Despite needing help up front, the Chiefs opted to go with Pittsburgh WR Jonathan Baldwin, allowing the Chicago Bears to get their man: OT Gabe Carimi out of Wisconsin.
Expected to be off the board by the time the Bears picked, Carimi surprisingly was still there, though I imagine there were some nervous moments in the war room as the pick got closer.
You want proof of that? Apparently the Bears had tried to engineer a trade with Baltimore to move up to take Carimi, but it fizzled and as a result the Ravens were forced to pass.
Many prognosticators, including yours truly, thought GM Jerry Angelo would trade down in order to take DT Marvin Austin in the second round. However, that was based on the common belief that Carimi would be gone.
With Carimi on the board, it was a no-brainer for Chicago.
Mike Tice must be doing cartwheels in the war room. Mike Martz and Jay Cutler should be plenty happy too, as help for the offensive line was the biggest need the Bears had.
Though it was lucky that Carimi fell to them, I give the Bears an „A” for this pick. Look, they got it right. No matter how Carimi turns out, he was the right pick.
Carimi is as tough as they come and one nasty son of a gun. Chicagoans love our rough-and-tumble players, and that blue-collar work ethic should play well here.
The only downside is that Carimi is not a left tackle. Sure, he played there in college, but he does not have the footwork to protect Cutler’s blindside in the pros.
Not that the Bears have anyone better, mind you.
But Carimi is a beast who can play either right tackle or guard, and assuming good health (Carimi did have some injuries in his college career) he should be a fixture on the Bears’ O-line for years to come.
So what does this mean for J’Marcus Webb? The Bears like him, so this could mean a move to left tackle, which might be a scary proposition.
Perhaps Carimi goes to guard and Webb stays at right tackle. In that case, the Bears need to go out and find a left tackle via free agency.
Meanwhile, Carimi is big and strong with a powerful upper body, and his best asset is in run blocking. This is a guy who doesn’t just block opponents; he drives them completely out of the play.
I love this pick for the Bears. Sure, it wasn’t rocket science, but at least Jerry didn’t screw this one up. That alone deserves an „A.”
Bob Warja www.bleacherreport.com
Photo (S. Dunn/Getty Images): OT Gabe Carimi – from Wisconsin to Bears.