Breaking down the 2014 Chicago Bears Draft Choices

The NFL draft is one of my favorite parts of the NFL season, if not my favorite. For teams that are coming off a 4-12 season a year ago or for a team like the Bears that finished 8-8, the draft gives its fans a chance to believe this upcoming season is the year, even if it isn't. Despite being a Bears fan, I have to say I really liked what the Bears did in the 2014 draft and am leaning towards putting them down as the front runner to win the NFC North. 

Before the draft started, I looked at what positions I thought the Bears needed to address. First and foremost, the defensive backfield, specifically safety. Chris Conte, Major Wright and Craig Steltz clearly didn't get the job done and in my opinion were the the worst safety tandem in the NFL. Obviously losing defensive tackles Henry Melton and Nate Collins, linebackers Lance Briggs and D.J. Williams and cornerback Charles Tilliman didn't make their job any easier, but to be kind, their production was far below par. 

The next position I thought the Bears desperately needed to address was the defensive line. While signing star defensive ends Lamar Houston and Jared Allen give the Bears a whole lot more options in how they blitz opposing teams, two defensive ends can't make up an entire defensive front, depth is a must. 

And finally, offensive line. The Bears O-Line was as good as I've ever seen in my years as a Bears fan, and I think head coach Marc Trestman and offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Aaron Kromer had a lot to do with that. But the bottom line is center/guard Roberto Garza isn't getting any younger and neither are Matt Slauson nor Jermon Bushrod. 

The Bears first round draft pick (14th) was cornerback Kyle Fuller, arguably the second best cornerback in the draft behind Justin Gilbert, who was taken No. 8 overall by the Cleveland Browns. Personally, I thought the Bears were going to trade back and obtain two extra picks but instead general manager Phil Emery saw the man he wanted and took him. While I'm not an expert by any means and haven't seen much film on any of the Bears choices, I have done my fair share of research on how scouts have evaluated the majority of the players selected in last week’s draft. Fuller won't start this year unless either Tillman or Jennings go down but wouldn't be surprised to see him compete for the nickelback spot. Kalvin Hayden was solid in 2012, but missed all of last year and isn't getting any younger while Isiah Frey was a disappointment as the nickelback this past year. It should be a good battle and ultimately see Fuller working his way into the nickel spot as the regular season progresses.

Fuller can tackle, and is a bigger corner than most, a growing trend now in the NFL, especially with the league being a pass first league. While I don't see Fuller being a shutdown corner against the top teams No.1 WR, I see Fuller forcing a lot of turnovers. He hits hard, takes good angles, wraps up when he has to and goes for the ball when he can, something he'll get even better at having the opportunity to learn from Tillman and pro bowl corner Tim Jennings. 

In the second and third round, the Bears selected a pair of defensive tackles in LSU's Ergo Ferguson and Arizona State's Will Sutton. Both are extremely big and will have an opportunity to compete in the defensive line rotation. While the Bears say they're a 4-3 base defense, I can't help but wonder if that'll remain intact after this year. 

Ferguson and Sutton should be better than expected rushing the passer due to playing alongside Allen and Houston, but where I think they'll stand out is against the run, as the 3-technique. In today's ago for DT's if you can't take out the fullback against the run, trip up the runningback, or shed off a double-team you're going to have a tough time remaining on a NFL roster. But this is where I think Ferguson and Sutton will be most successful at. Stephen Paea and Nate Collins have been injury prone over the course of their NFL careers and Israel Idonjie is simply too small to line up over the center consistently, giving Sutton and Ferguson their fair share of opportunities to play DT.

In the fourth round the Bears moved up to take Minnesota safety, Brock Vereen at 131 and selected Arizona runningback Ka'deem Carey. Let me first start with Vereen, an average sized safety who has played against multiple offenses ranging from the I-formation and the spread throughout his Big Ten playing career. That will help Vereen a lot, who flashes good athletic ability from time-to-time but struggles against the deep due to his poor hip flexibility. This is something Vereen must improve in order to find himself in the mix at safety and on special teams. As for Carey, let me be honest, I'm not in love with the pick but I understood it. Carey is a big runningback at around 215 pounds, but is slow and has had character issues in the past. That being said, I see Carey as a goal line back and someone who'll be in the backfield on 3rd and long to help protect Cutler against the rush. While the Bears really only have Matt Forte and Michael Ford at runningback as of now, I'm not convinced Carey is a lock to make the Bears 53-man regular season roster. 

Due to trading up to select Vereen in the fourth round, the Bears didn't have a fifth round pick, but did possess two sixth round draft choices. With those two picks, the Bears drafted San Jose State quarterback David Fales and Miami punter Pat O'Donnell. Fales fits Trestman's offense as good as well as late round quarterback in this year's draft. 

While Fales doesn't have the strongest arm or quickest feet, Fales is extremely accurate, reads defenses and his progressions well and aware in the pocket. Trestman's offense is predicated on getting the ball out quickly and hitting the Bears weapons in stride, something Fales has shown he's been able to do over the course of his collegiate career. As for O'Donnell, it'll be interesting to see if he wins the starting job. Adam Podlesh has been a disappointment since replacing Bears great Brad Maynard. O'Donnell isn't your typical "scrawny punter." O'Donnell benched 225 pouns 23 times, just one less rep than Bears DT's Ferguson and Sutton. 

In the seventh round the Bears selected offensive tackle Charles Leno Jr. and as long as he's not as bad as former Bears seventh round draft choice in left tackle J'Marcus Webb then he'll be ok. I'm not sure Leno will make the Bears opening day roster but I do see him sticking on the Bears practice roster. Leno can play both tackle and guard, giving him an advantage over most O-Lineman. However Leno is undersized at 303 pounds and must get stronger to compete at the next level. If he does find his way onto the Bears regular season roster, I can only see it as a reserve lineman who may get in on Field Goal. 

Overall I'd give the Bears draft a B+ grade. Emery continues to prove he knows how to evaluate talent but is 1/2 in his stint as the Bears GM with his first round selections. How well Fuller does in the next three years will dictate how good this draft really was, even if the Bears other selections pan out to be better than expected.