The Bears are quietly coveting some Cornerbacks before next weeks draft.  Some project as more of a Free Safety in the NFL, which would be nice, but some quality depth at corners would be a smart pick too.  Currently, Zachary Bowman looks to start opposite Charles Tillman, with Corey Graham backing them up.  Newly acquired Tim Jennings best fit seems to be at nickel back.  Unproven  DJ Moore will likely struggle to see the field again this year.  Here are a few possibilities to add depth and also some Safety prospects:

Jerome Murphy 6’0″ 196  South Florida (projected 3rd rd)

Despite his lanky frame, Murphy is one of the biggest hitters in this years cornerback draft class.  Willing and physical tackler on the outside.  Uses a good burst and his 4.50 speed to track the ball in the air.  Can play press coverage, but seems more comfortable in a zone defense.  While sometimes a step slow getting to a receiver in his zone, he will lay that receiver out.  Extremely tough, and uses his long arms to break up passes.  Would be a good value pick if he falls to the 3rd round.

Akwasi Owusu-Ansah 6’0″ 207  Indiana (PA) (proj. 3rd rd)

Plays with aggression at the line, while showing good flexibility and footwork in his backpedal.  Could flourish in a zone system at the Free Safety position.  Oh, and he’s fast…real fast.  Ran a 4.32 40-time.  Also has excellent hands, and is strong enough to snatch the ball out of the grasp of receivers.  You might want to start practicing pronouncing his name, because, well, he is also a great kick returner.  Some scouts have him being taken in the 2nd round, but a shoulder injury might drop him into the 3rd and even early 4th. (pictured)

Amari Spievey 5’11” 195  Iowa (projected 4th round)

Very experienced zone corner.  Has great awareness of receivers and the ability to close in either direction.  Has great hands, and can adjust to the ball to make a play.  A good tackler, registering 124 tackles his last two seasons at Iowa, showing a willingness to support the run.  With his 4.52 speed, sometimes gets caught behind a receiver.  Will need to use his instincts and not get fooled with double moves.

Myron Lewis 6’2″ 203  Vanderbilt (projected 5th rd)

With his size and good read and react skills, has the ability to play Safety at the next level.  Recognizes and diagnoses routes, then puts himself in great position to make a play on the ball.  Can read the action in the backfield in order to jump routes.  Plays the run well, is a secure open-field tackler, and is willing to lay the wood when called upon.  Uses his 4.42 speed and agility to play multiple positions in the defensive backfield.  Since it seems that Jerry Angelo’s main goal is to fill the entire roster with Vanderbilt Commodores, don’t be surprised if he jumps on Lewis in the 4th round.

Luckily for the Bears, the 2010 draft class is full of quality safeties.  The Bears have a roster full of Strong Safeties, but absolutely no quality or depth at the Free Safety position.  While I’m still holding out hope for OJ Atogwe to come fill that need, some depth certainly wouldn’t hurt.  I’m also looking for someone that could make an impact on special teams….and not at kick returner.  While I’d love for Georgia Tech’s Morgan Burnett or South Florida’s Nate Allen to fall to the 3rd round, it’s just not going to happen.  So let’s take a look at some other  possibilities.

Major Wright 6’0″  206  Florida (projected 3rd rd)

He reads and reacts quickly to the ball and gets there with excellent footwork and straight line speed (4.47 40-time).  Has plenty of range over the middle and is quick to come downhill in run support.  Closes quickly with good ball skills, and can deliver a good pop when needed.  NFL scouts believe he’ll make an immediate impact on special teams with his physical play.  While he has improved every year at Florida, he is coming out a year early as only a junior.

Kam Chancellor 6’3″  232  Virginia Tech (proj. 3rd rd)

Kam switched from Strong Safety to Free Safety as a junior, and did struggle at times.  But his physicality and great open field tackling made up for his 4.58 speed.  Has great instincts, particularly in zone defenses, but is still an unfinished product.  He is a pure athlete, and could help on special teams immediately.  I’m just afraid that he might make a better Strong Safety at the NFL level.  But with his size, it might be worth the gamble.

Darrell Stuckey 6’0″  207  Kansas (projected 4th rd)

Very versatile and won’t be a size-speed mismatch regardless of where he lines up on a given down.  Reads quarterbacks eyes, and anticipates throws underneath.  He’s intimidating roaming the deep half with his 4.50 speed and will pound a receiver over the middle when needed.  Can line up on a slot receiver when needed and can fill holes against the run.  He is a secure tackler and another player that could make an immediate impact on special teams.  He also can return kicks, so dumbass Jerry Angelo will probably trade up to get him.

Myron Rolle 6’2″  217 Florida State (projected 6th rd)

Has only adequate 4.59 speed but good instincts.  He is rarely out of position, and can locate the ball quickly.  Can line up all over the field and can handle mulitple assignments….Lovie’s dream safety.  With all that being said, with his size and only average speed, he might be a better Strong Safety.  But I believe he is someone you can’t pass on if he’s still available in the 6th round.  Added bonus:  he’s actually smart, real smart.  After gradutating from FSU, he spent a year at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.  Maybe he can teach Devin Hester how to read.

Robert Johnson 6’2″ 203  Utah (projected 6th rd)

Takes proper angles on receivers coming over the middle and can properly track the ball in the air.  Has good range and can break up passes using his height.  Has decent straight-line speed (4.56), but it’s his ball skills and good instincts that make him a valuable late round pick.  Does struggle with man coverage, so Lovie’s Cover 2 defense might be the perfect fit for him.

Looking for the next Brandon Marshall, or at the least a WR that is tall enough to ride all the rides at Disney World.  Knox, Bennett, Hester, and Rashied are all 6’0″ and under.  Aromashodu is 6’2″, but I feel he’s still unproven.  Plus, it’s not a bad thing to have more than one tall, talented receiver, that will go up and get a jump ball.  And I don’t really care if he “fits” in Martz’s new system, because what’s the chances Martz is here next year?  Exactly.  There are a handful on 6’3″ and taller receivers, that run at least a 4.49 40-time that are projected to go from rounds 3-6.  Let’s take a look at a few of them.

Carlton Mitchell  6’4″, 212  USF (projected 3rd round)

Ran a 4.42 and gets to a top speed faster than expected for his height.  Eats up cushion and blows by defenders.  Excellent red zone threat and runs great stop and comeback routes.  He is also a willing and effective blocker.  Uses his huge 10-5/8″ hands well to snag the ball.

David Gettis  6’3″, 217  Baylor (projected 4th round)

Accelerates quickly off the line with his 4.47 speed and gets past corners with his long strides.  Has great body control, and can sell the deep route, making curl routes easy completions.  Still a little raw, and will need to be coached with his route running, but has the potential to be a dangerous receiver.  Oh, and Lovie, if you’re reading this, he can also return kicks.

Riley Cooper  6’4″, 222 Florida (projected 5th round)

Uses his 10 1/2″ hands well to get a free release at the line and can eat up cushion quickly.  Times his leaps well, and has definite size advantage against defenders.  A savvy route runner, but also has good body control to extend for poorly thrown passes (for when Jay is running for his life).  Loves the game of football so much, he turned down a contract to play baseball for the Texas Rangers.  Ran a 4.49 40-time.

Marcus Easley  6’3″, 214  UConn (projected 6th round)

Ran a 4.46 40-time and uses his strong hands to snatch the ball out of the air.  Can sell routes to shake defenders, and uses his size for jump balls.  Also, a solid and willing blocker.  A little raw from inexperience while at UConn since they were mostly a got off the bus running run oriented team until his senior season, when he caught 48 passes.

The Bears have a few holes to fill in the draft. Offensive guard is one of those positions, considering the Bears will most likely move Frank Omiyale to his natural position of right tackle. Garza will still man his right guard position, moving Beekman temporarily to left guard and back up center. Doesn’t leave a lot of depth.

Let’s take a look at possible guards available that will be available in rounds 3-7.

Brandon Carter 6’6″, 326  Texas Tech (projected 4th round):

This guy is a monster. Literally, just look at the picture. He’s a strong pass protector, who delivers a punch and plays with a wide base. Rarely gets pushed back. Will reach to chip on nose (Kruetz will need the help) and defensive end. Will turn his man out of the hole on running plays and doesn’t let go until after the whistle. He’s intimidating and has the attitude to match.

John Jerry 6’6″, 332  Ole Miss (projected 5th round)

Jerry is another strong pass blocker. Locks on and controls the pass rusher with his sticky hands. He just isn’t big, but very strong. He broke the Ole Miss record with 34 reps of the 225 lb bench press last year. Tommy likey. He also has a brother who was a first round pick and plays DT for the Falcons.

Marshall Newhouse 6’3″ 326  TCU (projected 5th round)

This guy has been labeled a “sleeper” on many draft boards. He has a strong anchor and rarely gets pushed back into the quarterback. He sets quickly, has good knee-bend, and extends his arms for maximum push. Comes off the ball quickly on running plays. At the East-West Shrine Game practices, he played all 4 exterior offensive line positions, showing off his versatility.

“Housekeeping, you want me fluff pillow?”

Those were possibly the words from Lovie Smith’s mouth as he showed up on Julius Pepper’s doorstep at 11:01pm CST, the first night of free agency.  For Lovie Smith, drastic times calls for drastic measures.  Criticized by his lack of aggressiveness, Lovie took it upon himself to escort to Chicago, THE biggest free agent on the market.  When I say big, I mean big.  Peppers is a 6″7″, 285 sack machine.  He eats pieces of shit quarterbacks for breakfast and makes home in opponents backfields.

He strikes fear in opposition.  Don’t believe me?  The day after the Bears signed Peppers, Vikings coach Brad Childress flew to Hattisburg, Mississippi to visit Brett Favre.  I would guess he found Brett in the corner in a feetle position sucking his thumb.  All I know is Brett didn’t tell him he was coming back.  It also forced the Packers to resign their two starting offensive tackles.  Clifton, who will be 34, and Tauscher, who will be 33, before the season starts.

The signing was a gutsy one and a smart one.  But of course, the morons on ESPN critics would have you believe otherwise.  Their excuse is that there were other holes to fill, like on the offensive line and at safety.  Which they are correct about the holes, but the season isn’t starting tomorrow.  The Bears CAN still address those positions in free agency yet, or in the draft.  All I know is Peppers is WAY better than Ogunleye.  Is there a salary cap this year?  NO.  Did the Bears front load Peppers contract so his large salary doesn’t handcuff them in years to come?  YES.   Seems pretty simple to me.

“Just when I think you possibly couldn’t be any dumber, you go do something like this…”

That’s right folks, 2 weeks before the free agency period begins, the Bears fired their Director of Pro Personnel, Bobby DePaul.  Yeah, the guy that manages all the free agent signings and trades.  Yep, the guy responsible for the Jay Cutler trade, along with some nice signings over the last 8 years including: Thomas Jones, John Tait, Desmond Clark, Roberto Garza, Devin Aromashodu, and the most accurate kicker  in NFL history (including playoffs), Robbie Gould.  But don’t get me wrong, he wasn’t perfect either.  I mean, Kordell Stewart and Jonathan Quinn did fall under his regime.  Now, I’m not counting the worst ever the very dissappointing Adam Archuleta and Orlando Pace, since Hub Arkush confirmed that those were total Lovie Smith signings.

And now the rumor is Greg Gabriel, the Director of College Scouting, is the next to go with the draft being just around the corner.  Why wouldn’t they do this in January?  Way to go!  Nice timing guys!    This is basically the same as firing Santa Claus in early December.

I honestly don’t know what else I can say, this is a total embarrassment as a Chicago Bears fan…..so I guess I’ll just leave you with this:

“That’s it!  I’ve had it with this dump!  We’ve got no food, we’ve got no jobs, our pets’ heads are falling off!!”