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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.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- With three linebackers flying off the board early on Day 2 -- Manti Te'o (No. 38), Kevin Minter (No. 45) and Kiko Alonso (No. 46) -- the Chicago Bears joined the party at No. 50 and selected University of Florida inside linebacker Jonathan Bostic to complement the offseason additions of veterans D.J. Williams and James Anderson.

Linebacker was a must for the Bears.

Bears general manager Phil Emery needed to find a young linebacker to push Williams and Anderson for starting jobs, while at the same time providing the club with insurance in the event one of the front line guys went down with an injury.

“The reason we like Jon -- he’s a three-position linebacker,” Emery said. “We felt it was very important that if we were going to take a linebacker in the second round, that we get somebody who can immediately fill in at all three spots. If one of our starters was not available due to injury, that he could fill in immediately and we would have a good football player in place right now.

“Obviously he’ll be given the opportunity to earn a starting job. We see him as a future starter.”

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LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Cornerback Charles Tillman said Tuesday all of the Chicago Bears' offseason changes, including the failed contract negotiations with free agent middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, re-enforced the concept that no one is irreplaceable in the NFL.

"(Urlacher) had a great career. I wish he was here, but it's a cutthroat business," Tillman said. "I mean, you saw Peyton Manning got cut, we didn't re-sign Brian ... ultimately no one is safe on one team forever. I don't care how many Piccolo Awards you win, at the of the day it's a business, it's cut-throat."

Tillman was honored, along with defensive ends Julius Peppers and Shea McClellin, with the Brian Piccolo Award, and he
made sure to mention two influential men who were not present at Tuesday's award ceremony at Halas Hall: former coach Lovie Smith and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli.

"I want to thank coach (Jon) Hoke for pushing me, coach Marinelli for pushing me, coach Smith for pushing me," said Tillman, who won the award for the third time. "Without those three men in my life, I don't think any of (my accomplishments) are possible without those three men pushing me to my maximum capacity as a player."

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CHICAGO – Former Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith reflected on his nine-year run in Chicago for the first time publicly since the Bears fired him on December 31 after the club missed the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six years, despite a 10-6 regular season record.

Smith said it "was time for (the Bears) to go in a different direction" during an appearance Thursday on ESPN's "NFL Live."

"My nine years in Chicago were great," Smith said. "I met a lot of great people, my family loved it, and it was just time for them to go in a different direction and I'm going to do the same."

After his dismissal from the Bears, Smith interviewed with the San Diego Chargers, Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles but was unable to land another head coaching job in the offseason. Smith, 84-66 lifetime in the NFL, said he plans to again pursue head coaching opportunities next year.

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LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery said Tuesday he "absolutely" had no regrets over how the club handled the negotiations with linebacker Brian Urlacher, who became a free agent after the team ceased contract talks on March 20.

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New Chicago Bears linebacker D.J. Williams didn't officially sign his contract until last Thursday, and I've finally gotten a look at the specifics via ESPN Stats & Information resources. The structure of Williams' one-year, $1.75 million deal further confirms that the Bears don't view him as a long-term replacement for Brian Urlacher.

The contract does not include any guaranteed money. Williams' base salary is $900,000, and there are two sets of roster bonuses that will pay him $23,437 for every game he is on the 53-man roster and another $23,437 each time he is on the game-day 46-man roster. So if he is active for all 16 games, those roster bonuses would total $750,000.

There is also a $100,000 workout bonus tied to offseason work.

There are reasons why Williams was available for such a relative bargain. Most notably, he only played seven games last season for the Denver Broncos because of a pair of suspensions. But the Bears still got what Matt Bowen, writing for ESPN Insider, suggests will be a 2013 upgrade over Urlacher because of Williams' "short area change-of-direction skills and speed to the ball."

As with any business, NFL teams don't want to make any more of a financial commitment than they have to. In Williams' case, the only thing the Bears are required to do is devote a low salary-cap figure ($1.328 million). And as we noted earlier Monday, the Bears are hosting a potentially longer-term answer at the position in Kansas State's Arthur Brown. The Bears have kept all options open.

This draft season has harkened thoughts of the old days in the Black and Blue division: lots of middle linebacker talk. With half of the NFC North seeking long-term answers at the position, we've discussed some of the best-known middle/inside linebacker prospects in the draft, from Notre Dame's Manti Te'o to Georgia's Alec Ogletree.

The Minnesota Vikings hosted both Te'o and Ogletree last week at their annual "Top 30 event," and the Chicago Bears are bringing in another prominent prospect for a visit starting Monday. The Bears are getting a closer look at Kansas State's Arthur Brown, projected by Scouts Inc. as a second-round draft pick , according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com.

Brown has been on the radar for a while but he opened more eyes at Kansas State's pro day by running his 40-yard dash in the 4.56-4.66 range, according to Dickerson. Scouts Inc.'s Insider report notes that Brown is a bit undersized at 6-feet 3/8th-inches and suggested he is best suited for a system that "protects" its linebackers with two-gapping defensive tackles. On the other hand, his speed gives him "sideline-to-sideline range," according to the analysis.

From a bigger picture, Brown's visit indicates the Bears are not sitting pat at linebacker even after signing free agents D.J. Williams and James Anderson, a topic we discussed last week. Even if they intend for Williams to be their starting middle linebacker in 2013, they still need to make plans to find a longer-term replacement for Brian Urlacher.

DES PLAINES, Ill. -- Chicago Bears chairman George McCaskey talked with Brian Urlacher for the first time since the team parted ways with him and said the star linebacker, who was bothered he hadn't heard from the team, was "gracious" during their phone conversation.

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Scoop Jackson examines whether Jay Cutler is ready to become the face of the Bears franchise.

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The Chicago Bears opened the "voluntary" portion of their offseason program Monday, having made a series of mid-level moves last week that re-organized their linebacker group and effected a swap at right guard. After catching up on the rest of the division, let's dig a bit deeper into the Bears' moves.

After bidding farewell to middle linebacker Brian Urlacher (free agent) and strong-side linebacker Nick Roach (Oakland Raiders), the Bears signed free agents D.J. Williams and James Anderson. Both players received one-year contracts that at most will cost the Bears about $3 million combined, which should tell you all you need to know about the permanence of that situation. (Anderson signed for $1.25 million, while Williams will earn up to $1.75 million, according to Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune.)

Williams' natural position is on the weak side, where Lance Briggs plays. So at the moment, he appears the most likely candidate to replace Urlacher in 2013. He will turn 31 in July and might be best-suited for an inside role at this point in his career. Anderson, who turns 30 in September, could wind up in Roach's old position.

I don't know if the Bears will alter their draft priorities after signing Williams and Anderson, but I don't think it should. If anything, what the Bears have done is provide a bridge to their next generation of linebackers. When the season ends, all three of their presumed starters -- Williams, Anderson and Briggs -- will be at least 30.

The Bears might no longer face the urgency of drafting an immediate starter at either position, but their need for long-term replacements at all three linebacker positions is no less acute. In some cases, a rookie can earn a starting job midway through the season if not before. Regardless, the position remains a high priority in this month's draft.

Meanwhile, it's fair for the moment to consider Matt Slauson as the replacement for right guard Lance Louis, who signed a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins worth $1.603 million. I'm guessing the Bears didn't want to commit long-term to Louis while he rehabilitates his torn ACL, but it's only fair to point out he was the team's best offensive lineman last season. Slauson started 48 consecutive games over three seasons for the salary cap-strapped New York Jets, but he'll need to be a pretty successful free-agent signing to match Louis' pre-injury play from last season.

Note: The Bears got a head-start in their offseason program division because the NFL has a different schedule for teams with new coaches. During the next two weeks, players can participate in strength-and-conditioning workouts, as well as rehabilitation. Chicago will have a voluntary pre-draft minicamp from April 16-18, will start organized team activities (OTAs) on May 13 and have its mandatory minicamp from June 11-13.

Naturally, nostalgia and familiarity lead to death-blow thinking when pondering the face of the Chicago Bears' new linebacking corps sans Brian Urlacher and Nick Roach.

But a strong debate can be made that new additions D.J. Williams and James Anderson might represent a considerable upgrade at the position.

A free agent, Roach bolted Chicago for the Oakland Raiders on March 15. Less than a week later, the Bears announced March 20 that they couldn't come to an agreement with Urlacher, the face of the defense for 13 years. In a statement, general manager Phil Emery said "both sides decided to move forward."

The Bears wasted little time in doing so. Two days after the Urlacher announcement, the Bears signed Williams, a nine-year veteran. Two days later, the club signed seven-year vet Anderson, giving it a trio of starting linebackers -- with Williams and perennial Pro Bowler Lance Briggs also in the mix -- that possesses experience, and likely more athleticism than the group that featured Roach and Urlacher alongside Briggs over the years.

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CHICAGO -- Free agent linebacker Brian Urlacher said Friday he would have appreciated a call from a member of the Chicago Bears to tell him the organization was moving on before it issued a press release announcing the split.

"I would have appreciated a call from, maybe not (Bears general manager) Phil (Emery), but (team chairman) George (McCaskey) or somebody else I've been around," Urlacher said on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN Chicago 1000. "I haven't been around Phil; he's been here for one year so I don't know him all that well, but (a call) from somebody else in the organization I've been around for a long time (would have been appreciated)."

The Bears announced Wednesday that they would not re-sign Urlacher for a 14th season after the linebacker turned down their one-year offer that could have totaled $2 million.

Urlacher also took issue with the way the Bears announced the news to the public.

"It was amazing how fast they released the statement," Urlacher said. "So they got off the phone with my agent, I don't know what time it was, and 30 seconds later they already had the statement out on Twitter. So they already had the statement prepared on this, obviously, because they had quotes from George and Phil and everybody in there. Right when they hung up the phone my agent said -- he used some choice words -- you're not going to believe this (stuff) they did. And they released it right away, so they were ready, they knew what was going to happen, they were ready for it obviously because they had quotes from George and Phil.

"I'm not upset. I was never upset. I understand the business side of football. It was just time to move on for me, that's all there is to it. I was never upset. Disappointed, yes. I want to be a Bear one-hundred percent. It just didn't work out. But I've never been upset about it, just disappointed."

In the team's prepared statement, Emery is quoted as saying "Brian will always be welcome as a member of the Bears" while McCaskey mentioned that, "(Brian) will always be part of the Bears family."

But Urlacher was lukewarm about the idea of one day returning to Chicago to have his jersey number retired in a ceremony at Soldier Field.

"I have no idea," Urlacher said. "I honestly have no idea if that would ever be possible. First of all they have to ask me to do it. I don't know if they want to do that or not. I don't know."

Urlacher said he does not anticipate the Bears reaching out to him in the future.

"No. I don't expect that to happen," Urlacher said.

The Bears' all-time leading tackler with 1,779 stops, Urlacher was the 2000 NFL Rookie of the Year, a four-time All-Pro selection, a two-time winner of the Brian Piccolo Award and was the team's Ed Block Courage Award winner in 2011.

A free agent for the first time in his 13-year career, former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said Friday "maybe nobody wants me" but he still is happy to talk to other teams.

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Former defensive coordinator Greg Blache "hurt like a parent" when he learned that Brian Urlacher would not be back with the Chicago Bears next season and said he believes the linebacker can still play.

"I'm sorry that he won't finish it as a Bear but at the end of the day it's business," Blache said Thursday on "Carmen & Jurko" on ESPN Chicago 1000. "Brian is like a son to my wife and I. He and (Urlacher's brother) Casey are like my other two sons. When I heard it this morning I actually hurt like a parent would hurt for one of their children. ... I've been there. It's a business. At the end of the day it's about business.

"And we as coaches talk from both sides of our mouth when we work with these guys. We say 'Come on men. We're together. We're a band of brothers and let's fight that opponent for our organization and our city.' And all the time in the back of my mind we kind of knew the day was going to come when something like this was going to happen, when the organization was going to say 'Thanks but no thanks. Adios amigo.' That's the down side of the business."

The Bears announced Wednesday they would not re-sign Urlacher, ending his 13-season run in Chicago. Urlacher said Thursday on "Mike & Mike in the Morning" on ESPN Radio that he hopes to play for another two or three years.

Blache, who was the Bears defensive coordinator from 1999-2003, said the new Bears coaching staff never got to see the real Urlacher because he suffered through injuries for much of the 2012 season.

"With the new coaches coming in, I don't think they fully understood who he was," said Blache, who is now retired. "He had a pulled hamstring this year, he had struggled with the knee the year before. I don't think they've seen Brian as Brian. He's going to be 35 years old and he's going to slow down a step. But now he's going to be as fast as everybody else because before he was so much faster than everybody. Now he will become human. That's the thing I don't think they realize. Brian will now become maybe human, or close to it. As close as he can become to being human because he's a freak."

Blache said he still keeps in touch with his former linebacker and trusts Urlacher in knowing when it will be time to retire.

"I spoke to him a few weeks ago and he felt the best he has felt in a few years," Blache said. "He was healthy for the first time since he had the knee, he's got an offseason to prepare. I trust Brian's judgment. I think Brian will know when it's time to hang it up. The guy played 12 games this year and still had phenomenal stats. For Brian they were just average. Any other linebacker they would be pretty darn good. I don't think Brian is finished, I really don't."

It's a surprise when it ends amicably in the NFL, when the Hall of Fame-bound superstar finishes his career with the same team he's led for a dozen or so years. Professional sports, all of them, are big and often nasty business. But this is what the NFL does more ruthlessly, more callously than the others: discard great players, show them the door with barely a handshake, much less a hug.

At least Brian Urlacher is in great company, from John Unitas to Joe Montana to Jerry Rice to, well, the great Ed Reed. It would have been a surprise if it ended happily, though that's what Urlacher was hoping for right to the end. Just a week ago he was hopeful he would end his career in a Bears uniform but not particularly optimistic. His fears became reality Wednesday; the divorce was made final. Sentimentality is something with which the NFL is utterly unfamiliar.

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