Bears Address O-Line Needs With 2013 Draft Picks

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Apr 29, 2013 4:00PM

Heading into the draft, we said that the Bears' biggest areas of need were offensive line and linebacker, and they did that in the 2013 NFL Draft by adding another offensive lineman in addition to first rounder Kyle Long, two linebackers, a defensive lineman and wideout.

Second Round:
Jonathan Bostic - ILB (Florida)

Fourth Round:
Khaseem Greene - OLB (Rutgers)

Fifth Round:
Jordan Mills - OT (Louisiana Tech)

Sixth Round:
Cornelius Washington - DE (Georgia)

Seventh Round:
Marquess Wilson - WR (Washington State)

With a new coaching staff, it's a little harder to determine what type of players the Bears are looking for to complement their system. However, the two linebackers the Bears snagged appear to fit the style we've seen from the Bears defense in recent years. Bostic showed speed at the combine and is known for being a beast against the run. The Bears appear to have stretched once again by taking him in the second round and surprisingly passed on Kansas State linebacker Arthur Brown in doing so. Greene is an outside linebacker who's effective in blitzing situations and appears to be the college equivalent of Charles Tillman in terms of his ability to strip the ball. Washington's stock dropped after a subpar senior year and the Georgia defender is a tweener who played defensive end in college, but was listed as a linebacker in the draft.

In the fifth round, the Bears added offensive tackle Jordan Mills as they continue to bolster their offensive line. A right tackle in college, he'll likely remain on the right side despite his size and his versatility on the line helps the Bears improve their depth. Perhaps the most intriguing pick of the Bears' draft was wide receiver Marquess Wilson, who gained notoriety for quitting the Washington State program mid-season after he was suspended, then accused coach Mike Leach and his staff of verbally abusing and intimidating the players. (Wilson was the team's leader in receptions and yards at the time.) The Bears seemed to look past the incident and, given Leach's history at Texas Tech and the headlines made by Rutgers head basketball coach Mike Rice, it's not implausible that there was something to Wilson's story. As a seventh round pick-up, a pick gained by letting the Falcons move up, the Bears have a low risk investment that could pay dividends.

Overall, the draft experts were not impressed with the Bears' haul this weekend, with grades in the low B and even C range. However, the team did address its biggest weaknesses and did so with athletic, versatile players. It'll take some time to determine if Emery and his staff saw things in their new guys others did not, or if they tried to be too cute and drafted guys too soon and missed out on better prospects. Long's upside may have been worth the stretch, considering that blue chip OL prospects like Chris Williams and (as of yet) Gabe Carimi haven't exactly panned out. Greene absolutely sounds like somebody the Bears would be excited to add. While the Bears didn't address their secondary issues, they have signed some cornerbacks as undrafted free agents and have had success in finding players who earn a roster spot after being bypassed in the draft.