Chicago Bears: Top 5 Draft Needs

The Chicago Bears have less than a month until perhaps the most exciting event for the league: The NFL draft.

With the draft taking place in Chicago for the first time since Lyndon B. Johnson occupied the Oval Office, the Bears will have the chance to assemble a top draft class in the comfort of their own home.

In alphabetical order, here are the positions that the Bears need to address in this year’s draft.

Center:

After 10 season with the team, long-time starting center Roberto Garza was released last week. The Bears immediately moved on from the move and signed veteran center Will Montgomery, who started eight games under Bears head coach John Fox last season for the Denver Broncos.

With Montgomery added to the team, that leaves Chicago with exactly one listed center on the roster. The Bears can draft a center to develop under Montgomery, who is getting up there in age at 32 years old, rather than reach out to free agency for another veteran to fill the depth chart.

Cornerback:

The Bears don’t appear to plan on re-signing long-tenured cornerback Charles Tillman any time soon. Chicago recently took to the free-agent market to sign a player to replace his spot on the roster, eight-year cornerback Alan Ball. But that doesn’t mean that the Bears should settle the position there.

Adding another cornerback late in the draft will help increase competition for a position that already holds seven spots on the roster – three of which are occupied by players going into their second year in the league. For all new general manager Ryan Pace knows, he could draft the next Richard Sherman, who was drafted in the fifth round in 2011 by the Seattle Seahawks.

Defensive end/ linebacker

In new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense, there is no such thing as too many pass rushers. The Bears are in the process of switching of switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense, which heavily emphasizes tweeners and the ability to pressure the quarterback from the outside.

The offseason signings of Pernell McPhee, Sam Acho and Mason Foster certainly makes the process of shoring up the pass rush a lot easier, but the Bears front office is probably thinking that it has a lot more work to do to get the defense in position to be dangerous again.

Safety:

Another thin position for Chicago is the safety. The team currently has three listed safeties on the roster. The Bears signed former Giants safety Antrel Rolle – who according to Tom Ley of Deadspin made his final decision to sign with the team after receiving an Orbitz alert in the middle of the night – for some added presenceas well as to compliment seventh-year safety Ryan Mundy.

However, the Bears went back to square one with depth at the position when the team released safety Anthony Walters last week. It would be wise for the Bears to draft a safety in one of the middle rounds, as the player would be able to learn from two proven NFL safeties in Rolle and Mundy.

Wide Receiver:

The Bears dipped from a top-five passing offense in 2013 to a middle-of-the-pack one in 2014. Brandon Marshall‘s receptions dipped by almost 40 between the two years, and Alshon Jeffery‘s production also took a slight downward turn.

With the trading of Marshall to the New York Jets, the Bears are down to Alshon Jeffery as their only reliable option on the outside. The next best receiver on the current roster, Marquess Wilson, has combined for 19 catches the last two seasons combined, so the position obviously needs to be receive some sort of attention in the draft.

Sep 22, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver

Steve Smith

(89) gets tackled by New York Giants strong safety

Antrel Rolle

(26) during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

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