Chicago Bears Pre-Draft Roster Review

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Dec 30, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers (90) during the third quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Chicago won 26-24. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Line

94	McBride, Turk	DE	6-2	278	27	7	Tennessee
99	McClellin, Shea	DE	6-3	260	23	2	Boise St.
67	Moore, Kyle	DE	6-6	263	26	5	USC
95	Ozougwu, Cheta	DE	6-2	255	24	2	Rice
90	Peppers, Julius	DE	6-7	287	33	12	North Carolina
91	Whiteside, Aston	DE	6-2	255	23	1	Abilene Christian
98	Wootton, Corey	DE	6-6	270	25	4	Northwestern
93	Collins, Nate	DT	6-2	296	25	4	Virginia
75	Fluellen, Andre	DT	6-2	302	28	6	Florida State
69	Melton, Henry	DT	6-3	295	26	5	Texas
92	Paea, Stephen	DT	6-1	300	24	3	Oregon State

The Bears have some anchor players along the defensive line with Pro Bowl players Peppers and Melton. Stephen Paea started coming into his own at DT as did DE Corey Wooton while Shea McClellin showed flashes of potential as a situational pass rusher. With Izzy Idonije still unsigned, the Bears could use a versatile DE or DT that could move around and play in the rotation. I’d be surprised if the Bears didn’t take a flyer on a defensive lineman at some point in the draft.

Linebackers

50	Anderson, James	LB	6-2	235	29	8	Virginia Tech
55	Briggs, Lance	LB	6-1	244	32	11	Arizona
52	Costanzo, Blake	LB	6-1	235	29	7	Lafayette
57	DeCicco, Dom	LB	6-4	230	24	2	Pittsburgh
53	Franklin, Jerry	LB	6-1	245	25	1	Arkansas
97	Thomas, J.T.	LB	6-1	236	24	3	West Virginia
59	Trahan, Patrick	LB	6-2	236	26	2	Mississippi
58	Williams, D.J.	LB	6-1	242	30	10	Miami (Fla.)
96	Wilson, Lawrence	LB	6-1	229	25	1	Connecticut

Brian Urlacher and Nick Roach are gone, so this is another position in for an overhaul. While the Bears added James Anderson and DJ Williams, they need to get younger at the position. They have some flexibility and the pressure is off to have to take a LB in round 1, but if Alec Ogletree is around in Round 1, that will make Phil Emery think about pulling the trigger. I’ve seen a mock draft where Arthur Brown falls to the Bears in Round 2. That would be a no-brainer.

Cornerback

38	Bowman, Zack	CB	6-1	193	28	6	Nebraska
31	Frey, Isaiah	CB	6-0	190	23	1	Nevada
24	Hayden, Kelvin	CB	6-0	195	29	9	Illinois
26	Jennings, Tim	CB	5-8	185	29	8	Georgia
39	Lewis, LeQuan	CB	5-11	190	24	1	Arizona State
27	McManis, Sherrick	CB	6-1	193	25	4	Northwestern
33	Tillman, Charles	CB	6-2	198	32	11	Louisiana-Lafayette

January 25, 2013; Ko Olina, HI, USA; Make-A-Wish foundation child Aidan O

You wouldn’t think that a position that boasts a pair of starting Pro Bowlers needs to be addressed in the draft but with Charles Tillman getting up their in age and Tim Jennings a one-hit wonder until proven otherwise, the Bears might be able to select a corner and start grooming Tillman’s replacement. In today’s pass-happy NFL, you can never have too many cornerbacks.

Safety

47	Conte, Chris	S	6-2	203	24	3	California
35	Hardin, Brandon	S	6-3	217	23	2	Oregon State
46	Nelson, Tom	S	5-11	200	26	3	Illinois State
44	Quarles, Cyhl	S	6-3	212	24	1	Wake Forest
20	Steltz, Craig	S	6-1	210	26	6	LSU
37	Walters, Anthony	S	6-1	207	24	3	Delaware
21	Wright, Major	S	5-11	204	24	4	Florida
36	Zbikowski, Tom	S	5-11	200	27	6	Notre Dame

I think the run of safeties being selected by the Bears in 8 consecutive drafts might be coming to an end. Chris Conte and Major Wright were solid last season and the addition of Tom Zbikowski and redshirt freshman Bradon Hardin to the mix will make this group pretty well stacked.

I’m not going to bother much with the specialists because they’re pretty well set, but I’ll touch on Devin Hester as a special teamer. Just to note, I think the Bears would be foolish not to consider using Hester as a sweetener in a trade. Maybe you find someone who will have an interest and take a chance on him.

What do you think? Which position has the most holes that need to be addressed? Which group is solid and would be surprising if the Bears selected? Let’s hear your comments.

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