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NFC North teams added dozens of intriguing young players over the weekend. They filled glaring holes and added to already-established strengths. Some areas remain weak, of course, while other selections created new storylines we hadn't anticipated.

So here's my post-draft plan. We'll use this post to lay out the unfilled holes and new storylines and then circle back over the next days and weeks as needed. I'll also sprinkle in some interesting and/or offbeat stories that emerged from the draft but would have been buried if I had posted them over the weekend.

Issue: The Green Bay Packers continued signaling potential change at left tackle.
Analysis: Coach Mike McCarthy said in March that the team needed better play from its left tackle position, manned last season by Marshall Newhouse. Then the Packers went out and drafted Colorado's David Bakhtiari and Cornell's J.C. Tretter in the fourth round. Bakhtiari has played left and right tackle; Tretter played tackle as well but might project as a guard. Saturday, McCarthy left all options open at the position -- including moving right tackle Bryan Bulaga back to the position he played at Iowa. McCarthy also said he is "really counting" on Derek Sherrod, the Packers' top pick in 2011 who hasn't played since breaking his leg late that season, to compete for the job. Don Barclay, who started four games last season at right tackle (plus another two in the playoffs), is also in the mix. Suddenly, the Packers have six legitimate possibilities to compete for the left and right tackle spots if they want. Moving Bulaga isn't as easy as it sounds, and there is something to be said for leaving him at a position he has excelled at. But it's telling that the Packers are even considering it.

Issue: The Packers drafted 11 players, but none of them were safeties.
Analysis: General manager Ted Thompson said afterwards that he has faith in incumbents M.D. Jennings and Jerron McMillian, who will compete to play alongside Morgan Burnett. We'll see if the Packers feel compelled to kick the tires on a veteran. Among those available are Quintin Mikell, Kerry Rhodes and Gerald Sensabaugh. Historically, the Packers' approach has been to evaluate younger incumbents first before seeking veteran replacements elsewhere.

Issue: None of the Minnesota Vikings' nine draft choices play middle linebacker.
Analysis: We should note that the Vikings used a seventh-round pick on Penn State's Michael Mauti, who has been projected as a middle/inside linebacker by some. But Mauti is recovering from his third career ACL tear and can't be counted on to fill any sort of significant role. Internal candidates include Erin Henderson, the strong-side linebacker whom the Vikings have said could play inside if needed, and 2012 seventh-round pick Audie Cole. The elephant in the room is veteran Brian Urlacher, who was reported at one point this spring to have had conversations with Vikings officials. Urlacher isn't anything close to the profile of the player general manager Rick Spielman typically brings in, but this is an extenuating circumstance. Remember, the Vikings used their nickel defense on 58.9 percent of their snaps last season. Whomever plays middle linebacker for the Vikings could be off the field for two of every five snaps.

Issue: The Vikings used a fifth-round pick to make Jeff Locke the first punter drafted.
Analysis: In the past five years, four punters have been selected with a fifth-round pick or higher. All four became their team's primary punters in their rookie seasons. There is every reason to believe the Vikings plan for Locke to replace veteran Chris Kluwe, perhaps as soon as they get a look at him during their rookie minicamp this summer. I know that Spielman said Locke was brought in "to compete" for the job, but that competition will be short and one-sided. NFL teams don't use draft picks on specialists unless they are certain they want to make a change.

Issue: The Detroit Lions didn't draft an offensive tackle after the departure of both 2012 starters.
Analysis: Riley Reiff, the Lions' top draft choice in 2012, will start at left tackle. The Lions' right tackle could be Jason Fox or Corey Hilliard. That still leaves the Lions thin along the line, especially at right guard if rookie Larry Warford isn't ready to step in right away. Regardless, Lions general manager Martin Mayhew made clear the Lions need to add more depth. "We're really young there so we'll look at some veteran guys there I think over the next few weeks."

Issue: The Lions didn't draft a receiver until the sixth round (Virginia Tech's Corey Fuller), but they almost….
Analysis: According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Lions told Michigan's Denard Robinson that they planned to draft him with the No. 136 overall pick. Mayhew had spoken before the draft about Robinson's potential as a "slash" player from the backfield and/or slot receiver position. Robinson, however, was selected at No. 135 by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Eventually the Lions used the No. 166 overall pick to select Notre Dame's Theo Riddick, who is not as explosive as Robinson but is a good receiver out of the backfield in his own right. Ultimately, the Lions finished this draft thin at the traditional receiver position given the injury rehabilitations of Nate Burleson and Ryan Broyles.

Issue: The Chicago Bears did not draft a quarterback, seemingly leaving Josh McCown as the primary backup to Jay Cutler.
Analysis: The Bears figured to be a candidate to draft a quarterback in part because of coach Marc Trestman's expertise in developing them and in part to end the cycle of searching for a veteran backup each year. In the end, the Bears couldn't justify drafting one given their limited number of picks. (They started with five and through trades finished with six.) Said general manager Phil Emery: "Things would have to line up perfect to take a quarterback with five picks." McCown was relatively impressive during a two-start stint to end the 2011 season, but overall he has played in a total of six games over the past five seasons. I wouldn't call this the Bears' most pressing need, and the Bears signaled as much with their draft results.

Issue: The Bears feel better about their tight end situation than most draft pundits.
Analysis: Many draft analysts thought the Bears would draft Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert if they had a chance, but they passed him up Thursday night in favor of offensive lineman Kyle Long. Eifert went one pick later to the Cincinnati Bengals. It's true that Eifert would have been a luxury pick given the free-agent acquisition of tight end Martellus Bennett, but in the larger sense he would have been another weapon for quarterback Jay Cutler's make-or-break season.

With their top four cornerbacks (Charles Tillman, Tim Jennings, Kelvin Hayden and Zack Bowman) signed only through 2013, the feeling is the Chicago Bears will look to select a cornerback during NFL Draft weekend.

The question is when.

The top of the draft is littered with talented cornerbacks who could fit the Bears' needs, including Florida State's Xavier Rhodes, Washington's Desmond Trufant, Mississippi State's Darius Slay and Johnthan Banks and Boise State's Jamar Taylor, a former teammate of the Bears 2012 first round draft choice Shea McClellin.

Considering the Bears spent so much time scouting McClellin at Boise State last year, the club should have a thorough scouting report on Taylor, same with Oregon State cornerback Jordan Poyer, a third-round prospect who played with second-year Bears safety Brandon Hardin in college.

As far as cornerbacks the Bears are known to have showed interest in -- the team hosted Southeast Louisiana's Robert Alford on an official pre-draft visit. The word on Alford, projected to come off the board in the third round, is that from an athleticism standpoint, he's a first-round talent, but other aspects of his game have pushed him down to the mid-rounds.

The Bears also put Miami's Brandon McGee trhough a private workout, and kicked the tires on 6-3 New Mexico State cornerback Jeremy Harris, a potential late-round/priority free agent.

Next ten: Jordan Poyer, Oregon State, 6-0, 190; Blidi Wreh-Wilson, Connecticut, 6-1, 195; Tyrann Mathieu, LSU, 5-9, 186; Leon McFadden, San Diego State, 5-10, 193; Logan Ryan, Rutgers, 5-11, 191; Tharold Simon, LSU, 6-2, 202; B.W. Webb, Williams & Mary, 5-10, 184; Sanders Commings, Georgia, 6-0, 216; Brandon McGee, 5-11, 193; Will Davis, Utah State, 5-11, 186.


Grade: B+

Analysis: Just like at linebacker, the Bears would be wise to select a cornerback for a variety of reasons. First off, this appears to be an above average cornerback class, and even if the Bears wait until the second or third day to address the position, they should be in position to get a pretty decent player. There is also the issue of all their top cornerbacks currently on the roster playing on essentially one-year deals. It seems logical the Bears would look to extend either Tillman or Jennings, but will they do both? Can they do both? The Bears need some youth at cornerback beyond 2012 sixth-round pick Isaiah Frey, currently the No. 2 nickel back, so it would make sense that one of their five picks (barring a trade) would go towards upgrading the secondary.

New Bears linebacker James Anderson joined "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000 and talked about what's it like to join the Bears linebacking corps in the post-Brian Urlacher era.

Anderson also discussed fitting in at outside linebacker.

ESPN Chicago 1000's Jeff Dickerson and Jonathan Hood talked with several former Bears and others Wednesday to get their reaction to the Bears parting ways with Brian Urlacher.

ESPN Chicago's Tom Waddle says the Urlacher news is an NFL reality but he is surprised they couldn't work out a deal.



Former Bears linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer says he's not surprised Urlacher won't return but he was caught off guard by the manner in which the Bears announced the news.



Former Bears linebacker Rosevelt Colvin says it's unfortunate a legendary figure like Urlacher can't finish his career with the Bears.



ESPN.com's John Clayton says the Bears' offer of $2 million to Urlacher was embarrassing.



Click here for more audio from ESPN Chicago.

PITTSBURGH -- Matt Spaeth is coming back to Pittsburgh.

The Steelers signed the free agent tight end on Monday, reuniting Spaeth with the club that selected him in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. The 29-year-old Spaeth spent his first four seasons with the Steelers before moving on to Chicago, where he caught just 13 passes for 78 yards and three touchdowns in 31 games.

Read the entire story.

CHICAGO – The Chicago Bears are expected to release defensive tackle Matt Toeaina after he refused to take a pay cut, a league source confirmed to ESPN Chicago on Wednesday.

Toeaina was entering the final year of a three-year extension he signed with the Bears on Dec. 27, 2010. He was on the books to earn a $760,000 base salary, $290,000 roster bonus and $75,000 workout bonus with a salary-cap number of $1,625,000. The Bears will carry $500,000 worth of dead money toward this year’s cap with the move.

Toeaina had a limited role on defense last year as he appeared in only three games with two starts. Known primarily as a run-stopper, Toeaina was placed on injured reserve Dec. 17 because of a chronic knee that injury that required arthroscopic surgery. Toeaina also played through a broken hand last preseason that no doubt affected his performance on the field.

Toeaina’s best year came in 2010 when he started 10 games for the Bears and recorded a career-high 33 tackles and 2.0 sacks. He cracked the starting lineup 12 times the next season but eventually lost his spot to 2011 second-round pick Stephen Paea.

While talks continue to swirl surrounding the Chicago Bears' pursuit of a free agent offensive tackle, the club remains in the market for help at offensive guard.

ESPNChicago.com reported last week the Bears had interest in New York Jets veteran Brandon Moore, arguably the third-best guard in the 2013 free agent class.

(Read full post)

Two Hall of Fame athletes signed a letter supporting a gay marriage bill on its way to the Illinois House.

Former Chicago Cubs shortstop Ernie Banks and former Chicago Bears defensive end Richard Dent, along with former Bears Hunter Hillenmeyer and Brendon Ayanbadejo, wrote that the "Illinois General Assembly should act now and give same-sex couples the freedom to marry."

Read the entire story.

Former Bears linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer is seeking funding for a company he co-founded which attempts to connect fans with their favorite athletes through the world of video games.

Read the story.

CHICAGO -- Former Chicago Bears receiver Johnny Knox says he's giving up football.

Read the entire story.

Devin Hester backed off talk of retirement but believes a fresh start with another team might be best, and the record-setting return man told the Chicago Tribune he is not interested in playing receiver if he is back with the Chicago Bears.

Read the entire story.

Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young said Friday that he hopes Jay Cutler realizes the opportunity he has to succeed under new coach Marc Trestman.

Young was one of the biggest proponents of the Chicago Bears hiring Trestman to replace Lovie Smith. Trestman was the San Francisco 49ers' offensive coordinator for 1995 and '96 with Young at quarterback.

"I'm excited about it," Young said on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "I'm excited for Marc. And I stand by everything I said before. He's ready to do this.

"Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL, player or coach, but I'm hopeful that Jay Cutler decides that this is a great opportunity for him and will put the time in and the effort. I think he will. I think he has in the past but he'll really get the fruits of it if he does the boring things for the next three or four months. And he'll emerge as a much more disciplined quarterback. He's already good, and he'll be great. I hope that's the biggest change you'll see."

Young said Trestman's influence will surprise the Bears.

"If you run (the offense) right they'll be shocked how much easier it is," Young said. "How much more room there is to run."

Linebacker Lance Briggs said Thursday that change in the defensive coaching staff was tough to accept given the Chicago Bears' success in recent seasons, but he maintains the veterans will "stay positive" during the transition.

"Initially doubt goes through everybody's mind because as a defense we don't think there's anything wrong," Briggs said on "SVP & Russillo" on ESPN Radio. "There's nothing wrong with the defense so to make changes to something that there's nothing wrong with, the first thing that goes through your mind is you can only hurt it.

"But we're vets, and we understand this is a change and you have to stay positive about it and work through it. We brought in Mel Tucker (as defensive coordinator) ... I haven't spoken to any of these coaches yet but staying positive that things are going to work out."

The Bears fired Lovie Smith on Dec. 31 after a 10-6 season that ended without a trip to the playoffs for the fifth time in the past six seasons. Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli decided not to return and was hired by the Dallas Cowboys as defensive line coach.

New Bears coach Marc Trestman hired Tucker, who ran a similar scheme with the Jacksonville Jaguars, to lead the defense.

Briggs played nine seasons under Smith, who did not get one of the eight head-coaching openings this offseason, and believes his former coach will get another chance to lead an NFL team.

"Lovie is a smart hire for any team, what he builds and what he brings to the table," Briggs said. "He'll bring a winner to whatever team hires him."

Amidst the usual crowd of comic-book illustrators, writers and actors at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) this April, a new player will make his grand entrance: a defensive end.

At C2E2, Israel Idonije of the Chicago Bears will unveil his debut comic book, "The Protectors." This “passion project,” as Idonije describes it, has been in the works since 2007, when he brainstormed the idea during training camp.

Read the entire story.

Former Ravens receiver Qadry Ismail says the 2000 Baltimore defense was superior to the vaunted 1985 Bears' defense that carried Chicago to its first and only Super Bowl win.

"That 2000 defense it's up there with the all-time, if not the all-time best defense ever, including the '85 Bears," Ismail, now a Ravens broadcaster, said Wednesday on "Carmen, Jurko & Harry" on ESPN Chicago 1000. "It wasn't quite the domination that you would expect (from) that Bears team compared to the total and utter destruction that this 2000 Ravens team inflicted on its opponents. When you have guys like Jerome Bettis, Eddie George, Corey Dillon and Fred Taylor in his prime getting up and just flat out saying we can't play. They're not giving us a chance.

"When you have quarterbacks scared to go back in, that's what the defense brought to the table. "

The 2000 Ravens allowed just 165 points (10.6 per game) all season, an NFL-record and were almost impossible to run on, giving up just 970 yards rushing, another league record. Baltimore posted four shutouts and had 11 games in which they allowed 10 or fewer points.

The 1985 Bears defense was the backbone of a 15-1 season and punished quarterbacks with Buddy Ryan's 46 scheme. They had 64 sacks and led the league in points allowed (198), yards allowed (4,135), interceptions (34) and turnovers (54).