Chicago Bears 2007 Draft Preview

By Tony Moss Apr 4, 2007, 15:10 GMT

- The Bears front seven was pushed around a fair amount in the latter stages of the 2007 season, so Chicago GM Jerry Angelo and head coach Lovie Smith are likely to focus on that area on the first day of the draft. A replacement for disgruntled linebacker Lance Briggs could come in the first round. Safety help should also be a priority for a team that has the oft-injured Mike Brown and Rams and Redskins failure Adam Archuleta on the current depth chart there. Offensively, there has been some lip service paid to allowing special teams ace Adrian Peterson back Cedric Benson at running back following the Thomas Jones trade, but it seems highly likely that Chicago will select a running back on the first day. Depth at wideout and along the offensive line will probably be among the second-day fare.

2006 Record: 13-3

First Pick: No. 31

Number of Selections: 7 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 7)

RECENT FIRST ROUND HISTORY: 2006 - none; 2005 - Cedric Benson (RB, Texas); 2004 - Tommie Harris (DT, Oklahoma); 2003 - Michael Haynes (DE, Penn State), Rex Grossman (QB, Florida); 2002 - Marc Colombo (OT, Boston College); 2001 - David Terrell (WR, Michigan); 2000 - Brian Urlacher (LB, New Mexico); 1999 - Cade McNown (QB, UCLA); 1998 - Curtis Enis (RB, Penn State); 1997 - none; 1996 - Walt Harris (CB, Mississippi State); 1995 - Rashaan Salaam (RB, Colorado); 1994 - John Thierry (DE, Alcorn State); 1993 - Curtis Conway (WR, Southern California); 1992 - Alonzo Spellman (DE, Ohio State); 1991 - Stan Thomas (OT, Texas); 1990 - Mark Carrier (S, Southern California).

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