Draft experts see Bears filling O-line need first

Include ESPN’s NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. among the many who believe the Bears’ greatest need this off-season is an offensive lineman.

“Offensive line is the big issue, be it a tackle or interior presence,” Kiper said Wednesday on a national conference call. “They’ve got to protect (Jay) Cutler. You’re not going anywhere unless Cutler is upright. He took too many hits and, of course, he got hurt in the playoff game.”

Cutler was sacked 52 times in 15 games last season, more than anyone in the NFL.

If the Bears address the O-line, they may want to decide where Chris Williams will play before they focus on a tackle, guard or center with their first-round pick at the No. 29 spot. It’s also possible that the Bears will decide Williams’ fate after they make their first pick, depending on whom they take.

The 6-foot-6, 315-pound Williams was the Bears’ No. 1 pick (14th overall) in 2008 because they envisioned him as their left tackle for the next decade. After an injury-marred rookie season, Williams started the first 11 games in 2009 at right tackle and transitioned to left tackle for the final five games.

That’s where he started the first two games last season, but after a hamstring injury sidelined him for three games and necessitated the move of Frank Omiyale from right tackle to left, Williams was plugged in at left guard when he returned and started the final 11 games there with mixed results.

“We have a few options, a few directions we can go,” coach Lovie Smith said. “Chris has played both tackle positions and guard for us. We don’t have to make those decisions right now. We just know that Chris is a part of our future, and once we lock him into a position — maybe the one he’s in right now — I’m anxious to see exactly where we end up playing him.”

If the Bears still believe Williams has a future at left guard, they can target a guard or an eventual replacement for 33-year-old center Olin Kreutz. The 13-year veteran is eligible for free agency, but the Bears are expected to re-sign him for another year or two. Age is also a concern at right guard, where Robert Garza will turn 32 later this month.

“You’ve got to just address (the offensive line),” Kiper said. “You’ve got to get better. Even though it improved as the season went along from where it was early, I think an interior presence — Kreutz is getting up there in age — or a tackle (should be the top priority).”

Kiper mentioned Florida center-guard Mike Pouncey and Colorado tackle Nate Solder as possibilities for the Bears, but it’s possible neither will be available near the end of the round. Danny Watkins, who played left tackle at Baylor but projects to guard in the NFL, and Georgia’s Clint Bolling are the only other two interior players with consistent first-round grades, although both could fall into Round Two.

In the second round, Kiper says the Bears will have a better chance of landing an impact player at defensive tackle than on the offensive line. He believes the Bears could have a shot at LSU’s Drake Nevis, North Carolina’s Marvin Austin or Iowa’s Christian Ballard in the second round.

“You can definitely get players in the second-round area at the defensive tackle spot that could be a factor for you,” Kiper said. “There’s no question about that. At offensive tackle, not so much.”

If they wait until the second round for an offensive tackle, Kiper believes Mississippi State’s Derek Sherrod, Villanova’s Ben Ijalana, Alabama’s James Carpenter and Florida’s Marcus Gilbert could be available.

“There are options there; it’s just slim pickings,” Kiper said. “You have a better chance to get a defensive tackle than you would an offensive tackle at that point.”