton started three consecutive games—Weeks 3-5, playing 72 percent of the total snaps—when Jeremiah Ratliff sat out due to a concussion. Ratliff returned to the lineup in Week 6. Sutton’s playing time dropped significantly as a result. The Arizona state product appeared in just 31 percent of the snaps in the three games since Ratliff’s return.
If there’s one area where Sutton has been better than most, it’s been his work in defending the run. Sutton has displayed good footwork and handwork at the point of attack.
There’s a good chance you’ll be seeing Sutton take some of the 3-technique snaps vacated by the injured Lamarr Houston. Despite being selected one round after Ferguson, Sutton has played more snaps—248 to 144—and appears to have earned more trust from the Bears coaching staff.
Grade: C+
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus (subscription required) unless otherwise noted.
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4th Round (117th Overall): RB Ka’Deem Carey, Arizona
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Carey hasn’t really had a chance to do much up to this point of the season. He’s appeared in just 11 percent of the snaps through eight games, despite being active for seven games.
His best game came in the Week 4 loss to the Green Bay Packers, when he gained 73 yards on 14 carries, most of which came in garbage time.
It’s tough to gauge Carey’s performance thus far, because the sample size is so small. Matt Forte has played 92 percent of the snaps this season, and he’s been the most explosive player the Bears have on the roster.
"A lot of people got to see what we see in him," Trestman said of Carey, via Bob LeGere of the Daily Herald. "He's a hard runner, he's physical, he doesn't back down, his pads are down, he's got great quickness and great vision in the hole."
Barring injury to Forte, it will be tough to gauge what kind of player Carey can be in the Bears offense. This is what we know so far about Carey: He has a quick first step; he does a solid job of accelerating through contact, and he needs to work on his pass-blocking skills.
Grade: Incomplete
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus (subscription required) unless otherwise noted.
4th Round (131st Overall): S Brock Vereen, Minnesota
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Vereen has been an adequate player through the first half of the season. While he’s only appeared in five of the first eight games, he’s been somewhat of a Swiss Army Knife at the back end of Mel Tucker’s defense.
After not seeing a snap in the opening week of the season, Vereen saw a huge spike in his playing time after starter Chris Conte and reserve Danny McCray went down with injuries. The rookie played a combined 35 percent of the snaps in Weeks 2 and 3, playing both the free safety and nickelback positions.
Vereen hasn’t yet earned the playing time that Fuller has been seeing this season, but his snap count has increased in recent weeks. Against the Miami Dolphins in Week 7, Vereen played in 66 of 71 snaps, accruing five tackles in the loss.
In other news, Vereen is tied for the team lead with four special-teams tackles.
As the Bears return from the bye, expect to see more and more of Vereen’s number out on the field. Conte hasn’t been able to finish games on a consistent basis due to injury, and he’s going to be a free agent after the season. So the Bears would be wise to stick Vereen in the starting lineup just to see what kind of player he can be when playing starter’s snaps on a regular basis.
Grade: B-
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus (subscription required) unless otherwise noted.
6th Round (183rd Overall): QB David Fales, San Jose State
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Fales hasn’t been heard from since starting the final game of the preseason in late August. The quarterback didn’t make the opening-day roster. Instead, he was signed to the practice squad, from which he was released only a few weeks later.
The yo-yo routine continued for Fales, as the Bears brought him back to the practice squad only a few days later.
Grade: Incomplete
6th Round (191st Overall): P Pat O’Donnell, Miami
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Drafting a punter is considered by many to be a waste of a draft pick. O’Donnell is no different. The punter’s 37.0 net yards per attempt ranks 30th-best in the league, ahead of only one other punter who has started every game. Making matters worse, O’Donnell’s 218 return yards against is second-worst in the league.
Grade: F (Because he’s a punter)
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus (subscription required) unless otherwise noted.
7th Round (246th Overall): OT Charles Leno Jr., Boise State
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Leno has yet to appear in a game for the Bears.
Grade: Incomplete
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