With the 20th overall pick, the Bears took Kyle Long, the guard from Oregon.

Long doesn’t have the experience that other players do, he only started 11 games for Oregon after playing baseball in Florida. But he comes from a football background (see: HOF’er Howie Long’s son), can offer some sort of improvement to the OL, and I’ve personally seen a few scout reports argue he is the one of the most athletic IOL in the draft. Also, he is not Manti Te’o so that is another really good thing.

Counter argument? He very well may have been available in the second round. And he is not a stand out player.

Also, people are already bringing up his substance/rehab issues that have happened in the past. I say leave them in the past. He was a kid. He has been clean and behaving for a few years now. Let’s see what the kid can do for us before we throw him under the bus.

I trust Emery enough to know that he is analyzing our needs and picking accordingly. He hasn’t done much to steer us wrong (everyone, everywhere knock on wood right now). Not a super attractive pick, but it could have been a LOT worse.

With the 19th pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears selected OLB/DE Shea McClellin of Boise State.

In addition to beefing up the defensive line, the team also proved me completely wrong by not picking a WR like I thought they would.  But I digress.

According to Pro Football Weekly, the 6-3 3/8, 260 lb. McCellin is an extremely diverse player who will come to the aid of a Bears defense that gave up over 4,000 passing yards last season.  McCellin, in his last two seasons at Boise State, registered 16 1/2 sacks.

During Free Agency, the Bears did a good job of addressing the team’s offensive needs by grabbing Michael Bush and adding veteran QB Jason Campbell as a solid backup option (lest we have a repeat of the Caleb Hanie Disaster).

With a healthy Jay Cutler and more offensive weapons, the Bears made a good choice here.

Sean Jensen, columnist for the Sun Times tweeted:  GM Phil Emery: “We’re looking for guys who can contribute right now. Right away.”

Much optimism surrounds the 2012 season, and if McClellin can make an immediate impact, it will be nice to see the team registering sacks rather than me having to wince in pain every time Cutler goes down.