Bears Address Needs As NFL Completes Draft

By Benjy Lipsman in News on May 12, 2014 8:30PM

The Bears weren't finished when they drafted Kyle Fuller in the first round of last weekend's NFL Draft. GM Phil Emery addressed the rest of the team's needs during Friday night's second and third rounds, and during Saturday's final four rounds.

In both rounds of Friday night's session, Emery used Bears picks on defensive tackles. The Bears drafted LSU's Ego Ferguson in the second round and Arizona State's Will Sutton in the third round. The Ferguson pick was a bit of a head scratcher given his rawness, while Sutton, last year's Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, seems to be further along in development.

The Bears again went chasing after another Pac-12 Players of the Year and snagged Ka'Deem Carey, a running back for the Arizona Wildcats who rushed for 3,814 yards and scored 44 touchdowns in his last two seasons. After failing with expensive back-ups for Matt Forte like Marion Barber, Chester Taylor and Michael Bush, the Bears appear ready to let the rookie Carey back up their Pro Bowler. The Bears finally addressed their need at safety and traded up to land another fourth round pick, Brock Vereen from Minnesota. He appears to be a solid pick and he'll have lots of pressure to perform given the team's need for production from the position.

The Bears used their two sixth round picks on quarterback David Fales from San Jose St. and University of Miami punter Pat O'Donnell. We're not quite sure what Emery sees in selecting another quarterback late, as they've never managed to stick. However, in grabbing the tight end-sized O'Donnell, the Bears have their clear replacement for Adam Podlesh. In the final round, the Bears added another offensive lineman, which one can never have too many of, with the addition of Charles Leno Jr. a tackle from Boise St.

Following the draft, the Bears added nine un-drafted free agents as well. Perhaps the most intriguing is Northern Illinois quarterback and Heisman Trophy runner-up Jordan Lynch. In the NFL, Lynch might be able to earn himself a roster spot with a change to running back, and coach Marc Trestman appears to be excited to have a multidimensional offensive weapon to test out.

All-in-all, the Bears had themselves a solid draft. While no players on their wishlist unexpectedly fell to them, they addressed their biggest shortcomings on defense and added some interesting pieces on offense that might find themselves part of the mix.