Who Will The Bears Draft?
By Editorial Staff
Any offensive player in the draft is a possibility for the Bears at this point. They have needs at offensive tackle, offensive guard, wide receiver, running back, and quarterback. The general sentiment around Chicago is for the Bears to use their 14th pick on one of the high quality offensive tackles in this year’s draft class. The worry around Chicago is that General Manager Jerry Angelo will take a chance at running back, wide receiver, or even quarterback. As much as draft predictors around the league want the Bears to shoot for a new quarterback, Angelo is not known for his ability to weigh offensive talent. Just look at previous draft picks, ie: Curtis Enis (1998), Cade McNown (1999), David Terrell (2001), Anthony Thomas (2001), Rex Grossman (2003), and Cedric Benson (2005). The only upside is he has shown an uncanny ability to find talent at wide receiver in later rounds of the draft, ie: Marty Booker (3rd round – 1999), Bobby Wade and Justin Gage (5th round – 2003), and Bernard Berrian (3rd round – 2004). The Bears have a lot of chances to find talent with 11 picks in the draft, four of which are in the first three rounds.
The only scenario that would drive the Bears to draft anything other than an offensive tackle would be an improbable fall of enough offensive tackles in the draft that the Bears are willing to gamble one will be available in the second round. In that situation, the lingering effect of Thomas Jones’ departure, the failure to sign a free agent running back, and the growing sentiment that Cedric Benson doesn’t have the ability to be a featured back may pressure the Bears to make another attempt at running back. Jerry Angelo has made several mistakes by drafting by position instead of talent available. The most talented player available out of running back, quarterback, and wide receiver would be welcome in Chicago. However, any addition of those three positions would be pointless without first fixing huge problems in the offensive line.
The first pick of the Chicago Bears will likely be an offensive tackle, but the real fun will come in the second and third round when they will look to build a new offensive backfield.