Ben Johnson's vision has become the priority for the Chicago Bears this offseason.
Given Johnson's preference to run 12 personnel, it was no surprise that the Bears went tight in the first round with the selection of Colston Loveland. The Bears stuck to the offensive side of the ball with their first pick in the second round, taking Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden with the No. 39 pick.
Prior to the Bears' making the selection, there was a run on running back as Quinshon Judkins was taken by the Cleveland Browns, and TreVeyon Henderson was taken by the New England Patriots. Despite the fact that Kaleb Johnson was on the board, the Bears made the surprising decision to add a wide receiver.
Burden was among the best prospects available at the start of the second round, so the selection appears to be a sign of the team taking advantage of adding a talented player.
One of the player comparisons for Burden has been Jayden Reed of the Green Bay Packers. Reed has been on the ascent with the Packers' offense, totaling 857 receiving yards last season and 6 touchdowns. Given the battle of words that has gone on between Johnson and Packers' head coach Matt LaFleur, perhaps the new Bears' head coach was looking for a way to say "I can do it better" with the selection of Burden.
Ben Johnson adds another playmaker to the Bears' offense.
The Bears can be creative with how they deploy Burden. The expectation was that DJ Moore and Rome Odunze would primarily play on the outside. The Bears never really replaced Keenan Allen, so it's possible that Burden will play in the slot to begin his career with the Bears.
It would seem that creativity was the theme for the Bears' decision to select Burden. When Ben Johnson was with the Detroit Lions, he wouldn't be shy with the different ways he chose to line up Amon-Ra St. Brown. Burden has similar traits, so expect to see the rookie in a variety of spots within the Bears' offense next season.