The NFL Combine is quickly approaching, and franchises across the league are prepping to thoroughly evaluate the top prospects available in April's NFL Draft next week in Indianapolis. There will be background checks, prostate checks, and just about every other type of check you can think of.
At the end of the day, what may seem gratuitous is probably necessary, because eventually they'll have to write a ridiculous check of their own. There's a lot at stake.
The Chicago Bears have a new general manager and presumably they'll have a new scouting directive, but their needs are still very much the same as they've been for the past decade. They need a wide receiver, they need pass-rush specialist, and they very much need an offensive lineman that isn't just content to peel Jay Cutler's carcass off the soggy sod of Soldier Field.
Whether or not they can find that all in Indianapolis and inevitably in the draft is yet to be determined, but the combine marks the start of a process for Phil Emery that will decide if he can break the mold of a franchise that has made rather poor draft decisions for quite some time.
Everything the Bears have done this offseason has indicated that the Bears are comfortable with their mediocrity, but if Emery hopes to be truly successful next week will have to be the beginnings of something more.
With the 19th pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select ____?
It's a sentence that can't be completed, but we should be a little closer to an answer after next week's combine in Indy.
The Bears should have an eye on a guy that addresses one of the key areas of concern this roster has for 2012, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will. Hopefully, there will be an army of men in Chicago hats with stopwatches and clipboards present when Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd works out.
The Bears also might show interest in offensive lineman like Cordy Glenn, Mike Adams or even Peter Konz from Wisconsin. South Carolina WR Alshon Jeffery is a player the Bears should have interest in if he slides to the Bears in the second round and they haven't yet addressed their need for a playmaker on the outside.
Whitney Mercilus of Illinois might also be a guy to watch in Indianapolis, but these are all guys that would warrant an early-round pick from the Bears. The grunt work will be done as Chicago looks for guys who provide value in the late rounds.
Either way, it should be interesting, and we'll be watching when the poking and prodding begins next week at the NFL Combine.
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