Who will emerge as Bears' best linebackers?

The Bears will have plenty of linebackers on the field when they conduct their first minicamp in the days before the draft.

But it will take some time to figure out how many of the holdovers, who were acquired for their ability to play in a 4-3 defense, will adapt to the new 3-4 scheme.

Former starting defensive ends Jared Allen, Willie Young and Lamarr Houston will be tried at linebacker this year. They will join a crowded house that includes two UFA signings and holdover linebackers Shea McClellin, Jon Bostic, Christian Jones, Khaseem Greene and DeDe Lattimore.

Jones showed tremendous potential last year as a rookie, finishing third on the team in tackles after going undrafted out of Florida State. Bostic has flashed but has not shown the consistency yet to win a starting job.

McClellin has 20 starts over the past two years but has never played like a first-rounder, although he may be a better fit in a 3-4 than he was in the Bears 4-3 in his first three years. Greene, a fourth-round pick in 2013, enters a make-or-break year after being a game day inactive four times last season.

The Bears made their biggest off-season splash in free agency with the addition of 6-foot-3, 280-pound Pernell McPhee, a proven difference-maker at outside linebacker in the Ravens' stellar 3-4 defense. McPhee had 7 1/2 sacks last season despite not starting any games. He played behind Pro Bowlers Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil, but will be a focal point of the Bears' new defense, where he will also occasionally deploy from the D-line.

The Bears also added veteran outside linebacker Sam Acho in free agency. He started 32 games in four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals but just six in the previous two years. Acho had 11 sacks in his first two seasons, when he started 26 games.

The Bears don't expect seven-time Pro Bowler Lance Briggs back, even though he's languished on the free-agent market. But Briggs is 34 and has missed 15 games over the past two seasons with various injuries.