Bears Select Shea McClellin In First Round

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Apr 27, 2012 3:00PM

As we suspected, the Bears used their first round pick to shore up their defensive line. The Bears drafted Boise State defensive end Shea McClellin with the 19th pick in the first round. While McClellin played on the defensive line in college, many expected the 6-3, 260-pounder would move to outside linebacker in the NFL as more teams shift back to a 3-4 defense. It's possible he may spend some time at linebacker for the Bears, but instead McClellin will likely use his speed opposite Julius Peppers to bolster the Bears' pass rush.

Bears GM Phil Emery originally scouted McClellin when working for the Chiefs, considering him then at linebacker. But Emery thinks McClellin's athleticism, football savvy and instincts will fit Lovie Smith's 4-3 scheme.

In New York for the draft, McClellin said of his selection by the Bears, "It's unbelievable to play alongside guys like Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher. It's really going to be great and I can't wait to get out there."

While we think the Bears made the right call to address an area of need from the deep pool of talent, some are already calling Emery's draft strategy into question. In his Tribune column, Dan McNeil blasted Bears management for not selecting an offensive lineman. True, top talents like Stanford guard David DeCastro and Iowa tackle Riley Reiff were still on the board. Rick Telander, also questioned Emery's passing up a chance to shore up the Jay Cutler's protection to draft an undersized defensive player.

Without yet knowing how the rest of the Bears draft unfolds, it's hard to gauge whether this was the right pick. We'll take a look at the entire draft class and Emery's ability to fill the team's needs in his first draft on Monday.