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Perfect Bears Round 1 Pick Should Address Need Rather Than Legacy

An attempt to name the "perfect pick" for the Bears at No. 25 in Round 1 seems perfect for 2012, but their current situation on defense demands more.
Gene Chamberlain|
Texas linebacker Anthony Hill speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine.
Texas linebacker Anthony Hill speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Sometimes draft need is more than just filling up a vacant or weaker spot in the starting lineup.

A need can also be living up to legacy. At least that's what NFL writing veteran Rob Rang said the Bears should do when he assessed each team's ideal draft pick to make for Fox Sports.

The "perfect pick" for the Bears, according to Rang, is Texas inside linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. They haven't had a middle linebacker who is dominant in quite a while, and it's one of the positions where they've built a legacy.

"With all due respect, the Bears haven't been the 'Monsters of the Midway' on defense for quite some time," Rang wrote. "The last Chicago linebacker selected to the Pro Bowl was both Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs back in 2011, with the former also being the last to make first-team All-Pro 20 years ago."

The Bears could always use another good linebacker. There's no denying this.

There are reasons why, extending beyond the lack of postseason honors by their players at these positions.

Injury questions at the position

T.J. Edwards is coming off a broken leg suffered in January. There could be some concern about his availability to start training camp. Noah Sewell suffered a torn Achilles tendon late in the season, and his availability at any time before the middle of the season seems in question.

While they signed free agent Devin Bush as their top addition at the position, it wouldn't be out of the question if they sought to add a linebacker.

Jack Sanborn came back from Dallas but that's more as a possible depth competitor for third or fourth linebacker and for special teams.

They signed D'Marco Jackson back at enough pay to indicate he could be expected to start or to compete for a starting role.

A good player but ...

Hill is a real attacking force against the run. He led the SEC in tackles for loss in 2024, had four sacks and 249 tackles in three seasons. At 6-3, 238, and with 4.5-second speed, he would bring the Bears back the height and overall size they seemed to lose when Tremaine Edmunds was released.

Then again, it might actually be better to draft a player worthy of a Round 1 selection in, uh, you know, Round 1. They could probably get Hill in Round 3. He is graded 86th on the Pro Football Focus big board and Rang is taking him 25th. Think of the media outcry for that pick

There are real needs greater than linebacker for the Bears even if they could use another one. They're missing a safety starter, and their pass rush is lacking. Their run defense was among the league's worst for two seasons, and the linebacker position wasn't necessarily to blame. They need more help on the defensive line at both tackle and end.

Restoring the "Monsters of the Midway" reputation might be a nice thought, but this draft is about restoring a full defense and there are greater weaknesses to address early than linebacker.

Perhaps their new Pro Bowl linebacker will be Bush, after two good seasons in Cleveland and a three-year, $30 million contract. Getting back Edwards would go a long way in this regard, as well.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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