Chicago Bears Select Shea McClellin In 2012 NFL Draft
The Chicago Bears selected Boise State DE/OLB Shea McClellin, with the 19th pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Somewhat of a surprise, seeming that so many other players that they were reportedly targeting, were available. The Bears had their eyes on players like DE Chandler Jones from Syracuse and Illinois Whitney Mercilus, who were still on the board when they selected 19th. Phil Emery threw everyone a curveball with this selection, including me. Technically, Shea is a defensive end, but has the ability to play outside linebacker, as well. Listed at 6’3” and weighing 260 pounds, you can say he is undersized to play off the end. The Bears run a 4-3 defense, and if you wanted to play this kid at linebacker, he would be more suited in a 3-4 defense. The current Bears scheme never use 4 linebackers, so the question is, where does he fit? As of now, it looks like the Bears will use him opposite of Julius Peppers. In a hope to revert teams to keying on Peppers, Shea is going to have to prove himself worthy by his opponent. “I think I can (produce right away),” McClellin said. “That’s why they picked me up. I think they believe in me and I think I’ll get after the quarterback. I think I’ll be able to make an impact.” Undersized and not properly fit for the Bears scheme, has me worried. Emery must see something that I don’t because Chandler Jones is 3’’ taller and bigger than him, and better suited for a 4-3 scheme. I’m guessing Emery likes Shea’s versatility and the possibility of using him in numerous positions? “He’s got really quick feet and hands as a pass-rusher,” Emery said. “He has natural hips as a pass-rusher. In his normal starting role at Boise was as a middle linebacker, and he would come down and rush on third downs or in sub-package situations. There is a lot of versatility with this player.” He ran a 4.6 40 at the combine, so he does have decent speed. I don’t hate the pick, but I don’t love it. Word is, the Green Bay Packers were also targeting McClellin, but in a later round. Possibility that Emery just wanted to stick one to the enemy’s up north? I’m not sure, but it’s nothing new to Chicago Bears fans. We all had to endure the Jerry Angelo Era, so we know all about first round busts. Let’s hope Emery and Shea prove us all wrong.
Here’s a Full Recap of the 1st Round Selections:
2012 NFL Draft Selections:
1.) Indianapolis Colts – QB Andrew Luck (Stanford)
2.) Washington Redskins – QB Robert Griffin III (Baylor)
3.) Cleveland Browns – RB Trent Richardson (Alabama) [via Minnesota]
4.) Minnesota Vikings – OT Matt Kalil (USC) [via Cleveland]
5.) Jacksonville Jaguars – WR Justin Blackmon (Oklahoma St.) [via Tampa Bay]
6.) Dallas Cowboys – S Morris Claiborne (LSU) [via St. Louis]
7.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - S Mark Barron (Alabama) [via Jacksonville]
8.) Miami Dolphins – QB Ryan Tannehill (Texas A&M)
9.) Carolina Panthers – ILB Luke Kuechly (Boston College)
10.) Buffalo Bills – CB Stephon Gilmore (South Carolina)
11.) Kansas City Chiefs – DT Dontari Poe (Memphis)
12.) Philadelphia Eagles – DT Fletcher Cox (Mississippi State) [via Seattle]
13.) Arizona Cardinals – WR Michael Floyd (Notre Dame)
14.) St. Louis Rams – DT Michael Brockers (LSU) [via Dallas]
15.) Seattle Seahawks – DE/OLB Bruce Irvin (West Virginia) [via Philadelphia]
16.) New York Jets – DE Quinton Coples (North Carolina)
17.) Cincinnati Bengals – CB Dre Kirkpatrick (Alabama) [via Oakland]
18.) San Diego Chargers – DE Melvin Ingram (South Carolina)
19.) Chicago Bears – OLB Shea McClellin (Boise State)
20.) Tennessee Titans – WR Kendall Wright (Baylor)
21.) New England Patriots – DE Chandler Jones (Syracuse) [via Cincinnati]
22.) Cleveland Browns – QB Brandon Weeden (Oklahoma St.) [via Atlanta]
23.) Detroit Lions – OT Riley Reiff (Iowa)
24.) Pittsburgh Steelers – G David DeCastro (Stanford)
25.) New England Patriots – ILB Dont’a Hightower (Alabama) [via Denver]
26.) Houston Texans – DE Whitney Mercilus (Illinois)
27.) Cincinnati Bengals – OG Kevin Zeitler (Wisconsin) [via New Orleans through New England]
28.) Green Bay Packers – DE Nick Perry (USC)
29.) Minnesota Vikings – S Harrison Smith (Notre Dame) [via Baltimore]
30.) San Francisco 49ers – WR A.J. Jenkins (Illinois)
31.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – RB Doug Martin (Boise State) [via New England through Denver]
32.) New York Giants – RB David Wilson (Virginia Tech)
Remember to follow me on twitter @windycityiggy for coverage on the rest of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Buy Chicago Bears Tickets | Buy Chicago Bears Apparel
3 Rants to “Chicago Bears Select Shea McClellin In 2012 NFL Dr...”
Check out what others are saying about this post...
-
[...] when they made a surprising pick in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft on Thursday night, taking Shea McClellin out of Boise [...]
Leave a Rant
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
FEATURED PARTNERS
- The 25 Most Annoying Animals In Your Office
- Courtney Stodden Without Makeup
- 37 Saddest Failed Kickstarters
- UFC Fighter Ross Pearson Busted for DUI
- L.A. Lakers Star Jordan Hill -- GF-Beating Allegations Won't Torpedo Playoff Run
- Jay-Z --The Brooklyn Nets Lack Color
- Hey Bros: Win a Trip to L.A. to Train with an MMA Fighter, Courtesy of ‘Haywire’
- Why Does This MMA Fighter Have a Cat-Unicorn Tattoo?
- The Trailer for ‘Don’t Do It In the Park’: A Documentary About Pick-Up Basketball In NYC
WE got a DE and a backup LB in one pick… not bad… they could always go into a 3-4 to mess with play calling with him or he can sub in for a LB in needed
@Daniel Lawson
Thanks for commenting. If you want to look at it that way, then yes, I guess it wasn’t that bad. Like I said, Emery must have really loved his versatility, to bypass Chandler Jones and even Whitney from Illinois. He is too big to be a Linebacker though, he will have to play DE and do it undersized. Not an easy task in the National Football League. Let’s hope Rounds 2 and 3 are not as shocking for us Bears fans.