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CHICAGO -- Chicago Bears fullback/tight end Evan Rodriguez has been cleared of any wrongdoing for his role in an incident last month in Miami Beach, Fla. that resulted in the player being arrested following a traffic accident, according to an official in the Miami-Dade County clerk's office.

Rodriguez, a passenger in one of the vehicles involved in the accident, allegedly interfered with the Miami Beach police investigation of the crime scene and got charged with resisting an officer without violence and disorderly intoxication.

The two charges were officially dropped on April 12.

“Evan is a fine young man and I had no doubt after meeting with him for the first time that he had committed no crime,” Rodriguez's attorney Ed O'Donnell said. “I'm glad the state of Florida agreed.”

Rodriguez spent a portion of his offseason training in South Florida with Bears' teammates Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery.

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ESPNChicago.com kicks off its countdown to the April 25-27 NFL draft with a look back at last year's draft class. Check back each day leading up to the draft for a positional preview of all the draft prospects.

The Chicago Bears muddied the draft picture for outsiders with the moves they made in free agency, but that certainly added flexibility for what the club can now do with the 20th overall pick.

So as we prepare to get into that subject in preparing to kick off coverage of the 2013 NFL draft, let's take a look at how the team fared in 2012 with its six draft picks. Often immediately after a selection is made, reporters -- having not seen any of the prospects play a single down in the NFL -- submit overly positive or negative grades.

Well, we've now had an entire season to make an evaluation, and here's what we think:

Shea McClellin, DE, Boise State

Round: 1 Pick: 19 (Overall: 19)

What we said after the draft: General manager Phil Emery raved about McClellin's natural instincts, and functional athleticism, which should translate well as an NFL pass rusher. His physical attributes don't necessarily jump off the charts, but he plays better than workout testing would indicate. Drafting McClellin over Whitney Mercilus and Chandler Jones says a lot Chicago's belief in his ability opposite Julius Peppers.
Initial grade: B+

What we say now: First, the bad. McClellin struggled early on at training camp, and never cracked the starting lineup as a rookie. Sure, he was a rookie. But shouldn't a team's first-round pick be an immediate starter and impact player? McClellin wasn't either of those, but that's not to say he didn't produce a solid rookie campaign. He played in 14 games with 2.5 sacks and seven tackles, and after the season, Emery discussed metrics that would indicate McClellin was an impact player. The problem was he didn't make enough of an impact. Right now, this looks like an Emery single. This team needs home runs with the first-round picks.

Current grade: C

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Chicago Bears tight end/fullback Evan Rodriguez was arrested in Miami Beach, Fla., and charged with resisting an officer without violence and disorderly intoxication, a Miami Beach detective confirmed to ESPNChicago.com.

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Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery isn’t the only member of the Chicago Bears’ 2012 draft class who is spending his offseason training with Pro Bowler Brandon Marshall in South Florida.

Last year’s fourth-round pick, fullback/tight end Evan Rodriguez, arrived at Marshall’s brand-new Fit Speed Inc. training facility in Weston, Fla., in mid-February to participate in workouts with his Bears teammates and other NFL players recruited by Marshall, who is recovering from offseason hip surgery.

Rodriguez’s decision to train in that environment seems like a wise one.

This figures to be an important season for Rodriguez’s development, after he lined up primarily at fullback his rookie year. Touted as a pass-catcher by Bears general manager Phil Emery on draft day, Rodriguez managed to haul in only four receptions for 21 yards in 12 games (five starts) in limited playing time. The Bears used Rodriguez an average of 19 offensive snaps per game, with a high of 32 snaps (52 percent of all snaps) in the Bears’ Week 13 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

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INDIANAPOLIS -- Chicago Bears tight ends coach Andy Bischoff recently hinted at changes set to take place with how the team uses its tight ends. Rising second-year man Evan Rodriguez might be the best suited for what the staff envisions in the future at the position.

He’ll certainly receive ample opportunity, according to general manager Phil Emery.

“He’s going to be used in a variety of roles until we find the right role for him,” Emery said. “He finished the year as a fullback. We felt by the end of the year that he did a good job in there.”

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The Chicago Bears need a tight end capable of working the middle of the field who can catch the ball on a regular basis. But it doesn't appear that person is on the team's roster.

It would be viewed by many as an upset if Kellen Davis sees the second year of the contract he signed with the Bears last offseason that calls for a base salary of $2.4 million in 2013. Davis just isn't the dependable threat in the passing game the Bears need at tight end. He had far too many drops last year as he struggled to stay upright whenever he had to turn his body to make a catch or run up field.

That needs to be fixed.

Further down the depth chart are accomplished blocker Matt Spaeth, developing pass-catcher Kyle Adams, and 2012 fourth-round pick Evan Rodriguez, who spent his rookie year lining up roughly 10-12 snaps per game at the hybrid H-Back position. The Bears' reserves are more than capable to handle their respective roles, but the team has been lacking a front-line tight end since the previous regime decided to trade Greg Olsen to Carolina in the summer of 2011.

In a twist of bad luck, there are a handful of talented tight ends slated to be restricted free agents, led by Dennis Pitta, who had a breakout year for the Baltimore Ravens with 61 catches for 669 yards and seven touchdowns in the regular season. Pitta also has two postseason touchdown receptions for the AFC champions.

Acquiring restricted free agents is much trickier because teams have a right to match any offer sheet the player signs, and depending on the tender amount, teams can be due compensation in the form of draft picks if they decide not to match the offer.

The Bears are in desperate need of an upgrade and will no doubt investigate and consider all the available options. If they decide to address the issue in free agency, here is a list of some of the projected unrestricted free agent tight ends.

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After the Chicago Bears' 32-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, here are three issues that merit further examination:

ESPN.com
1. The Bears' intent on offense was pretty clear. They opened the game with an extra tackle, Jonathan Scott, and rookie Evan Rodriguez lined up at fullback, and desperately wanted to establish the run with quarterback Jay Cutler sidelined. I get that. But that approach provided no alternative when the 49ers took the early lead, and I remain stunned at how poorly the Bears adjusted. Forced into passing situations, they put tackles J'Marcus Webb and Gabe Carimi in matchups they had already proved they couldn't win. It was absolutely criminal to stand by and let 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith beat them for 5.5 sacks. There is no doubt Smith is an elite pass-rusher, but the Bears needed to suck it up at some point and double-team him. Each sack came when the 49ers sent four or fewer rushers, meaning there was always someone available to help out if assigned. Instead, the Bears let Smith have a better game against them than any opponent in their history. In fact, Smith's sack total has been bested in a single game only four times in NFL history. Reggie White never had 5.5 sacks in a game. Neither did Bruce Smith, Lawrence Taylor, nor Mark Gastineau. Why? Because even on their best days, they faced more opposition than Smith did Monday night. I'm not sure any adjustment on Smith would have changed the outcome of the game, given how well the 49ers' offense played, but yikes. That was an eye-opening red flag from offensive coordinator Mike Tice, who was promoted in part because his background as an offensive line coach figured to minimize such jailbreaks. The Bears' scheme was as much, or more, to blame for Smith's night as was the poor play of Webb and Carimi.
2. Jason Campbell's performance gets something of a curve given the pressure he faced. All told, he was sacked six times and hit on five other occasions. But in the bigger picture, I wouldn't say the Bears got their $3.5 million out of him Monday night. The point of making such a commitment on a backup quarterback was to give themselves a chance to win a tough game under adverse circumstances when the starter isn't available. Based on their initial game plan, the Bears didn't appear interested in putting the game in Campbell's hands. And when they had no choice, Campbell fell far short. He threw two interceptions, fumbled twice, and per his career history, rarely pushed the ball upfield. Of his 22 attempts, only six traveled more than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. He completed two of them for a total of 24 yards. Again, Campbell was in a tough spot Monday night. But the bottom line is the Bears are now 1-7 in the past eight games that starter Cutler has either missed or has left early. It appears Cutler is on track to return for Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings. He is scheduled to host his radio show on ESPN 1000 at 1 p.m. ET.
3. Cutler has alluded on several occasions to his role in keeping receiver Brandon Marshall mentally engaged and emotionally in check, and it was instructive to see how quickly Marshall got chippy and eventually combative without Cutler on the sideline with him. Television cameras caught center Roberto Garza putting him in a bear hug to settle down an altercation with an unnamed Bears player late in the game. "I have to a do a better job when I am frustrated of not letting it show," Marshall said. In the end, Marshall only saw four passes thrown his way. He caught two of them, including a 13-yard touchdown. Six of Marshall's eight touchdowns this season have come when the score differential was at least 17 points.

And here is one issue I still don't get:

What happened to the Bears' defense? Part of me wants to tip my cap to 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. It was fair to expect a conservative game plan and a few mistakes when facing a quarterback making his first start. We all thought Kaepernick would give the Bears a chance to add to their long list of takeaways this season. But Kaepernick was poised and stunningly accurate downfield against a Bears team that only blitzed on nine of his 23 attempts. Kaepernick gashed the Bears' standard pressure by completing 10 of 14 passes against it, including two that gained at least 30 yards. The 49ers also burned the Bears' defense by rushing for 94 yards between the tackles. Time will tell, but the Bears' defense -- like most -- was not nearly as good when it couldn't cause turnovers.

LAKE FOREST – Chicago Bears fullback Evan Rodriguez is hoping to see some snaps on Sunday when his team takes on the Carolina Panthers after a quiet game last week. Rodriguez was in uniform on the sidelines for Monday’s night win over the Detroit Lions but failed to get into the game.

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RISING

1. Charles Tillman, CB: Placed the handcuffs on Detroit's Calvin Johnson on Monday, locking him down for 3 catches and 34 yards despite Matthew Stafford targeting him 11 times. Johnson didn't even finish in the Lions' top three in receptions or yardage. Tillman also forced two fumbles, with the performance leading to national recognition as NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

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LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Aside from receiver Alshon Jeffery (hand), the Chicago Bears appear to be a fully healthy team headed into their clash against the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football.

Returning for their second practice after a week of inactivity, the Bears saw nearly full participation during Wednesday's session aside from Jeffery, who is expected to miss multiple games, linebacker Blake Costanzo (thumb), who is expected to play against the Lions, and cornerback Sherrick McManis.

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LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith predicted last week the return of fullback Evan Rodriguez and receiver Earl Bennett for Monday Night Football, when the club hosts the Detroit Lions, and both players practiced Monday with the team returning to the field after a week off.

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LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears rested several veteran players on Wednesday during the team's final abbreviated practice before their bye weekend.

Quarterback Jay Cutler, defensive end Julius Peppers, wide receivers Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery and Devin Hester as well as fullback Evan Rodriguez and center Roberto Garza were among the players given the day off.

The Bears are scheduled to next return to the practice field on Monday in advance of their home game against the Detroit Lions on Oct. 22.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte (ankle) and wide receiver Earl Bennett (hand) are both questionable to face the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night, according to head coach Lovie Smith.

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Getting inside the Friday injury report:

Chicago Bears: Tight end Evan Rodriguez (knee) missed practice and isn't expected to play Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys. Linebacker Brian Urlacher took his regular day off Friday. Receiver Earl Bennett (and) and tailback Matt Forte (ankle) were limited. The Bears will announce game statuses Saturday.

Detroit Lions: Quarterback Matthew Stafford (leg muscle/hamstring/hip) is listed as probable. He had full participation in Friday's practice and he'll start Sunday at Ford Field. Safety Louis Delmas (knee) is doubtful, but he never practiced this week and won't play. Running back Mikel Leshoure (groin) and tight end Tony Scheffler (calf) are questionable but expected to play.

Green Bay Packers: The only players who might not be available for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints are safety Sean Richardson and cornerback Davon House (shoulder). All other players, including running back James Starks (toe) are at least probable. Coach Mike McCarthy indicated that Starks is no better than No. 3 on the depth chart behind Cedric Benson and Alex Green, an indication he might not be active Sunday.

Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings ruled out linebacker Erin Henderson (concussion) and safety Mistral Raymond (ankle), as expected. Safety Andrew Sendejo (ankle) and defensive end D'Aundre Reed (calf) are questionable, and all other players are expected to be available. Quarterback Christian Ponder (neck) returned to full participation in practice Friday.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- A knee injury to rookie fullback Evan Rodriguez is expected to force the Bears to make a couple of minor tweaks on both offense and special teams heading into their Monday night game in Dallas.

The Bears used a fourth-round draft pick on Rodriguez because they envisioned a scenario where the Temple product could step in right away and be plugged into a role on offense while also being used as a contributor on special teams. Rodriguez did not disappoint and had a strong start to the year until suffering a knee injury on the opening kickoff last week versus the St. Louis Rams which limited him to just five snaps before he was officially ruled out of the game.

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