The Bears Den: April 27, 2016

BEAR DOWN!!!!

DRAFT / FREE AGENCY

Greenstein: NFL draft prospect Laquon Treadwell aims to inspire in his hometown - Chicago Tribune - Former Crete-Monee star Laquon Treadwell is one of the top-ranked college players in this week's NFL draft in Chicago.

Gabriel: 10 prospects the Chicago Bears might be targeting at No. 11 - Chicago Football - Who will the Bears take with the 11th overall pick? Mock drafts have a wide variety of players who could be wearing the navy and orange next season. Below is our guess at the 10 most likely targets for the Bears with former director of college scouting Greg Gabriel's Pro Football Weekly scouting report. DeForest Buckner tops the list of prospects the Bears could be targeting.

Jahns: Perfect timing for Bears to need a D-lineman, but when to draft one? - Chicago Football - The timing is perfect. The Bears need difference-makers on their defensive line, and this year’s class has been routinely touted as deep and special.

LeGere: Defense a need, but Bears will have options to add talent on offense at No. 11 - Chicago Football - The consensus is that Bears GM Ryan Pace and coach John Fox will look to add more playmakers to the defense in the draft, especially with their first pick at 11th overall.

Fishbain: Chicago Bears seek playmakers on D-line, in secondary during NFL Draft - Chicago Football - Coach John Fox and defensive cooridinator Vic Fangio showed last year the Bears’ schemes and game-planning could, at times, make up for talent deficiencies on defense. Now imagine that defense with talent upgrades. The Bears should be focused on defense early and often this weekend.

Around The NFL: Four trades we'd love to see during NFL draft week (Includes Wilkerson to Chicago) - NFL.com - Could Mike Glennon surprise everyone and be dealt to the Broncos? Will Muhammad Wilkerson stay in New York? Here are four trades we'd like to see go down during draft week.

Rapoport: Myles Jack vulnerable to draft slide due to concerns about knee - NFL.com - Myles Jack is vulnerable to a slide in the 2016 NFL Draft due to concerns about his surgically repaired knee.

Jahns: Timing could be right for Bears to draft QB in 2016 - Chicago Sun-Times - Two months ago, Bears general manager Ryan Pace said something at the NFL Scouting Combine that’s worth repeating with the draft only days away. "There are . . . a handful of quarterbacks in the middle part of the draft that I feel good about and that we’ve got to make sure we’ve accurately graded," Pace said. "That’s where our scouts earn their money."

Chase: Ranking the last 25 draft classes from best to the worst * FOX Sports - A look at this post should make you less excited about your team finding a future Hall of Famer this Thursday.

Mullen: Bears NFL Draft Preview: Solving the tight end problem - CSN Chicago - The Bears solved one tight end problem by trading away Martellus Bennett, but what is next for the franchise at the position?

LeGere: How the 11th pick has been used by NFL teams in the past - DailyHerald.com - When the Chicago Bears use the 11th overall selection to make their first-round draft pick Thursday night, history tells us there will be instant impact players available. They just have to make the right decision.

Wiederer: Three things Bears GM Ryan Pace must accomplish in this week's NFL draft - Chicago Tribune - The Bears defense needs help. And this draft should offer an opportunity to secure it. General manager Ryan Pace is likely to grab a playmaker early.

Sherman: The NFL draft's other stars: the draftniks - Chicago Tribune - When the last pick is taken in this year's NFL draft, Todd McShay plans to take the following week off "to decompress." Then the ESPN draft analyst will begin evaluations on the 2017 players. "It never really ends," McShay said.

BEARS RELATED DRAFT VIDEOS

Assessing the Bears' needs entering the NFL Draft | CSN Chicago

Were the trades for the top two NFL Draft picks good moves? | CSN Chicago

Taking a glance at what picks the Bears have | CSN Chicago

Grading Bears GM Ryan Pace's offseason moves | CSN Chicago

Cox (video): Second round targets for the Bears in the 2016 NFL draft - Bears Wire - The 41st overall pick will provide the Bears a second opportunity to improve their roster. Here is a look at 12 players they could target.

Perez: Ezekiel Elliott says Bears are in love with him - Bears Wire - Appearing on the Dan Patrick Show, Ohio State RB Ezekiel Elliott said the Chicago Bears are in love with him.

BEARRRSSSS

Perez: Zach Miller taking a leadership role with Bears - Bears Wire - Chicago Bears TE Zach Miller is taking a leadership role with the team and was named the Brian Piccolo Award recipient.

ITB (video): Gould honored by teammates - ChicagoBears.com - Bears kicker Robbie Gould receives the Ed Block Courage Award which honors players who symbolize professionalism, dedication, and are community role models.

Mayer: Notable Bears third-round draft picks - ChicagoBears.com - Two of the best players at their respective positions in Bears history were selected in the third round of the draft, center Olin Kreutz in 1998 and linebacker Lance Briggs in 2003.

Wagoner: Bears troll St. Louis football fans after Blues eliminate Blackhawks - St. Louis Rams Blog- ESPN - After St. Louis eliminated Chicago from the NHL playoffs in Game 7, the Chicago Bears offered a painful NFL reminder to St. Louis sports fans.

Mullen: Bears honor Adrian Amos, Zach Miller as Piccolo Award winners - CSN Chicago - The Bears honored safety Adrian Amos and tight end Zach Miller with the Piccolo Award, presented to players who best exemplify the Brian Piccolo tradition.

BEARRRSSSS FOR LIFE

NFL draft preview: Tell Us a Story with Ed O'Bradovich - Chicago Tribune - Former Bears legend Ed O'Bradovich shares his story of the day he and his 1963 Bears teammates were honored 50 years after they won the NFL Championship.

Chicago Bears in the Hall - Link Lyman - Modern day defensive football involves players constantly shifting from side to side, jumping a step forward or two paces backward, anything to confuse the offense as it comes to the line of scrimmage. Many old-timers insist such sophisticated maneuvers had their beginnings more than six decades ago when a sensational 252-lb tackle, William Roy "Link" Lyman, pioneered a sliding, shifting style of defensive line play that confused his opponents and made him one of the most respected players of his time.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Report: Bengals to release A.J. Hawk - ProFootballTalk - The Bengals added a veteran linebacker to their roster last month when they signed Karlos Dansby after Dansby was released by the Browns. With Dansby on board, they appear to feel they have enough depth at the position to part ways with another veteran.

Florio: Mark Davis will commit to pursuit of relocation if Las Vegas stadium funding is approved - ProFootballTalk - If one specific thing happens in Vegas, the Raiders could be staying in Vegas. According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News, owner Mark Davis plans to make a commitment on Thursday to pursue relocation to Las Vegas if financing for the proposed $1.3 billion stadium is approved.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Demovsky: Green Bay Packers GM Ted Thompson says drafting late is gut-wrenching - Green Bay Packers Blog- ESPN - While drafting late in the first round tests the patience of Green Bay Packers GM Ted Thompson, his success picking there is something few can match.

Twentyman: On this date in draft history - DeAndre Levy - DetroitLions.com - On this date back in 2009, the Detroit Lions selected a name a lot of fans probably didn't know at the time. Now that name is synonymous with All-Pro caliber linebacker play in the NFL. The Lions selected DeAndre Levy in the third round of the draft that year with the 76th overall pick.

Gates: How Accurate Has The Mock Draft Database Been? - Daily Norseman - We're in our fourth year of providing a Mock Draft Database for people to comb through for Minnesota Vikings' picks. But how accurate has it been over the years?

Zinski: Michael Floyd, should Vikings trade for Cardinals receiver? - TheVikingAge - Michael Floyd might be put on the trade block by the Arizona Cardinals, but would the Vikings think about picking him up?

Smith: Do Vikings Need LB Via Another High Draft Pick? - Vikings.com - Mark Craig of the Star Tribune continued the publication’s eight-part series looking at the level of need for each position on the Vikings. Craig delved into the linebackers in the most recent glance at a positional unit.