NFL Draft 2011 Recap - Days 2 and 3

The NFL Draft has come and gone, and all in all, it was an incredibly successful draft for many Bears players.

The Golden Bears saw four players drafted, the second most in the Pac-12 next to USC who had a whopping nine.

2nd Round
24 (56 overall) New England Patriots - Shane Vereen, RB
While I had projected Shane Vereen going in the fourth round, that was based more on where I figured teams would value Vereen, versus what I felt he was worth. Teams loved his versatility and production in college, but were concerned about his ability to be an every down back at the professional level.

However, I was ecstatic when the Patriots drafted Vereen in the second round as the third runningback taken in the draft. The draft makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

The Patriots got by last year with a runningback by committee approach last year, though three of their rushers are aging and in the twilights of their careers (Kevin Faulk, Fred Taylor, and Sammy Morris). Though BenJarvus Green-Ellis was productive, he wasn’t going to be able to carry the bulk on his own.

With Vereen, the Patriots get a spectacular and versatile back who can run in between the tackles, show some shiftiness and flash in the open field, as well as catch the ball out of the backfield or in the slot. The Patriots also drafted Stevan Ridley in the third round, a bigger bruising back out of LSU, so it looks like they plan on getting younger and more well rounded in their rushing attack next year.


Funny note: apparently Bill Bilicheck called Vereen’s house phone (not cell phone) to tell Vereen that the Pats had drafted him. Shane Vereen’s mom decided to pick up the phone at the last minute.

*phone ring*
Mrs. Vereen: Hello?
Bilicheck: Hello, is Shane there?
Mrs. Vereen: Who’s this?
Bilicheck: This is Coach Bill Bilicheck of the New England Patriots.
Mrs. Vereen: Oh, okay. *off phone* SHANE!!!
*heard in the background* What!?!
Mrs. Vereen: *still off phone* It’s for you!

3rd Round
29 (93 overall) Chicago Bears - Chris Conte DB

Chris Conte’s rise from backup CB to first-team all conference safety has been astonishing and fun to watch. I still had questions that most NFL scouts had seen enough to see from Conte to see who most Cal fans saw this year: an athletic, instinctive safety prospect with good toughness and technique to be a capable player in the NFL. I thought despite his tremendous workouts, that Conte would either slip to the late rounds or go undrafted.

Nope. Conte shot up to the 3rd round to the Chicago Bears, a team who constantly needs depth at the safety position.

Conte, an LA native, will likely need to get used to the cold weather, but will have a chance to provide immediate depth to the safety or nickelback position, or contribute on special teams.

I’ve read more than a few reports that have called him a poor man’s John Lynch, which sounds more racist than anything, but being compared to a future hall of famer isn’t a bad label by any means.

6th Round
24 (189 overall) Denver Broncos - Mike Mohamed, LB
I’m sure Mohamed’s slide had to be a bit awkward and uncomfortable for the five year veteran and defensive leader of the Bears. Mohamed has won multiple collegiate accolades including being the conference leader in tackles his junior season.

Yet, the draft wore on, with nearly two hundred picks going by before Mohamed’s name was finally chosen by none other than Stanford Alum and NFL hall of famer John Elway, the current executive vice president of football operations of the Denver Broncos.

“I was hoping for the best, hoping for something earlier, but I knew realistically that’s about where they had me.” -Mike Mohamed
I had Mohamed going in the 6th round, based purely on the fact that Mohamed did all things well, but didn’t seem to jump out on highlight footage or measurables in any one area. However, I think Denver has one of the late round steals of the draft. Mohamed provides the smarts and instincts to be a solid role player to any linebacking squad.
Mohamed will join fellow Cal player Syd’Quan Thompson the Broncos roster as he battles for a spot on the team. The Broncos don’t have the best depth at the linebacker position, so I think Mohamed has a pretty good shot of sticking with the team. After all, he’s spent nearly his entire career playing in a way that shouts, “Told ya so!” so why stop now?
Unfortunately for the other Bears, their status is a bit more in limbo due to the NFL lockout. In years past, free agency worked as a blessing in disguise for some players as it allowed them a bit more freedom to choose the team they felt they had the best shot in landing an actual roster spot with. This year however, they will have to wait until the lockout is over before they can actually sign with a team.

Hopefully for the sake of everyone involved, the lockout will be sooner than later. I have no doubt in my mind that some players will end up in an NFL camp when the time comes.