Grant and Barton face challenges and opportunities in 2008

Former Ohio State players Larry Grant and Kirk Barton were both selected in the second day of the 2008 NFL draft in the 7th round on Sunday.

After a particularly inept game by his offense, the first Coach of the Tampa Bay Bucs John McCay was asked by a reporter about the execution of the offense. His response was “That's not a half bad idea!” Fans in Chicago know how McCay felt. Their offense in 2007 was—well—offensive. As a result, job #1 was to rebuild the offensive line and replace the starters that had were beginning to age quickly. Kirk Barton was selected by the Bears with choice #247.

The Bears' starters at tackle last year were terrible. Left tackle John Tait struggled with any quick pass rusher and will probably be moved to right tackle in 2008. 36-year old left guard Ruben Brown was hurt again last year and will likely retire. Six year vet Terrence Metcalf replaced Brown only to prove that he was neither the guard of the present or the future. The Bears will likely not continue to waste the $1.4 million of cap room that cutting him after July 1 will save. The third and last contestant in the Chicago version of “lets try to replace a potential hall of fame Brown” was John St. Clair. If that name rings a bell, yes, it is the same St. Clair that was so bad in St. Louis (who was dying for help on the O-line) that they cut him.

Things for the Bear fans don't get much better at right guard. Roberto Garza, the incumbent, is the second best lineman for the Bears, but given the competition, that isn't saying much. The only bright spot is at center where perennial All-Pro Olin Kreutz has held court for 11 years.

It is time for massive changes for the Bears, and Barton will be a part of those plans. With the 14th pick in the first round, the Bears took left tackle prospect Chris Williams from Vanderbilt. He will likely start in 2008. Tait will most likely move to right tackle and former starters St. Clair, Metcalf, and failed former right tackle Fred Miller will be cut. Inside reserves from last year Josh Beekman and Anthony Oakley will compete with Barton, and fellow 7th round choice Chester Adams from Georgia for roster spots. Barton's speed will give him a slight edge in becoming a leading candidate for one of the reserve guard spots at the least.

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Larry Grant was selected by San Francisco with the 214th pick. The 49ers are desperate to improve their pass rush from the linebacker position in their 3-4 defense. Last years first round draft choice, Manny Lawson, was lost for the season in the 5th game with a torn ACL. He should return at near 100 and start again on the strong side. Weak side starter in 2007, Tully Banta-Cain, generated just 3.5 sacks in 16 games and will likely be cut because of his cap value of over $2 million. He will be replaced by free agent signing Dontarrious Thomas (UFA from Minnesota). Parys Haralson who replaced Lawson for the rest of the season will likely be retained as a reserve on the strong side.

Grant's best chance to make his mark in 2008 will be as a backup and on special teams. He will have to beat out the other reserve Roderick Green and undrafted rookie Gary Guyton from Georgia Tech who was signed late Sunday night after the draft. Special teams is a strength of Grant. In JUCO, he blocked six punts and ran a fake punt 65 yards for a touchdown at City College of San Francisco and won the 2005 California JUCO Player of the Year award. Grant should stick and eventually work his way into the regular rotation particularly on passing downs due to his speed and pass rush ability.

by Bill Smith
BigTen-fans.com Staff Writer

Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi - pro teams and has scouted talent. He is a senior writer for http://BrutusReport.com and has published several novels on http://ebooks - library.com/index.cfm

More articles from Smith on BigTen-fans.com:

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• Big Ten 2008 NFL Draft candidates
• Notes from Ohio State's spring football game
• Gholston's hard work will payoff bigtime
• Barton is moving up in the NFL draft

More NFL Draft coverage from Smith at ProFootball-fans.com:

• 2008 NFL Mock Draft - 04.25.08
• The best values in each round of the NFL Draft
• The biggest bargains of the 2008 NFL Draft