Scoreboards

• The Bears gave up their first round pick in this year’s draft as part of a trade for Denver quarterback Jay Cutler
• Most experts predict the Bears will select a wide receiver and a safety with their first two picks
• Among the top receivers who might be available when the Bears pick in the second round are Ohio State’s Brian Robiskie and Florida’s Louis Murphy
• A possible third-round pick is South Carolina safety Emanuel Cook

Impact of Recent Moves

The Bears’ top pick in the 2009 draft will not come until the second round, as they traded away their first-round pick to get QB Jay Cutler from Denver. They addressed one of their most glaring needs, offensive tackle, by signing free agent and perennial All-Pro Orlando Pace. That leaves wide receiver, safety, and the defensive line as their top areas of need in the draft.

Wide Receiver

The Chicago Bears are looking to find a complement to improving receiver Devin Hester in the upcoming NFL draft. Ever since Chicago’s major investment in Muhsin Muhammad in 2005 failed to pan out, the Bears have had a problem at wide receiver. The problem increased a year ago when Bernard Berrian bolted for a huge contract with the Vikings. The Bears are expected to use the 49th pick of the draft to address this need.

This year’s draft is strong in wide receivers, and so the Bears should have quality choices left for their second-round pick. Among the receivers they are thought to have their eye on are Brian Robiskie of Ohio State and Louis Murphy of Florida. Robiskie lacks blazing speed, but he runs good routes and has excellent hands. His father, Terry, is a longtime receivers coach in the NFL. Brian is an Academic All-American, and his character traits are highly regarded by his former coaches. Louis Murphy is a former track star who is regarded as a serious threat on deep routes. He was the second-leading receiver on the national-champion Gators in 2008. He is said to be something of a raw talent who needs to get more physical when jammed at the line.

Safety and Defensive Line

Emanuel Cook of South Carolina is entering the NFL draft after his junior season. Cook has the reputation of being a hard hitter and strong against the run. A concern is his below-average height: 5 feet 9. As a running back in high school, he rushed for more than 2,000 yards in his senior season. The Bears have two third-round picks and could well take Cook if he is available. Clemson safety Michael Hamlin is another possibility. Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris has been named an All Pro several times in the past, but injury problems at the other tackle slot have meant that opponents have been able to double-team Harris. Drafting a defensive lineman with the other third-round pick would help the Bears to deal with this situation. Possible DL selections in this round are Sammie Lee Hill of Stillman or Dorell Scott of Clemson.