The Chicago Bears 2012 Draft will look better down the road
The Chicago Bears didn’t get much production out of the guys they took in the 2012 NFL Draft, mostly due to injury. Here is a look at how the rookies did in 2012:
1st round (#19 overall) – Shea McClellin, DE – 23-year old Shea McClellin played in 14 games for the Bears last year and he had 14 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 2 tackles for a loss. McClellin has a nice upside if he can get a opportunity to play more.
2nd round (#45 overall) – Alshon Jeffery, WR – 22-year old Alshon Jeffery played in 10 games as a rookie for the Bears and he caught 24 passes for 367 yards (15.3 avg) with 3 TD grabs. He caught 24 of 48 passes (50%) thrown in his direction this year and 17 of his receptions resulted in first downs. He has a huge upside, if he can just stay healthy.
3rd round (#79 overall) – Brandon Hardin, S – 23-year old Brandon Hardin spent his whole rookie season in 2012 due to injury.
4th round (#111 overall) – Evan Rodriguez, FB – 24-year old Evan Rodriguez played in 12 games for the Bears last year and he caught 4 passes for 21 yards (5.3 avg). He also had 1 tackle last year.
6th round (#184 overall) – Isaiah Frey, CB – 22-year old Isaiah Frey spent his entire rookie season on the Injured Reserve List.
7th round (#220 overall) – Greg McCoy, CB – 24-year old Greg McCoy didn’t make the cut for the Bears. He spent his rookie season on the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad.
GRADE FOR 2012: C-
GRADE FOR THE FUTURE: B
Rodriguez was named to Kiper’s all-rookie team because of his ability as a lead blocker in the pathetic Bears’ offense. If you’re looking for stats only, of course it looks like he didn’t do much. Name one other 4th rounder that played more snaps? With a new HC and OC maybe they’ll even use him where he was drafted to play. And if you’re going to analyze, actually look at some tape.