Kiper Jr. says wide receiver top Bears' need

If Mel Kiper Jr. were picking for the Bears at No. 18 in the first round of this year's draft, his selection would be ... Florida junior wide receiver Percy Harvin.

Kiper has been ESPN's draft expert since 1984, and he listed the Bears' top needs as wide receiver, offensive line and quarterback on Wednesday's conference call for ESPN.

"Obviously the quarterback situation has to be cleared up there moving forward," Kiper said. "But certainly wide receiver would be the one (position) you have to look at. "Percy Harvin, if he was there, would be someone they have to consider."

Harvin is undersized (5-feet-10, 180 pounds), and there is concern about his durability. He had ankle, heel and hip injuries at Florida that caused him to miss five games and a lot more practices.

But even playing with a high ankle sprain and a hairline fracture in the national championship game, Harvin ran for 122 yards on just 9 carries and caught 5 passes for another 49 yards in the 24-14 victory over Oklahoma.

Although he's too small to be considered at running back in the NFL, Harvin rushed for 660 yards on just 70 carries last season, an average of 9.4 yards per attempt, while scoring 10 touchdowns. He also caught a team-high 40 passes for 644 yards (16.1 yards per catch) with 7 TDs.

Kiper said he also would consider a defensive end for the Bears, especially if Harvin is taken.

"Their defense did not get it done in a lot of games, (so that) has to be looked at," Kiper said. "Tyson Jackson from LSU is a defensive end who would seem to fit the mold of the versatile defensive end they like."

Most fans would agree that wide receiver is the greater need for the Bears. If Harvin is gone, or if the Bears decide they need someone bigger to complement Devin Hester, there still are interesting options.

"The guys you would have to think about would be Hakeem Nicks, and you would have to look at Darrius Heyward-Bey, (especially) if he is there in the second round."

Nicks also is a junior and at 6-2 and 210 pounds has drawn comparisons to Michael Irvin because of his size, strength, toughness and physical play. In his final game for North Carolina, a 31-30 loss to West Virginia in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, Hicks was a one-man show, with 8 catches for 217 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Maryland's Heyward-Bey, also a junior, has blazing speed and has flashed elite talent but also shown inconsistencies and has disappeared for long stretches. Still, he's 6-3, 206 pounds and left Maryland as the school's No. 2 career receiver after just three seasons.

But the Bears can't count on Nicks or Heyward-Bey lasting until their second-round pick (No. 49 overall), so they might have to pull the trigger in the first round.