From General Manager Ed McCutcheon: With the release of Tommie Harris, many people would think the greatest need for the Bears is DT. However, given the lack of productivity and injury time for Harris in recent years, his leaving does not open up a huge hole in the defensive line. Not to mention the presence of Julius Peppers in addition to a few capable players like Anthony Adams and Marcus Harrison.
The offensive line, however, is a different story. We all know the struggles that the Bears had with their offensive line last season. Despite this, they actually made the NFC title game against the Packers. And surprisingly played that game at home, despite losing it. The key is to dig down into the stats for the offensive line as a unit and break down their issues. As we know, they do not have a marquee Left Tackle, since Chris Williams is apparently moving inside to Offensive Guard. That leaves a big hole on the left side, despite the somewhat capapble play of a couple players at that spot in 2010.
Now look at a few of their stats as a unit:
* The Bears finished LAST in the NFL in Sacks Allowed with 57.
* They finished at or near the bottom of the NFL in Quarterback hits with 92.
* They finished with a rushing average of 3.9 yards per attempt in total.
* They also finished with more negative yardage rushing attempst on the right side and the center of their offensive line than any other team.
This pick is made even eaier given that Sherrod is one of the most NFL-ready tackles in this draft. He doesn't have the upside physically of a player like Tyron Smith. However, as noted in his practices in post season workouts, his footwork is polished enough to alow him to start immediately on either side of the offensive line in hist first season. Maybe he follows recent players like Micahel Oher of Baltimore who started his rookie year at Right Tackle then shifts to Left Tackle later. Either way, the Bears should improve in protecting the Quarterback and in rushing.
