Time for Bears to stock up

The Bears don't want to admit their punchless offense needs a complete makeover.

But how else can anyone describe the task they face in rebuilding a unit that finished last season as the worst in the NFL in average gain per rush?

They also finished No. 30 in rushing yards, No. 27 in total yards and No. 29 in third-down efficiency.

Fortunately for general manager Jerry Angelo, this year's draft has plenty of what the Bears need.

The Class of 2008 is rich in talented offensive linemen, which should be Angelo's most pressing concern. There are several offensive tackles who could start as rookies.

The running backs crop, while not stocked with tremendous talent at the top, is extremely deep.

Productive ball carriers may be available well into the fourth round and beyond, even though not all of them are traditional featured runners and every-down players.

At wide receiver, the Bears now have a mix of potential and mediocrity but nothing special, unless Devin Hester instantly brings the same level of production to the passing attack that he has to the return game.

Although there are no Calvin Johnson-type wideout talents this year, there could be 10-12 receivers worth taking in the first two rounds.

Common sense says the Bears should take the best offensive lineman still on the board with their 14th overall pick.

While they might like to have Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall, a Niles West product who could supply the big plays that Cedric Benson has not, the Bears absolutely have to upgrade their offensive line before they can expect any skill-position player to produce.

"You can't win in this league or in any league without being solid up front, no matter how good your running back is, no matter how good your quarterback is," offensive coordinator Ron Turner said.

"It all starts up there. You need guys to come off the ball and be physical to run the football no matter who your back is, and (you have to) protect the quarterback. Obviously, we lost two starters on the offensive line (right tackle Fred Miller and left guard Ruben Brown), and we need to address that."

Ideally, the Bears can get a lineman who can play left tackle immediately (Vanderbilt's Chris Williams, Pitt's Jeff Otah and Virginia's Branden Albert all are possibilities), allowing left tackle John Tait to move back to right tackle, strengthening two positions with one move.

"It's critical to have someone over there who can do all the things you want your left tackle to do," Turner said.

As for a quality running back, Turner has been a big Mendenhall fan since he recruited him when he was head coach at Illinois.

"I think he showed that he can definitely deliver the home run," Turner said.

According to Angelo, Benson's failure to provide the Bears with a franchise running back and the fractured ankle that ended his 2007 season make it likely the Bears will add someone this weekend to challenge him for the starting job.

"There's just going to be more competition until somebody proves they're the guy," Angelo said. "We want to create competition at all the positions we feel we didn't necessarily get the production from. Because we didn't do much in free agency, it puts us more into a draft mode."

With four picks in the first three rounds (Nos. 14, 44, 70 and 90 overall), the Bears could get an offensive lineman, wide receiver, running back and quarterback, though not necessarily in that order.

They have a total of 11 picks, with four in the seventh round, including three of the last 10 choices, all of which are compensatory picks.

The quarterback class is mediocre at best, and the top four could all be gone by the Bears' second-round pick, leaving them to select a long-term project. But they can't be expected to cure all their ills in one draft.

"We want to come out with potentially four starters," Angelo said. "If we can't, at least (come out) with three (starters) and then that fourth player filling a need in some capacity on our team.

"If the right (quarterback) were there, we would not be afraid to pull the trigger. I'm not going to rule that out. Certainly we feel good about Kyle (Orton) and Rex (Grossman).

"We've won with both of them. There is open competition at the position. We would like to have another guy coming in here and developing and training with them."