The Chicago Bears filled a lot of holes in their roster at the 2011 NFL Draft this weekend, and those who evaluate that sort of thing think that they were pretty successful. SB Nation just came out with their very own NFL Draft Grades, and they gave the Bears a B+ for their efforts. Here is what they had to say about the Bears total draft.
For a team that's still pretty close to being Super Bowl caliber, the Bears did a nice job addressing their two biggest needs with first-round talent. Gabe Carimi will start immediately on the Bears' porous offensive line, while Stephen Paea - a guy most thought would be a first-round pick before a pre-draft injury - was terrific value and a perfect fit as a replacement for Tommie Harris in the second round. Getting two starters helps immensely, but it'd have been nice if the Bears could've picked up another lineman or two offensively.
Agreed. The Bears have some serious offensive line problems and Carimi probably won't be able to solve them all by himself. But he is a pretty good start, and the Bears have a chance to help him out during free agency, whenever that may be.