One thing is for certain even with the current labor troubles surrounding the NFL, and that's that the upcoming Draft will take place as scheduled. With free agency still up in the air, I think you'll see more teams filling needs rather than taking the best player available. Teams will draft what they need when they can, then look to free agency to try and fill in the holes in their rosters.
This time out we'll look at the Mock Draft from Senior Analyst Pat Kirwin of NFL.com. It's a two round mock and he doesn't have the Bears going with an offensive lineman with either pick. Odd. Go check out his mock (the link above will pop) then head right back over here and take the jump so we can get all into it...
With the 29th pick in his mock draft he has Chicago selecting Aaron Williams, CB, Texas. Here's what he said about the pick:
The Bears know there is some depth late in the first round at corner and get a shot at a smooth athlete. Williams ran a slow 40 at the combine and needs to run faster at some point. He'll have a chance at Texas' pro day on March 28.
And if the Draft was to fall like he predicts that may be the way Jerry Angelo goes, but it isn't the way I would go. The top 5 offensive tackles are off the board, as is Mike Pouncy who is the top rated interior lineman on most boards, but two other offensive guards that could step in and compete are Danny Watkins from Baylor and Benjamin Ijalana from Villanova. I think both of these interior linemen have a better chance at making a rookie impact than Aaron Williams would. And o-line is a much bigger need in my opinion, but both players could be perceived as a reach, so if I'm looking for the best value I think I'll look at d-line.
Illinois Defensive tackle Corey Liuget is also available in his mock draft. Kirwin has him lasting to the Vikings at 43. I think he's a legit (see what I did there) 3-technique talent that could step in from day one and start for the Bears, and he would be who I would take at 29 if the actual NFL draft were to go this way.
In the second round he has the Bears addressing their wide receiver needs with Boise State Titus Young (5'11" 174). Not a bad player, but not the big wide out the Bears need. He's another fast player that isn't known for his route running, and he's a bit too raw technically for the Bears to select.
If the actual draft were to go the way he predicts, I'd be ticked off if Angelo didn't take Penn State center Stefan Wisniewski. He could compete for guard as a rookie, and eventually replace Olin Kreutz at center. Wisniewski is an intelligent football player that has the bloodline to succeed in the NFL.