Now that the Bears have addressed their biggest need by signing wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad, their draft strategy is up for review.
“This gives us a lot of latitude,” general manager Jerry Angelo said. “I’m not ruling out anything now. We always say we want the best player, and we lean toward a need, but this opens it up.”
The addition of Muhammad lessens the need to draft a receiver but, given the Bears’ struggles in the passing game, doesn’t eliminate it.
The Bears were unlikely to come out of the first round with a receiver even before signing Muhammad because Michigan’s Braylon Edwards easily could go before the Bears make the fourth pick on April 23. New San Francisco coach Mike Nolan even mentioned Edwards as a possibility for the No. 1 pick.
Running back remains the most likely position for the Bears’ first-round pick, but Muhammad’s presence changes the second-round outlook.
They are still likely to take an offensive player there, but now the need is not desperate.
That’s one reason defensive coordinator Ron Rivera was glad to see his bosses sign Muhammad and eliminate the assumption that the first two picks would be spent on offense.
The defense’s biggest need is an outside linebacker to play next to Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. Joe Odom and Hunter Hillenmeyer have failed to nail down the job despite opportunities the last two seasons.
Even with the Muhammad signing, Rivera is unlikely to get help in the first round because the draft is top-heavy with offense.
The fourth pick appears too high to take any of the top defenders, such as West Virginia cornerback Adam Jones or Miami cornerback Antrel Rolle.
With a high second-round pick, the Bears could be looking at outside linebackers like Darryl Blackstock of Virginia and Kevin Burnett of Tennessee.
If the Bears take a running back with their first pick, a second-round receiver to play opposite Muhammad remains a possibility.
“This gives us more flexibility, and we’re not ruling out receiver,” Angelo said. “There’s nothing wrong with [adding] two, and we like [Bernard] Berrian and [Justin] Gage.”
After Edwards, the second receiver taken may be USC’s 6-foot-5, 228-pound Mike Williams. He ran a 4.59-second 40-yard dash at the combine, not fast enough to challenge Edwards to be the first receiver taken but good enough to have teams thinking about him in the top 10.
Oklahoma’s Mark Clayton looks like a first-round lock. Georgia’s Reggie Brown could go quickly too.
But it’s that first tier of running backs that will probably tempt the Bears with the fourth pick. If Edwards and quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith are gone, the Bears would have their choice of running backs.
Auburn’s Ronnie Brown, 6 feet and 231 pounds, has 4.45 speed in the 40-yard dash and could give the Bears a good complement to Thomas Jones.
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Moose vs. Bears
How Muhsin Muhammad stacks up with the top Bears receivers of the recent past.
Year / Player / YDS / C / TD
MOOSE
2004 Muhammad 1,405 / 93 / 16
BEARS
2003 Marty Booker 715 / 52 / 4
2002 Marty Booker 1,189 / 97 / 7
2001 Marty Booker 1,071 / 100 / 8
2000 Marcus Robinson 738 / 55 / 5
1999 Marcus Robinson 1,400 / 84 /9
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Edited by Phillip Thompson (plthompson@tribune.com) and Chris Courtney (cdcourtney@tribune.com)
