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UOK wrote:@Rich_Campbell

Joel Iyiegbuniwe just finished his teleconference with Bears media.
- Prefers to play ILB b/c he excelled there in college
- Extensive special teams experience
- Graduating in May pre-med (biology major)
- Born in Chicago & grew up in Bolingbrook
- Nicknamed "Iggy"

Holy crap. I grew up in Bolingbrook. Of course the high school I attended is now a middle school and the current high school was a corn field at the time.

Jeff Joniak is cringing right now.

I mean. I had never heard of Nick Kwiatkoski when they took him, so I’ll reserve judgement on this pick.

Fairly similar metrics to Smith... seems like they like these quick/fast undersized ILBs. My guess is he's a special teamer while he learns the nuances of the position. Likely takes Trevathan's spot in a couple years if he hits.

G08 wrote:Fairly similar metrics to Smith... seems like they like these quick/fast undersized ILBs. My guess is he's a special teamer while he learns the nuances of the position. Likely takes Trevathan's spot in a couple years if he hits.

Likely he is just a special team guy.

You guys are missing the big picture...... John Timu is way too slow to play in the NFL and John Anderson is flat out invisible on the field. Neither one will make the team now and we will be paying our 4th ILB first year rookie money instead of a vested veteran contract.

I think it depends on what they decide to do with Kawasaki. He's shown (IMO) that he's a starter in the NFL. He's a very effective blitzer and has a place on the field somewhere.

wab wrote:I think it depends on what they decide to do with Kawasaki. He's shown (IMO) that he's a starter in the NFL. He's a very effective blitzer and has a place on the field somewhere.

That's the weird thing, you could see him being a hoped for replacement for Trevathan down the line but now he's behind Smith and Kwiatkoski. Plus Trevathan will only be 30 at the end of his deal so won't exactly be on the scrap heap. Someone will have to move somewhere.

This was the only pick that I really didn't like, but it didn't have anything to do with Iggy, it was because of who else was on the board at the time. Dorance Armstrong was a higher rated prospect by most accounts and plays at a position of higher need, passing on him didn't make much sense to me.

That said, I really hated the Shaheen and Cohen picks last year, so what do I know.

Greg Cosell was a fan of the bears' efforts in the first four rounds. He sees coverage ability and run-and-chase speed in Iyiegbuniwe, though he shares many of the concerns about staying clean that have been expressed here.

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I think this kid was drafted initially to play special teams, and with a year or two in the system *might* be primed to take over for Trevathan next to Smith. Heavy emphasis on the word 'might'.

From Biggsy:

“He’s a good player,” a national scout for another team said. “Smart, tough, can run. He’s a lot better than what they had (in reserve) there and it’s not a reach to say this kid will be starting for them down the line. He’s way better than Christian Jones and they took him right about where I figured he should go. Good football player.”

G08 wrote:From Biggsy:

“He’s way better than Christian Jones...”

Well Christian Jones is not here anymore. This just spells the end of the John Timuderson combo that no one wanted to see get snaps.

Z Bear wrote:John Timuderson

(I do admit to a soft spot for John Timu. )

Interesting tidbit:

Robert Zeglinski (Georgia Reunion) @RobertZeglinski
1h

One of the Bears’ lead scouts, Sam Summerville (Southeast) has led the charge on Eddie Goldman, Eddie Jackson, Tarik Cohen, and now Joel Iyiegbuniwe.
I’d say that’s pretty good!

That bodes well for a Bears’ LB of the future.

Sounds like Sam is in line for a raise.

I'm excited about this pick because he's a tweener between LB and S which gives Fangio options in coverage and pass rushing. This guy also screams potential special teams stud which is no less valuable than being above average on offense or defense.

I was frustrated and pissed off about this pick at first, but when I thought about it this pick makes sense.

G08 wrote:From Biggsy:

“He’s a good player,” a national scout for another team said. “Smart, tough, can run. He’s a lot better than what they had (in reserve) there and it’s not a reach to say this kid will be starting for them down the line. He’s way better than Christian Jones and they took him right about where I figured he should go. Good football player.”

What?!?! Christian Jones is a starting LB in the NFL?