Bears Pick Linebacker, Tackle, Defensive End, Wide Receiver On Last Draft Day
Updated 04/27/13 - 6:50 p.m.
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The third day of the NFL draft started a lot like the first two for the Chicago Bears, who devoted their fourth- and fifth-round picks to more linebacker and offensive line help.
The Bears selected linebacker Khaseem Greene of Rutgers in the fourth round Saturday, then, after trading down 10 spots in round five, took Louisiana Tech offensive tackle Jordan Mills. The Bears added Georgia defensive end Cornelius Washington in Round 6 with the 188th overall selection and in round seven selected Washington State wide receiver Marquess Wilson with the 236th pick.
Greene, who is 6-foot-1, 241 pounds, converted from safety to outside linebacker in 2011 and set an NCAA record with 15 career forced fumbles.
On Friday, the Bears had used their second-round pick on inside linebacker Jonathan Bostic from Florida. Their third-round pick had been traded in 2012 to Miami for wide receiver Brandon Marshall.
The Bears had less need at outside linebacker than inside after parting ways with veteran Brian Urlacher, but also lost strong side linebacker Nick Roach in free agency to the Oakland Raiders. They have signed former Carolina Panthers linebacker James Anderson as a possible replacement.
Greene, who went to Chicago with the 117th overall pick, thinks his experience as a safety only benefited him at linebacker.
The Bears had drafted Oregon guard Kyle Long in Round 1 Thursday, then picked Mills Saturday after dealing their 153rd overall pick to Atlanta for the 163rd pick and also an extra seventh-rounder, 235 overall. Mills, who is 6-foot-5 and 316 pounds, started all 25 games the last two seasons for Louisiana Tech at right tackle. He is the cousin of Green Bay Packers defensive back Tramon Williams.
Washington, a 6-4, 265-pounder, had 10 1/2 sacks and 17 tackles for loss in four seasons for Georgia. He played linebacker and defensive end. Washington had an NFL combine-best 36 repetitions for linebackers in the bench press at 225 pounds.
Wilson, a 6-2, 194-pound wideout, was Washington State's team MVP in 2011. In 2012, he lost his starting job before the Stanford game, was suspended in November after he walked out of a conditioning session that he deemed too long, and then quit the team before issuing a statement accusing coach Mike Leach of "physical, emotional and verbal abuse."
(© 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.)
