Brad Biggs: Bears will rely on ‘the silent tape’ to find competitive players in the NFL draft
CHICAGO — Assistant general manager Jeff King has been with the Chicago Bears long enough — initially hired as a scouting intern in 2015 — that he surely has received plenty of historical nuggets from board member Pat McCaskey. One of the more recent ones: The cornerstone NFL franchise has been a part of every draft. The 91st NFL draft begins Thursday night.
“He said his favorite was the 1975 class headlined by Walter Payton,” King said Tuesday at Halas Hall. “So we have some work to do. ” The Bears have had some memorable drafts over the years for sure.
The 1965 class featured Hall of Famers Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers selected with the Nos. 3 and 4 picks. The 1983 class put the franchise on the fast track to its only Super Bowl championship.
The Bears enjoyed a productive draft a year ago, getting significant contributions from tight end Colston Loveland, wide receiver Luther Burden III, running back Kyle Monangai and offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo. Constructing the kind of sustainable winner the Bears envision probably will require another quality core of rookies, and the challenge is greater this year with the team picking near the end of the first round at No. 25.
While the Bears owned three second-round picks last year, they have two this time and are in a solid position with four picks in the top 89. General manager Ryan Poles touched on a few topics Tuesday — he said the team will work on a potential contract extension for right tackle Darnell Wright in the near future — before having King, promoted after the departure of Ian Cunningham to the Atlanta Falcons, handle all draft topics. No one talks in specifics at this time of year, but while being vague overall, King was highly detailed in terms of what the team is seeking.
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