Grading the rookies

[TNBT]

How do you guys see our rookies so far, from what you have seen at camp, the pre-season and the first two games? You have all probably seen a lot move video than I have, so I would love to get your opinions. Who is looking good? Who is looking bad? How good do you think each guy can be?

[CBS7]

The only guys that have played significant time are Matt Forte and Marcus Harrison, and the only other guy that has just appeared in a game has been Kellen Davis I believe.

Forte and Harrison have been great, though. For where they were drafted, I'd give the Forte pick an A+ and the Harrison pick an A.

[TNBT]

Yeah, we haven't had long to judge them, but I'm glad that Forte and Harrison are looking that good. Obviously Forte has been a revelation for us, but I hadn't heard much about Harrison so far.

[Chewie]

1- Chris Williams : hurt until late in the season. Possible chronic back issue. Awesome.
2- Matt Forte : looks legit. Can hit the hole and has some moves when he hits the second level of defenders. Like a lot of rookie RBs, needs to work on picking up the blitz.
3a- Earl Bennett : can't find playing time on a team with no stud receivers. Reportedly didn't impress the coaching staff in camp. Trying to find a niche returning punts when Hester is injured or needs a blow.
3b- Marcus Harrison : looks like the real deal. Tank who?
4- Craig Steltz : hasn't sniffed the field on defense but may get an opportunity now that McGowan is out. Didn't impress in preseason.
5a- Zack Bowman. Waived and brought back to practice squad.
5b- Kellen Davis. I like what I saw in the preseason. Has muscles on his muscles. Has two decent TEs playing in front of him, though, in Clark and Olsen. Bears do use 3 TEs though so he'll get his shot. Good hands - hurts people who try to tackle him. Can contribute on special teams, too.
7a- Ervin Baldwin. Practice squad. Showed glimpses in preseason. Wait and see.
7b- Chester Adams. Injury settlement. Gone.
7c- Joey LaRocque. Practice squad. Probably a special teams guy at best.
7d- Kirk Barton. Tried to get him on the practice squad after bringing back Fred Miller but Dolphins nabbed him.
7e- Marcus Monk. Waived and picked up by Giants.
Undrafted FA Rookie - Caleb Hanie. Good enough that the Bears feared another team would nab him if they tried to sneak him onto the practice squad. Showed he deserves a roster spot in the preseason. Surprised someone with his skills wasn't drafted. Another wait and see.

Soooo.....impressive picks with Forte, Harrison, and Davis and a bunch of question marks.

[SLCceltic]

Exactly right Chewie, but give Mforte bigger props
Forte has saved us this year-----he is the main reason we are winning

We have three excellent TEs, maybe we move one to upgrade another position--Davis is a starter in this league and could be dominant
He just needs to stay out of trouble

If Bennett gets it going and Williams comes back healthy, this will be a solid draft
Steltz should be a solid backup

[ChronicKerr]

I didn't see Harrison much if at all last game. Where was he?

[Chewie]

Exactly right Chewie, but give Mforte bigger props
Forte has saved us this year-----he is the main reason we are winning

Sorry. My bad.

And there was much rejoicing....

[Chewie]

I didn't see Harrison much if at all last game. Where was he?

Had all of one tackle but I do recall seeing him out there a decent amount of minutes given Harris was out. You can't miss his massive arms. Considering the Eagles couldn't run on us to save their lives, I won't complain about Harrison's stats...as long as he's filling the gaps.

[SLCceltic]

Exactly right Chewie, but give Mforte bigger props
Forte has saved us this year-----he is the main reason we are winning

Sorry. My bad.

And there was much rejoicing....