The Bears got to see a lot of Garrett Wolfe in college as he played at Northern Illinois. With the Bears getting rid of Thomas Jones and with Cedric Benson’s injury history they felt they needed to protect themselves and that’s why they picked Wolfe. Wolfe is a small guy at 5’7″, 182 pounds but he has the heart of a lion. Wolfe is very fast as he runs a 4.43 40 yard dash, and he’s got a complete arsenal of moves. No running back in the country was more productive than Wolfe was in college! In 33 games (28 starts) for Northern Illinois, Wolfe carried the football 807 times for 5,164 yards (6.4 ypc) with 52 TD runs. He also caught 58 passes for 588 yards (10.1 avg) with 5 TD catches. Many experts project him as nothing more than a 3rd down back and kick returner in the Pros…..but I have to disagree after watching him run all over Ohio State and Michigan in college. Don’t bet against Wolfe having a good NFL career.

The Bears might have reached a little bit for Dan Bazuin as most had him pegged to be picked in the 3rd or 4th round of the Draft, but the Bears took him in the 2nd. It’s not hard to see what the Bears like in Bazuin as he always plays 100% on every play. But, sometimes Bazuin is over aggressive and that hurts him when running backs make sharp cuts. Bazuin is 6’2″, 264 and he runs a 4.68 40 so he has the physical skills to be a productive DE in the NFL. In 47 games (all starts) at Central Michigan, Bazuin has made 261 tackles, 63.5 tackles for loss, had 35 sacks, batted down 9 passes, forced 10 fumbles and recovered 6 fumbles. Look for Bazuin to fit right in on the aggressive Bears defense.

The Chicago Bears felt that they might need a few more weapons on offense so they couldn’t resist adding the top-rated tight end in the draft when he slid to them in the first round. Olsen is a big target at 6’6″, 254 pounds and he has pretty good speed (4.5 40). His best attribute is his pass catching as he’s not much of a run blocker. In 33 games (26 starts) for the Hurricanes, Olsen caught 87 passes for 1,215 yards (14.0 avg) with 6 TD grabs. Olsen was a good pick for the Bears who needed someone they can trust over the middle of the field. He is a nice upgrade over Desmond Clark.

Darius Walker got to Rookie Camp and was informed that the Bears only planned to carry three running backs this season. So he got out of his contract and signed with the Houston Texans. That’s good for the Bears because they don’t need players around that aren’t willing to earn their spot on the roster.

The Bears patience with WR Airese Currie has been all used up as they have released him. He only played in 1 game in 2 years with the Bears due to nagging injuries. He didn’t even catch a pass for them and he will be absolutely no loss to the team.

The Bears have signed QB Chris Leak of the Florida Gators and RB Darius Walker from Notre Dame. Leak is small of stature but he’s been a 4-year starter at Florida and he’s a film room junkie. He also helped lead his team to a National Championship last season. Leak is only 5’11″, 203 pounds but he runs a 4.75 40 yard dash which isn’t too shabby for a quarterback. Leak played in 51 games (47 starts) for the Gators and he completed 895 of 1,458 passes (61.4%) for 11,213 yards with 88 TD passes and 42 interceptions. Look for Leak to push Kyle Orton for his roster spot on the Bears.

Darius Walker got a little to big for his britches as he skipped his senior season and entered the NFL Draft, but no one wanted him. Now he will have an uphill battle to try to make the Bears. Still, there are some things to like about Walker. He has the skill set of a third down back in the NFL as he doesn’t have elite speed (4.55 40) or size (5’9″, 210) but he’s a tough runner that is a good receiver too. In 36 games (27 starts) at Notre Dame, Walker has carried the football 693 times for 3,249 yards (4.7 ypc) with 17 TD runs. He also has caught 109 passes for 815 yards (7.5 avg) with 3 TD receptions. He’s got his work cut out for him if he wants to make the Chicago Bears because he starts out behind Cedric Benson, Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolfe.