With rookies reporting to camp starting TOMORROW!!!!( thank you god) I wanted to gauge where the expectation levels of the fans are for the incoming rookie class for the Bears.

Now granted the Bears did not have a first or a second round pick in the draft this year, so the chances of one of these guys coming in and making a BIG impact is a long shot, but the other side of me says the Bears are notorious for turning late round picks into big time talent, especially on defense. For example, Mark Anderson 5th Round pick - 12 sacks rookie year, Lance Briggs 3rd Round pick - Pro Bowler, Alex Brown 4th Round Pick - Solid and Durable, Nathan Vasher 4th Round Pick - 17 picks in first 4 years, Olin Kruetz 3rd Round Pick - 6 time Pro Bowler, even as much as I hate to say this now, Bernard Berrian 3rd Round Pick - and a traitor.

Now one thing to note is the lack of late round surprises coming from offensive skill positions.  Which is why Im not holding my breath when it comes to Iglesias (two words - Mark Bradley).  But then again with our new Pro Bowl Quarterback getting these young guys the ball, anything is liable to happen.  Look at how Marques Colston broke onto the scene with the Saints, and he was a SEVENTH Round pick. 

Jarron Gilbert is an explosive athlete with freakishly long arms who will benefit tremendously on the defensive line under the tutelage of D Line Guru Rod Marinelli.  Juaquin Iglesias was the first Wide Reciever taken in the draft by the Bears, which most felt was their most glaring need.  But a less than stellar OTA performance by Iglesias has thrusted Johnny Knox into the spotlight of the media and fans alike.  This 5th round pick unlike Iglesias dazzled during OTA's showing off his 4.3 speed and actually showing steady hands throughout dropping few passes.  Some have speculated that he could contend with Rashied "everyone hates me" Davis for the Slot during Training Camp, but if Earl Bennett taught us anything its that there is alot more to recieving than just running and catching.  So lets keep our fingers crossed and hope he becomes the next Wes Welker.

Some dark horses to keep in mind that could contribute on special teams or on the starting squad if injuries were to occur are guys like Marcus Freeman, a 5th round pick out of THE Ohio State University who going into his last year in college was projected to be a late 1st round early 2nd round pick by some pundits, but could easily be overlooked because of some of the bigger names from those mean OSU linebackers the last couple of years .  I could see Freeman being an absolute BEAST for the Bears on special teams and at some point, maybe not this year, being a solid outside linebacker for years to come.  DJ Moore is another interesting pick, Kiper gushed over this pick by the Bears, believing that Moore couldve gone alot earlier than the 4th round that he was taken in.  But alot like Nathan Vasher some experts believe he is undersized to play corner.  A guy with good ball skills and has a knack for coming up with the big pick, this guy could contribute and at some point give Daniel Manning some help at the Nickel back.

Some even darker horses are guys like  Al Afalava a 6th round pick who likely wont be one our starting safeties, but crazier things have happened, and considering the percieved lack of talent the Bears have at safety, I wouldn't rule any of them out as a potenital starter.  Will Ta'ufo'ou is an intriging pick for me.  A fullback out of Cal who leaves it all on the field, all you have to do is go onto you tube type in his name and youll know why I listed this undrafted rookie as a potential contributer coming into this season.

Derek Kinder, Lance Louis, and Henry Melton more than likely arent going to make the field barring a jaw dropping effort during Training Camp or a slew of injuries that could force them into the lineup. There is just too much depth ahead of them and its a stretch to see any of them get significant playing time this season.  I'll give Derek Kinder the best chance of these three but like I said its slim to none.