2011 NFL Draft Team Needs: Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears’ season ended with a lot of heartbreak and embarrassment when Jay Cutler left the NFC Championship game with what sounded like a manageable injury. That’s another story for another day, but the Bears’ needs were exposed throughout the season, and quite honestly, they have had these needs for a couple of years now.
Chicago always seems to have a dominant defense, and this past year was no different. The X factors, so to speak, are Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, but the addition of Julius Peppers at defensive end really solidified this defense as one of the best in the NFL. The Bears are not done building on that side of the ball, but the majority of their needs are coming from the offensive side. Let’s examine their needs going into the 2011 NFL Draft.
1. Offensive Line
The Bears were one of the worst teams in the NFL in terms of allowing their quarterback to be sacked. I’m shocked Jay Cutler did not miss more games than he did, actually. Their offensive line built some cohesiveness throughout the course of the year, but overall as a unit, they are still terrible. The Bears should be looking to the offensive line early, and potentially often. Chris Williams, a former first round pick, has really been disappointing in terms of just being able to stay on the field, and they really just lack talent overall. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them pick up two or three linemen in the draft.
2. Wide Receiver
The Bears have a couple of solid guys in the rotation at wide receiver, but none really stands out as a true number one. At the bottom of the first round, the best they can be hoping for is probably for a guy like Jon Baldwin of Pittsburgh to fall into their laps, if that is the direction they want to go. Baldwin is an underrated prospect who has great size, and who would be a nice target for Jay Cutler. The Bears could also look to the 2nd and 3rd rounds for help, as they need multiple players to add to the mix here.
3. Defensive Tackle
The Bears’ rotation at defensive tackle has regressed a little, but the scheme is still great. They could also use a defensive end, but this is a team that’s always looking to upgrade the defensive line. It will be interesting to see where they look in the 2nd or 3rd round, and if they use a high pick on that side of the ball.