by Rickhouse on April 21 at 2:02AM
The last two years, everyone thought the Bears were going to focus on offense in the draft. They didn’t, and as a result their offense has been one of the NFL’s worst the last few seasons. The Bears could still use help at safety and defensive tackle, but at least three, if not all, of their four picks in the first three rounds of the draft should be offensive players. There is little doubt the Bears will tab an offensive player with their first pick, number 14 overall, and it appears four candidates have emerged as the leaders. Boise State junior tackle Ryan Clady would be the ideal pick, and there is some chance he’ll be there, but it’s not likely. Let’s take a quick look at the rest.
T Jeff Otah, Pitt
Otah is one big dude. The question: is he too big? Weight has been a bit of an issue for some first round o-linemen in years past, but in-season reports that Otah was 350 lbs. may have been inaccurate. NFLDC has him listed at 323 lbs. now. What else should you know about him? Just ask SI:
Otah is an outstanding prospect with a large amount of upside potential.
Tremendous, even? Check in next month when I launch largeamountofupsidepotential.com. It should be a winner.
G Branden Albert, Virginia
Of the four, it appears Albert is the one the Bears covet most. Though he’s a guard, at 6-7, many feel he can be standout left tackle. If he fails at tackle, Albert will likely be a Pro Bowl-level guard. That kind of versatility is something a lot of teams covet, however, and Albert could easily be gone by the time the Bears choose. NFLDC and SI’s Don Banks currently have him going fifth to Kansas City.
RB Rashard Mendenhall, Illinois
If Albert (or Clady) isn’t there, I would take Mendenhall. Yeah, the Bears need an offensive lineman, and the organization probably hasn’t completely written off Cedric Benson yet, but, to me, Menhenhall is a much safer pick than anyone else left on the board. Mendenhall is going to be a stud, something that can’t be said with any certainty for Williams or Otah. The Bears probably won’t take him unless two or all three of these guys are gone, but I don’t see why not. Making matters worse, the Lions will probably grab him at pick 15 if the Bears don’t.
T Chris Williams, Vandy
I don’t know a lot about Williams and it seems neither does anyone else. He’s big (6-6, 315) and reportedly a solid athlete, but isn’t classified as a dominant blocker. He lacks a nasty demeanor that some people think is so important for offensive linemen, but he did a nice job as a senior playing left tackle (he played guard as a sophomore and junior).
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