The Weekend Bears Den: May 11, 2014 - Chicago Bears NFL Draft news & notes

Bears draft wrap-up - Jeff Dickerson: Phil Emery likes to say a team can never expect to fill all of its needs via the draft. Well, eight draft choices later, the Bears actually came close.

Emery again taking big chances - Barry Rozner: Bears GM doesn't lack for confidence, drafting for high ceiling while knowing the floor could also be much lower. That's better than being afraid to take a chance, concerned about having to answer questions and being criticized.

Emery's third draft a charm? - Michael C. Wright: Synergy developed from familiarity between the coaching staff and scouting department allowed Emery to conclude arguably his best draft as the team's GM.

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2014 NFL draft, fourth round: RB Ka’Deem Carey, Safety Brock Vereen

Bears select RB Carey in Round 4 - Larry Mayer: After spending their first three picks bolstering their defense, the Bears addressed their offense in the fourth round of the draft, selecting Arizona RB Ka'Deem Carey (117th overall).

Bears pick Ka'Deem Carey in 4th - Jeff Dickerson: Under Emery, the belief is that sufficient leadership and stability exists in the building to handle potential problem players, and this appears to be a sold pick from a production standpoint.

Durkin’s Breakdown: RB Ka’Deem Carey - Dan Durkin: Bears RBs must be adept runners, receivers and willing in blitz pickup, and Carey - once considered a potential first-round prospect prior to some off-the-field issues - has excelled in every one of those phases. CBSSports' scouting profile.

Bears change pace at RB with Carey - Moon Mullin: After squandering major money in a futile search for depth behind Forte, the Bears went hard in a different direction, investing their fourth-round pick (117th overall) in super-productive RB Ka’Deem Carey.  Draft profile.

Arizona RBs coach Calvin Magee on Ka'Deem Carey - Rich Campbell: Magee discussed Carey’s tenacious running style and the pass protection ability Trestman demands from his backs.

[Video] ChicagoBears.com - Highlights of the Bears fourth round draft choice, Ka'Deem Carey.

[Video] ChicagoBears.com - Bears scout Saint-Paul stops by Chicago Bears Network Studios to chat about Bears fourth round pick Ka'Deem Carey.

Carey downplays character issues - Dan Wiederer: Concerns might have been at least a small part of the reason the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year lasted into the fourth round.

Bears pick Brock Vereen 131st - Michael C. Wright: In addition to the versatility and experience of playing every position in the secondary, Vereen possesses speed comparable to the game’s top corners with the strength reminiscent of a linebacker.

[Video] ESPN - Highlights from NFL draft prospect Brock Vereen.

[Video] ChicagoBears.com - Highlights of the Bears fourth round draft choice Brock Vereen.

[Video] ChicagoBears.com - Bears scout Williams stops by Chicago Bears Network Studios to chat about Bears fourth round draft choice Brock Vereen.

Bears accomplish goal with key trade - Larry Mayer: The Bears knew they needed to trade up in the fourth round Saturday to land two quality players on the final day of the draft, and they did just that.

Bears trade up to pick Minnesota S Brock Vereen - Moon Mullin: Despite waiting until the fourth round to address safety, it was a pick they did not want to miss. Vereen fits Emery’s job description for safeties: coverage skills, speed and strength. Draft profile.

Durkin’s Breakdown: S Brock Vereen - Dan Durkin: Athletic and able to see the field both from a CB’s point of view (half-field reads) and safety (full-field reads), Vereen immediately becomes Bears' most viable option to challenge for a starting spot.

Draft notes - Bob LeGere: Super-productive Arizona RB Ka'Deem Carey could wind up being a steal for the Bears if he has learned from his off-field problems of the past; Emery sees Brock Vereen's athleticism, instincts and toughness as best suited for safety.

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2014 NFL draft, sixth & seventh round: QB David Fales, Punter Pat O'Donnell, OT Charles Leno; UDFA QB/RB Jordan Lynch

Bears draft QB David Fales in sixth round - Rich Campbell: Emery said he does not believe in drafting a late-round QB with the intent to develop him into a starter, so Trestman likely will groom Fales to be a long-term solution as a backup.

Bears pick David Fales in 6th - Michael C. Wright: Because of Fales’ good-to-average arm, smarts and anticipation skills, scouts projected him to be a fit in more of a West Coast type of system, which is exactly what the Bears utilize. Draft profile.

Durkin’s Breakdown: QB David Fales - Dan Durkin: Throws a tight, accurate ball, relying on command of the offense, timing and anticipation to deliver on immediate routes. Doesn’t have the strongest arm, but he’s been effective both from the pocket and the perimeter when he breaks contain.

[Video] ChicagoBears.com - Highlights of Bears 6th round draft choice David Fales.

[Video] ChicagoBears.com - Bears scout Saint-Paul stops by Chicago Bears Network Studios to chat about Bears sixth round draft choice David Fales.

Bears select P Pat O'Donnell in sixth round - Kevin Fishbain: A former soccer player who played LB and TE in college, O'Donnell hardly resembles a punter and has no qualms about continuing his aggressive temperament on punt coverage duties in the NFL.

Bears take Pat O'Donnell in 6th - Jeff Dickerson: O’Donnell has the reputation of aggressively covering his punts; he made three tackles and one forced fumble in his lone year at Miami.

[Video] ChicagoBears.com - Bears scout Summerville stops by Chicago Bears Network Studios to chat about Bears sixth round draft choice Pat O'Donnell.

Bears pick Charles Leno Jr. in 7th - Michael C. Wright: Despite immense athletic ability, good size, and explosion, Leno still hasn’t yet figured out how to put it all together, but Aaron Kromer has earned a reputation for developing late-round talent along the O-line. Draft profile ... [Video] Highlights.

Draft notes - Bob LeGere: Fales will battle mentor to back up Cutler; Pat O'Donnell's physical upside caught Emery's eye; trading for Vereen and selecting backup for Bushrod.

Former NIU QB Lynch coming to Bears - Bob LeGere: Record-setting NIU QB Jordan Lynch reached agreement on a free-agent contract with the team, for which he will play RB after having rushed for 3,735 yards and 42 TDs over the past two seasons. Packers offered chance to sign as a QB.

Lynch puts exclamation mark(s) on Bears' weekend - Tom Musick: Clearly, Emery is a big fan of Lynch. When asked about Lynch’s attributes he could have mumbled a boring answer about how Lynch was a productive player, but he went into deep, specific, glowing detail. Lynch is dynamic, and Trestman is creative.

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More news and reaction from the draft

Phil Emery happy with Bears' 'awesome' haul - Dan Wiederer: GM fortifies defense with safety and offense with RB in 4th round on Day 3 of NFL draft, and even selects a punter. Moon Mullin: Bears were prepared for post-draft run at Michael Sam.

Draft recap and analysis - Rich Campbell and Dan Wiederer break down the impact of each pick and how each player fits the Bears' plan to improve on their 8-8 record from last season. Bears' Day 3 draft picks' Bio boxes.

Bears' 2014 draft provides plethora of promise - David Haugh: Bears infused promising draft picks with veteran free agents, all geared toward rebuilding one side of the ball the way Emery did for the offense last offseason, and now have a roster complete enough to challenge the Packers in the NFC North.

[Video] View from the Moon - Moon Mullin: Bears did exactly what they needed to do, should provide more competition in camp than in previous seasons.

Bears touch all the right bases - Hub Arkush: Bears' draft lacked the home run hitters you can really only find at the offensive skill positions or with a big-time pass rusher, but those spots are already filled on the Bears, and this draft for Emery was about looking for stars in the supporting roles.

Draft analysis - Arthur Arkush and Kevin Fishbain analyze each of the Bears picks in the final rounds of the 2014 NFL Draft. More on each player.

Photos from ChicagoBears.com - Ka'Deem Carey ... Brock Vereen ... David Fales ... Pat O'Donnell ... Charles Leno Jr ... 2014 draft class gallery.

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Bearsss

Bigger not better for Will Sutton - Larry Mayer: Third-round draft pick Will Sutton, a DT at Arizona State, is back down close to his playing weight from his dominant junior season.

LSU defensive line coach Brick Haley on Ego Ferguson - Brad Biggs: A former Bears D-line coach, Haley discussed Ferguson's assets and compared him to a former productive Bears defensive tackle.

Quite a family tree branching to Bears in Fullers - Brad Biggs: Kyle Fuller part of long line of athletic success rooted in love, discipline, competitiveness and talent.

[Video] Kiko Alonso: Kyle Long's success with Bears not a surprise - Bills LB was Long's college teammate at Oregon and the two will go head-to-head in Week 1.

Giovani Bernard discusses connections to Brian Piccolo - Bengals RB attended the same high school as Piccolo in Florida and also was the recipient of the Brian Piccolo Award while in college at North Carolina.  With [Video].

Sun-Times Bears section here.

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Polish sausage

Know thy enemies - Brad Biggs takes a look at how the Bears' NFC North rivals shaped up in the draft.

Know thy enemy: Packers - Rob Demovsky's wrap-up of the Packers' draft: The Packers had an opening for a starting FS, lost a WR and a C in free agency, and have not re-signed last year’s starting TE. They managed to address all of these positions in the draft.

Know thy enemy: Vikings - Ben Goessling's wrap-up of the Vikings' draft: Teddy Bridgewater will get a chance to develop, with Matt Cassel likely to start, and there won't be the same pressure to put him on the field as if he'd been a top-10 pick. The move could turn out to be a steal for the Vikings.

Know thy enemy: Lions - Michael Rothstein's wrap-up of the Lions' draft: That the team ignored both CB and safety throughout the first three rounds was more shocking than surprising, considering two of the bigger needs entering the draft.

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Something soothing for a Sunday morning, though I was very tempted to use this...