Bears agree to terms with Oregon center
Once again the Bears wasted no time in getting all their draft picks under contract.
Center Hroniss Grasu signed a four-year contract early Friday morning, making the third-round pick from Oregon the sixth and final Bears draftee to sign before the three-day rookie minicamp got under way with Friday's late-morning practice. Only the Miami Dolphins got all their draft picks under contract before the Bears.
Grasu was a 52-game starter for the Ducks and was an All-Pac-12 first-team all-conference selection the past three years. He is expected to compete with unrestricted free agent Will Montgomery for the starting job once training camp begins in late July.
The 6-foot-3, 297-pound Grasu is reunited with guard Kyle Long, whom he played with for one season at Oregon.
"I can't wait to play with him again," Grasu said. "Kyle's my best friend; he's a brother to me. Our relationship is unbelievable. It was like that (during) our time at Oregon and now being able to continue that is unbelievable."
Grasu was already a starter when Long transferred in from Saddelback CC in Mission Viejo, Calif. After playing on a rotational basis early in his only season at Oregon, Long was promoted to a full-time starter after an injury to another player. Long and Grasu meshed almost immediately, on and off the field, even though they started just five games together in 2013.
"I can't tell you how many times he came over to my house -- uninvited," Grasu said with a smile. "The door was always open, and he would come over, and I would catch him on my couch watching TV. That's what I love about Kyle. We clicked right away and we became brothers right away. Our families are very close. It's a special thing."
Quick study:
Much has been made of the adjustments first-round draft pick Kevin White will have to make in the NFL.
At West Virginia, he always lined up on the right side and did not run a full route tree. He will also need to be more precise on his route-running, but offensive coordinator Adam Gase isn't worried.
"Moving him around a little bit is going to be different for him, but I don't think intelligence-wise we have any concerns with him," Gase said. "We brought him in for his interview and he was outstanding, picked up what we taught him very quickly and was able to bring it back to us. (Wide receivers) coach (Mike) Groh had a really good feel for him, and I think he's going to fit in well with us."
Walking it off: Second-round defensive tackle Eddie Goldman and sixth-round offensive tackle Tayo Fabuluje both left the practice field at Halas Hall -- under their own power -- but did not return.
"I don't want to report about anything that happens on the field," coach John Fox said, "especially in these camps."
So there you have it -- or not.
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