Now granted, anyone who regularly reads WCG (and for the love of Ditka, of course you do) already has a good handle on what the Bears need, but we also like to take a look at what other people have to say. Here, we look at Mike Florio's assessment of the Chicago Bears' needs heading into the 2011 draft.
As Florio has it, at the top of the list is wide receiver, followed by offensive line, defensive tackle, running back, cornerback, and quarterback.So, a few items of note... Wide receiver gets a mention before offensive line? I realize when it comes to the Bears' severe needs it becomes 1, 1A, 1B, but I don't see how wide receiver makes it before offensive line. He does have a good case for receiver being at least 1B:
None generated 1,000 receiving yards, and only one managed more than 50 catches. (Johnny Knox had 51.) ... Since it's rare for a rookie to make a major impact, free agency could be the best route. But that shouldn't stop them from trying to find a first-year player who can be groomed into an effective veteran contributor.
Under running back, Florio may be, ahem, a little crazy. And I think I'm being lenient.
Matt Forte generated big numbers in 2010, but not the kind of crazy stats that the Dick Vermeil/Mike Martz offense has produced with guys like Marshall Faulk in St. Louis and Priest Holmes in Kansas City. The Bears should draft a guy who could be groomed to become the full-service run-pass option after Forte. If Martz is still with the team by then.
No, he didn't put up 2400 yards from scrimmage like Faulk in his sixth year of playing in 1999. But he's averaged over 1500 yards from scrimmage in each of his first three years and he's only entering his fourth year of NFL service. If that screams "You should be replacing me!", then maybe the Falcons should look into replacing Matt Ryan.
Take a look through the rest of what Florio has to say, then sound off! What do you think?